Sensitive or Offensive?

Published by

Clarissa

October 31, 2016

The short version is: if you are a scholar of color, of course ask to speak to other scholars of color on campus, no matter where they may be located. A really savvy and sensitive search committee (are you reading this, search committees???) will make arrangements for this proactively, without you having to ask. If any department is shocked or offended by such a request, it speaks volumes about the climate.

Of course, if a candidate requests such a meeting, it should be arranged. But it sounds like a horrible idea to arrange race-based or eethnicity- based meetings that a person hasn’t asked for. There is nothing savvy or sensitive about it. To the contrary , people might take exception to any such thing. I know I’d feel very uncomfortable and singled out if somebody arranged a meeting with Ukrainians or immigrants just for me.

Rate this:

7 responses to “Sensitive or Offensive?”

Anon

October 31, 2016

We once had a faculty candidate who was offended that we didn’t make her meet with any woman faculty who had children. She completely dismissed the two other junior women faculty she did meet with, just because they were childless.

Mind you, she didn’t tell her host any of this — the host was supposed to intuit all of this just by looking at her CV!

LikeLike

Reply
1. Clarissa
  
  October 31, 2016
  
  You can never guess everybody’s tick or sore issue. If people want to feel offended, they’ll find a reason.
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply
David Gendron

October 31, 2016

Maybe I should have request an Aspie scholar meeting…

LikeLike

Reply
1. David Gendron
  
  October 31, 2016
  
  requested…
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply
xykademiqz

October 31, 2016

When I interviewed where I presently am, they had me meet with the entirely of the female faculty (2 at that time, plus one away on sabbatical). Of the two, one took me to lunch, pulled out a notebook and started working, and completely ignored me. It was the most bizarre experience. I did my best to engage her in small talk, but she didn’t care. And she had just started a few months before me, you would think we would have things to talk about! It’s been 12 years, and I still think that woman is really weird. Maybe only towards me, though.

But yeah, there are so few women in my field that everyone always wants to thrust us onto each other (no, not in a lesbian porn kind of way), presumably believing that our genital commonality is all that’s needed to hit it off. More likely, well-meaning colleagues assume women want to talk to other women, which I mean sure, but let’s not get creepy. If either woman is busy or uninterested, leave them be. Professionally, I have much more in common with a dude in my field than a random woman from a field that’s far removed. And I don’t always want to talk about babies and whatnot.

LikeLike

Reply
Z

October 31, 2016

Well, I do actually try to invite people of the said ethnicity to the talk, or a meal, etc., if they’re in a related field at all. Not as a special meeting — partly to show the person they aren’t the only one & partly so they can network to ask questions if they want to. I don’t go overboard on this, but I don’t want to give an impression of complete isolation.

LikeLike

Reply
1. cliff arroyo
  
  November 1, 2016
  
  ” I do actually try to invite people of the said ethnicity to the talk, or a meal, etc”
  
  That sounds perfectly reasonable; You facilitate chances to network and/or meet by themselves (if the parties involved want to) without going all creepy matchmaker about it.
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply