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[cccpres2b]

The students leaders at the community college campus where I work submitted a student report separate from the campus self-study report to the visiting accreditation team. One of the 5 major talking points of the student report lists that there is a lack of diversity in the theatre productions that the college puts on for the community. If anything, the college has been doing some real substantive and structural improvements in the areas of diversity. Unfortunately the college has a long heritage of not addressing diversity in academic programs at any significant level. For example, two faculty run the ethnic studies department. They are both faculty from underrepresented ethnic populations. They were hired 30 years ago to address diversity issues and the ethnic studies department never expanded and the percentage of faculty of color has not shifted in 30 years.

I was hired about 5 years ago to head an office that deals with student success on campus. I also am assigned to the campus diversity committee. I have worked to bring diversity issues to the front, but I am fully aware that the campus dynamics cannot change through the work of one person. If anything, I take a middle of the road approach at the college because the political and social environment do not fully support the idea of multicultural education. The school is located in a conservative hotbed of the state. That being said, I was approached by the leadership of the college to determine if I had anything to do with the student report to the accreditation committee. I have been asked twice by the theatre dean if I am involved in providing student leaders with false information. While personally I feel that the theatre productions are fairly diverse, I also do not feel that I need to be questioned about my involvement with students. I feel that students will feel what they feel with or without accurate information. I could go off to the dean about ways to include students in department programming or about ways to measure multicultural programming, but then I do not like when someone tells me how to do my job, so I usually refrain from telling someone else how to do theirs. You thoughts? How would you respond about involvement in a student-generated report to the accreditation committee regarding diversity?

[acrimone]

Well since you don't actually say you didn't do it... I'm going to go ahead and assume you did because it sounds from your post like you're a likely suspect anyway.  So I totally understand why they're suspicious.

In other words, you seem to be getting offended at being accused of something you did.

That's a little odd.

I would respond as follows, were I you: "Yup.  That was me.  What of it?"

I would respond as follows, were I me: "I have no idea what I was doing that was so unprofessional of me I am sorry and I'll never do it again cross my heart and hope to die I'd totally understand if you fired my sorry traitorous ass but I'd really appreciate some more opportunities to prove that I'm really a better person for this job than I seem to be."

Of course, if I'm wrong about my assumption, if indeed you didn't do it and merely forgot to mention that fact in your post, just ignore everything I've said.

[dellaroux]

One question might be what prompted the student claims?

Are there always white male and female leads for every show, or are racial (and where possible, within the context of the plot, gender) options explored more fully in casting?

Does casting reflect anything like the student population's own racial/gender/other complexion?

If not, that's a starting point for discussion right there.

If so, and the students had other complaints, are they merited, or frivolous?

I'd focus on that for your input to the question, but not volunteer broad generalizations so as to avoid painting a target on your face and asking them to hit it.

Whether or not you prompted the students' claims (and I tend to think not, but I did wonder the same thing.)

[cccpres2b]

Yes, that is a missing detail. FWIW, I had nothing to do with the student report. It is a student report, I had nothing to do with the report. If I did, then it would not make much sense to be surprised about the accusation. I apologize for not being clear.

In terms of the productions, it seems that the department has about 60% students of color, they are represented in the cast. The problem is about the theatre productions not being representative of the local community. For example, the students wanted to bring on a production, but the college could not secure the rights to the play because one of the conditions to produce the play is for the director of the play to be a person of color. It seems that the department does not have a director of color. I am not sure of all the details, I have no idea about play rights or production rights or anything in the vein of theatre production.

For me the issue is about the leadership getting all up in my kool-aid about a student report. Aren't students allowed to express opinions on their own about campus diversity? Wouldn't it make more sense for the campus leadership to work first with the students and not make accusations about campus managers?

[crowie]

Yes, it sucks that they are doing this to you and does not reflect well on the administration's ability to take criticism from its stakeholders.  But what are you going to do?  I mean all you can do is answer politely that you weren't involved in the creation of the statement, that you don't share their criticisms of the productions, and that you respect the right of the students to express their views. You could also say this:

Wouldn't it make more sense for the campus leadership to work first with the students and not make accusations about campus managers?

but more politely and less sarcastically.

[tuxedo_cat]

Hi OP -- just dropping in to express my sympathies.  Mediating between hostile parties is never a fun business.  Yeah, administrators are behaving poorly here -- it's crappy to be treated with suspicion when you sound like you have been trying to give others the benefit of the doubt (that's the tone I'm reading in your description above).  I'm too tired to think through advice at the moment, but I'll sleep on it and reread your post tomorrow.

And was it an August Wilson play?  I recall him having a huge debate with Robert Brustein over this sort of thing many years ago.

[zharkov]

I have been asked twice by the theatre dean if I am involved in providing student leaders with false information.

Twice?  When asked the first time, you should have just said "no, I did not provide them with that information."  Perhaps followed by a suggestion to meet with the students themselves.  Having to ask more than once will likely give the dean the sense that mischief is afoot.

Assuming the dean is acting in good faith, one of the worst things to deal with in a position of leadership is misinformation.  Thus dean's concern about where said misinformation came from.


 

[dellaroux]

OK, thanks for the clarification.

The ominous thing I hear is the "false information" thing.

It sounds like what tyrranical political parties accuse their opponents of when they want to get rid of them: the information isn't necessarily "false," it just doesn't put the ruling party in the best light (often truly) but by calling it "false" they move the question to one of facticity rather than fact.

