Posted by kimberlytheidon | Filed under Title IX Issues and Updates
Bullying in Academia
28 Monday Feb 2022
28 Monday Feb 2022
13 Sunday Feb 2022
Posted Title IX Issues and Updates
inMy spirits are lifted by reading the expressions of gratitude for those professors who mentored us, encouraged us, and saw in us future colleagues with whom they would work. Isn’t it a wonderful balm to reflect on their decency midst the horrendous events at Harvard? To praise their names out loud and let them know the difference they made and make is so necessary.
Now to imagine the inverse. Let’s suppose, for those of us who identify as female, that the male professor who singled us out, praised our work, encouraged us, had ulterior motives. How devastating would that have been?
One of my academic heroes is Arturo Escobar, the brilliant and kind man so many of us admire. Oh his classes at UCSC were an intellectual feast! His mind, his breadth of insights, his humor and his mentoring: it was heady stuff to be in his classes. I suppose he could have parlayed our admiration into something unsavory: He did not. Not. Did I say not? Not.
I remember one office hour session with Arturo. Important backdrop: I worked my way (waiting tables) through college from Cabrillo Community College to my BA at the University of California at Santa Cruz, and on to my MPH and PhD at the University of California at Berkeley. I was not raised to believe I would pursue graduate studies: my mother always hoped I would marry well.
I had taken a couple of courses with Arturo Escobar, and my mind was on fire. All neurons on high alert! Also huge shout out to Sonia Alvarez, whom I admire to the moon —but the topic here is female student/male faculty mentorship. Back to the narrative thread.
So I met with Arturo during office hours, and at one point wondered out loud how I could possibly be happy being a secretary after the ideas I had been exposed to in his classes. He smiled before telling me that, of course, I would go to graduate school. He probably does not remember that conversation–it would be one among hundreds during which he mentored and encouraged his students. But I remember: it was the first time in my life that someone had mentioned graduate school to me. It shifted the horizon of my expectations, which in turned changed the trajectory of my life.
I did go on to graduate school and Arturo wrote a letter of recommendation for me. I have no doubt that his stature in the field influenced the admission committee in my favor. Thank you, Arturo, for your brilliance, inspiration and sheer goodness.
And now for a counter-factual moment. What if all the support he gave me had been nothing more than grooming me, nothing more that raising my hopes to satisfy his belief — as too many professors seem to believe—that sexual access to students was part of his compensation package? Had that been the case I know it would have ended my studies. I, a waitress working her way through college, would have lost all faith in myself. I was already the “odd one out,” a bit older than my classmates and prone to doubting myself. Had the professor I admired so much been a sexual predator, I would have left academia. After all, as a waitress I was exposed to enough harassment each time I went on my shift.
To those female students who had a serial harasser in your way: you needed an Arturo Escobar, you did not have one. And my heart truly breaks for you. It is so wrong. #TheMissingWomen
13 Sunday Feb 2022
Posted Announcements, Uncategorized
inI recently posted a Twitter thread suggesting that we give a grateful shout out to those academics who mentored us, encouraged us, who were the bright lights that illuminated our academic paths. It is heartening, and so necessary midst the horrendous events at Harvard, to remember the goodness we were fortunate enough to encounter along the way. Arturo Escobar! Life-changing classes and wise advice. Elisabeth (Libby) Wood and her brilliant kindness. And Sally Merry, whom I miss so much. She was wonderfulness incarnate. Finally, look at how many of us who identify as female are thanking the male mentors who made a positive difference in our lives. Those decent men who saw bright intellects, big dreams, and future colleagues when they worked with us. Thank you.
11 Friday Feb 2022
This past week has been “triggering” for many, exhausting for many more. I appreciate all who have reached out, and also know that working on the topics of sexual harassment and assault can wear us down. I believe the term is “weathering.” Call it a tempest, please. I have been inundated with messages, and want to reach out to each of you and support you. I also know I cannot. Boundaries and limits. While those of us who work on these issues — campus-based and beyond— struggle to respond, there are many more professors who are writing peer-reviewed articles, book chapters and monographs: they are probably white, cisgendered, middle classed, able-bodied males, and someone else is caring for their children or elders. Someone else cooks their meals and cleans their homes. For the rest of us: take time, take care. It may be a fleeting moment: a flash of sunshine; a canine familiar licking our ear; a loved one giving us a hug; a former student reaching out to let us know we made a difference. There are many ways to measure our days and our contributions. A resource below.
11 Friday Feb 2022
10 Thursday Feb 2022
10 Thursday Feb 2022
Posted Title IX Issues and Updates
in07 Monday Feb 2022
01 Tuesday Feb 2022