Dr. Chris Linder

Twitter: @proflinder

linder@uga.edu

University of Georgia

July 16, 2014

Creating

Inclusive

Campus

Spaces

Introductions: Who’s Here?

• Name

• Role at UGA

• One-word description of your summer so

far

Learning Objectives

• Describe four frames of campus environments theory

• Explore the concept of microaggressions in the context of a college campus

• Consider the role of social identities on the campus environment

• Develop strategies for creating inclusive campus environments within your circle of influence

Where we’re headed…

• Introductions

• Learning Community Guidelines

• Campus Environments Theory

• Common Language & Terminology

• Break

• Microaggressions Activity & Discussion

• Strategies for Inclusion

• Wrap-up & Evaluation

Lined side:

What are your

hopes for today’s

session?

Non-lined side:

What are your

fears/anxieties

about today’s session?

Learning Community

Agreements

• Use “I” statements

• Listen to understand

• Be present

• Allow for complexity…find the both/and…recognize multiple

truths

• Attempt compassion for yourself and others…be lovingly

critical

• Consider how your identities relate to the amount of space you

take up

• Just because you are, doesn’t mean you understand. Just

because you’re not, does not mean you can’t or don’t want to

• What’s shared here stays here, what’s learned here leaves

here

• Lean into discomfort

Campus Environments:

• Physical

• Human Aggregate

• Organizational

• Constructed

Microaggressions

• “everyday verbal, nonverbal, and

environmental slights, snubs, or insults,

whether intentional or unintentional, that

communicate hostile, derogatory, or

negative messages” (Sue, 2010, p. 3)

• Million little paper cuts

• Consistently linked to poor psychological,

mental, emotional, and physical health (Sue,

Lin, Torino, Capodilupo, & Rivera, 2009)

Identity: What is it?

• “one’s personally held

beliefs about the self in

relation to social groups”

(Torres, Jones, & Renn,

2009, p. 577)

• Individual characteristics,

family dynamics, historical

factors, and social and

political contexts (Tatum,

2001)

• Socially

constructed….what does

that mean?

Social Identities: Things

to Consider• Created by society to “label” or

“categorize” people

– Not all people with a shared identity share the

same perspective; however, there are likely

some common experiences

• Categories/labels are not inherently bad

– value assigned to categories and

“difference” is bad

• We all experience multiple identities at

once

• Goal is acceptance and recognition,

NOT neutrality (gender-neutral, color-

blind, etc)

• US-based context

• Visible and invisible group identities

• We didn’t ask for it and we can’t give it back

Identity Description Example

Gender &

Gender

Identity

Social construction of traits associated with

“masculinity” and “femininity” – may or may

not match biological sex. Gender is both

internally defined and externally perceived.

cisgender,

transgender, woman

Race Social construction used to categorize

people based on phenotypical features (skin

color, eye color, etc); often associated with

ethnicity

Asian, White,

Black/African

American, Native

American, Latin@

Ability Mental, physical, and emotional capacity to

navigate our socially and physically

constructed environments

Able-bodied, Person

with a disability

Religion /

Spirituality

Set of values and/or beliefs to which a

person subscribes

Christian, Muslim,

Agnostic

Nationality A person’s national origin – often where they

were born and/or grew up

American/USian,

Mexican, Chinese

Sexual

Orientation/

Sexuality

Label to describe mental, physical, and

emotional attraction to another person

gay, queer, bisexual

Class Access to social capital, including wealth,

power, education, etc.

working class,

owning class

Privilege Puzzle

• Unearned benefit

• Invisible/ “normal”

• Defines societal norms

• Paradox of Privilege

– Does NOT mean that I did not work hard

• Grants access to power (informal and formal)

• Based on socially constructed identities (groups)

– Complicated by intersections of dom/sub identities

• Systemic in nature – Oppression can only occur where it is culturally,

socially, and legally supported.

Privilege

Strategies for Creating Inclusive

Campus Spaces

• Seek input from various students/people – our own perspectives are limited!

• LISTEN to feedback!

• Recognize no space can be everything to everyone – own and acknowledge what your space is and is not.

• Continually work to make the unconscious conscious.

• When you can make small changes, do it.

• Acknowledge and validate students’ negative experiences. Do NOT minimize the experiences.

• Support and empower students to take ownership of their experiences.

ReferencesStrange, C. C., & Banning, J. H. (2001). Educating by design: Creating

campus learning environments that work. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-

Bass.

Sue, D. W. (2010). Microaggressions and marginality: Manifestation,

dynamics, and impact. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Sue, D. W., Lin, A. I., Torino, G. C., Capodilupo, C. M., & Rivera, D. P.

(2009). Racial microaggressions and difficult dialogues on race in the

classroom. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 15(2),

183-190.

Tatum, B. D. (2000). Complexity of identity. In In M. Adams, W.

Blumenfield, R. Castaneda, H. Hackman, M. Peters, & X. Zuniga

(Eds.), pp. 9-14, Readings for diversity and social justice. Routledge:

New York.

The Strivers Row (2013, September 17). Sh*t I’m not creative enough

to make up or a series of unrelated events [video log]. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bD6tNemhSNg

Torres, V., Jones, S. R., & Renn, K. A. (2009). Identity development

theories in student affairs: Origins, current status, and new approaches.