Those are really hard to win and live to tell the tale.

Get out.

[zharkov]

It sounds like what tyrranical political parties accuse their opponents of when they want to get rid of them: the information isn't necessarily "false," it just doesn't put the ruling party in the best light (often truly) but by calling it "false" they move the question to one of facticity rather than fact.

Quite possible, but I have also seen students run with half a story, so I can well imagine that "didn't get rights to perform a given play" becomes "administration refuses to let us perform a given play."  Or things like, "We will ask the dean for ABC" becomes "We were promised ABC."
 

[dellaroux]

True, that's also a possible scenario.

Can you clarify, cccpres2b?

(And does your moniker mean that you hope to lead this august body as its president some day?)

[cccprez2b]

"Quite possible, but I have also seen students run with half a story, so I can well imagine that "didn't get rights to perform a given play" becomes "administration refuses to let us perform a given play."  Or things like, "We will ask the dean for ABC" becomes "We were promised ABC."" - from previous post

Yes, I am assuming something along these lines came about. In addition, I have heard from student leaders that they have been rebuffed in the past when they have made suggestions, so they felt submitting a student report to the visiting accreditation team was their only recourse "to make them do something about it". I have tried to explain to students that no one likes to be blind sided and that there needs to be room for a response in any discussion. Submitting a report with no conversation takes the ability of the college to address the concerns in planning away and that is one of the problems with how the students submitted the report.

The reason I have been approached two times with these accusations is because the accusations came ot me via email and in rapid fire. Once to my direct attention and the second time with a cc to people who are part of an affinity group on campus that is focused on issues for faculty and staff of color. I did not respond to the first accusation because I was waiting to put together my response. After seeking advice from the fora and after cooling off... Then I received the second accusation. In the email from the dean, he states  "I would love to hear how you assess our programming", which is not something the group does. This leads me to now. I have suggested that we hold a meeting between the affinity group and the dean.

[zharkov]

The reason I have been approached two times with these accusations is because the accusations came ot me via email and in rapid fire. Once to my direct attention and the second time with a cc to people who are part of an affinity group on campus that is focused on issues for faculty and staff of color. I did not respond to the first accusation because I was waiting to put together my response. After seeking advice from the fora and after cooling off... Then I received the second accusation. In the email from the dean, he states  "I would love to hear how you assess our programming", which is not something the group does. This leads me to now. I have suggested that we hold a meeting between the affinity group and the dean.

Let me just suggest you carefully distinguish between accusations and questions.  An accusation: Why did you tell students ABC?  The question would be:  Did you tell students ABC?   I strongly suggest a brief and to the point email to the dean, "Just to be clear, and to correct any possible misunderstanding, I did not tell students ABC."    CYA, as they say.

Is the "affinity group" the group of students who send out the report?  If so, then maybe just have them meet with the dean without your participation.  I don't think any good will come from your involvement in what seems like a real mess.

[cccprez2b]

Thank you to everyone for giving your thoughts. The affinity group at our college is a multicultural faculty and staff association. The group does not have students in it. The group was created to provide professional development and connections for faculty and staff of color at the college. The group decided that it does not want to meet with the dean to pursue the matter.

After a conversation with the college president about my concerns of the unfair accusations to staff at the college about a student report, I learned that the president wholeheartedly agrees with me. It looks like the president is handling the matter directly.

Yes, I hope to one day be a community college president myself. Not at this particular college. I have about 15 years before that is a real career option. I understand that it will be a long and lonely road. Thank you for your feedback!

[rowan1]

Just a note - a bit off track, but;  If it was an August Wilson play, when he was alive there was a condition to the rights that only black directors could be hired to direct his work. Since his death, it is my understanding that condition has been lifted, specifically in academic theatre.  So if the students were honestly told that they couldn't do his play because there was not a director of color that is misleading. Wilson created that condition to help build opportunities for black directors.

[spyzowin]

The students leaders at the community college campus where I work submitted a student report separate from the campus self-study report to the visiting accreditation team. One of the 5 major talking points of the student report lists that there is a lack of diversity in the theatre productions that the college puts on for the community. If anything, the college has been doing some real substantive and structural improvements in the areas of diversity. Unfortunately the college has a long heritage of not addressing diversity in academic programs at any significant level. For example, two faculty run the ethnic studies department. They are both faculty from underrepresented ethnic populations. They were hired 30 years ago to address diversity issues and the ethnic studies department never expanded and the percentage of faculty of color has not shifted in 30 years.

I was hired about 5 years ago to head an office that deals with student success on campus. I also am assigned to the campus diversity committee. I have worked to bring diversity issues to the front, but I am fully aware that the campus dynamics cannot change through the work of one person. If anything, I take a middle of the road approach at the college because the political and social environment do not fully support the idea of multicultural education. The school is located in a conservative hotbed of the state. That being said, I was approached by the leadership of the college to determine if I had anything to do with the student report to the accreditation committee. I have been asked twice by the theatre dean if I am involved in providing student leaders with false information. While personally I feel that the theatre productions are fairly diverse, I also do not feel that I need to be questioned about my involvement with students. I feel that students will feel what they feel with or without accurate information. I could go off to the dean about ways to include students in department programming or about ways to measure multicultural programming, but then I do not like when someone tells me how to do my job, so I usually refrain from telling someone else how to do theirs. You thoughts? How would you respond about involvement in a student-generated report to the accreditation committee regarding diversity?

A student report separate from the self study is wholly irrelevant.