A friend of mine visiting me over the Thanksgiving weekend was thankful
that she was no longer teaching at a private college in Central Florida.
She alluded to the fact that her Program Co-ordinator engaged in Faculty
racial profiling.She began there as an adjunct covering some of the basic
experimental courses,but she observed that whenever a white student
complained about her course,the program chair assumed that she was
incompetent and removed her from teaching similar type of courses.
She mentioned how one student dissatisfied with the grade on a paper,
took her paper to be assessed by other faculty members.
She was then assigned to teach courses that dealt with culture and
minorities as if she being black would be better equipped to teach those
courses.
She tried to discuss the matter with the Program Chair,but she was told
flatly that her teaching style was unacceptable and btw since she was
only an adjunct she may as well forget any type of hearing.
She had harsher words (ironically) for another faculty member
born in the Middle East who later dismissed her from teaching a course
on Prejudice.This latter faculty member was married to her former program
chair.
This is not the first time the question of Black faculty racial profiling
has been raised.
There is some evidence that black faculty competence may be questioned
by the Eurocentric trained Department chairs.
Evaluations of black faculty by white students may be seen as more
critical by Program chairs.
And in some instances it may take only one white disgrunled student
to complain and it will be na,na,na,na,hey,hey,hey goodbye for that
black teacher.
The same standard may not apply to the Eurocentric white dude.
Michael Sylvester,PhD
Daytona Beach,Florida
