Kayla Gilmore, senior political science major, reads from a statement about the importance of the diversity, equity and inclusion bill presented for first reading in the Faculty Senate meeting Tuesday in the Skyline Room in Memorial Union. The bill would require faculty to include a diversity statement in their syllabi.
Students spoke during Faculty Senate Tuesday in the Skyline room, calling for the senate to vote in favor of a bill that would require faculty to put a diversity, equity and inclusion statement into their syllabus, as well as in favor of a bill that would modify the non-activity week policy to include an official “stop day” for student activities.
“The experiences and feelings of marginalized students while at Emporia State University are real and valid,” Kayla Gilmore, senior political science major, read from a prepared statement. “We deserve teachers who have been trained properly to deal with microaggressions in the classroom. We deserve faculty who can actually articulate and introduce inclusive practices and education in their classrooms. We deserve this diversity statement that Faculty Senate is discussing today.”
The letter was in response to a situation that a black student faced in a classroom at ESU, when a professor read aloud “On Watching a World Series Game” by Sonia Sanchez and repeatedly read a racial slur found in the poem, according to Gilmore.
“Faculty Senate has an opportunity to be on the right side of history and progressive action,” Gilmore said. “I hope they decide to take it.”
The bill would require faculty to include the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion statement in course syllabi to foster inclusiveness within the classroom and acceptance of other worldviews, according to the bill.
“The intent of this bill is that the indented statement should be placed into all syllabi,” said Brenda Koerner, chair of Academics Affairs Committee and associate professor of biological sciences. “There is nothing stating that a faculty member cannot have an additional statement in their syllabi, but this particular statement would be required.”
There would be no enforcement, but it’s intended to help change the culture at ESU towards one of inclusivity, Koerner said.
Dan Colson, assistant professor of English, modern languages and journalism, expressed concern that it would discourage faculty from doing more to make their courses inclusive.
“My concern about this is that I find this to be a very tepid endorsement, honestly,” Colson said. “I personally don’t want an inclusive environment, I want an anti-racist, I want an anti-sexist environment. So my concern is if this will, somewhat unwittingly, discourage people from going further in their syllabi.”
Colson suggested allowing faculty to add much stronger statements to the required one. He did not see a problem with the bill, as long as faculty were able to go further, he said.
“When you’re a student in a class and you feel targeted, it’s not your choice to be targeted and you need somewhere to go and some kind of legal binding document between yourself and that professor about what your rights are as a student,” Megan McReynolds, ASG president and junior sociology major said. “This is a starting point, but I feel that we need much more language, that’s much more pointed and specific about what the steps are.”
Faculty Senate also discussed FSB 17011, which would create a stop day that keeps professors from issuing exams or assignments worth 10 percent or more of the final grade during non-activity week, until expressly identified in the syllabus during the first week of classes, according to the bill.
According to members of Faculty Senate, the wording of the bill was ambiguous and did not apply to all circumstances.
Ceara Shaughnessy, instructor of counselor education, gave an example of how she presented one of her classes with an option to change a huge group research paper due in the final week of class to a reflection paper in order to lower their stress levels.
“With this policy, I wouldn’t have been able to make that change, but that benefitted my students,” Shaughnessy said.
The bills were on first readings during this meeting and will go up for second readings April 12.