Every day, thousands of students at our university attempt to collaborate, learn and work together. With myriad, complex identities being carried by each and every one of them, that is no easy task. It is the role of the university and its faculty members to make it easier and at least safe for the students involved. In order to work toward this goal, the university requires all of its T.A.’s to attend a series of diversity training sessions intended to prepare them for possible classroom situations. On September 22, T.A. and History graduate student Jason Morgan disagreed with the requirement and decided to tell his department supervisor along with a handful of conservative media outlets. In his letter, he describes the university’s training sessions as “an avalanche of insinuations, outright accusations, and suffocating political indoctrination,” and virulently protests their attempts at tackling white privilege and supporting trans students.
The University has since published a response, reporting that Morgan will be allowed to stay on as a T.A. through the semester and will not be required to attend future training sessions. It also says, “Creating a respectful and safe teaching environment for all students is the job of UW instructors.” The goal of the training is to have thoughtful discussions in order to better teach and serve students of all backgrounds,” and that “Mr. Morgan… is entitled to his personal opinions and the university welcomes discussion and deliberation on diversity and all topics.”
We are of the opinion that Morgan must first and foremost separate political ideology from the ideology of social justice. The required diversity trainings are an attempt to prepare instructors to be respectful of students’ identities and personal needs, not liberal propaganda. People across the political spectrum should value the importance of understanding one another’s differences; it is as basic as respecting the humanity of the people you are in contact with day in and day out.
Morgan complains that he is being asked to examine “the same tired ‘power and privilege’ and can’t, claiming “it is overused and no longer relevant.” But power dynamics are everywhere between doctors and patients, between partners in romantic relationships, and yes, between teachers and their students. His concerns over implicitly being called “racist” through the session are normal. It’s a defensive leap most white people take when asked to look at the way that they have been socialized and personally contribute to a culture of white privilege. But that defensive mechanism must be overcome in order to recognize the historically oppressive systems that are still at play today, in one way or another, and to create the genuine ties between students and their teachers that foster learning. The training sessions may not be perfect, but they are necessary, and the first step is attending them with a humble and open mindset.
And that’s where Morgan’s eloquent tantrum can be useful. His inflammatory way of referring to the identities of trans-students and blatant refusal to recognize white privilege makes it evident that we need to open up a dialogue about diversity training and how to make it the best it can be. Morgan refuses to look at the way his own identities play a role in his feelings. But it’s bringing forward a conversation that desperately needs to happen in our campus community. So what do you think—how can the University better prepare its teachers to deal with diverse classrooms? What makes a classroom feel safe for students? And how can we open up conversation to move toward respecting one another? Only you can decide.
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