NY Professor Forced to Stop Prioritizing ‘Non-White Folks’ During Class Talks
The classroom policy, “progressive stacking,” states “if you are white, male or someone privileged by the racial and gender structures of our society to have your voice easily voiced and heard, we will often asking you to hold off on your questions or comments to give others priority and will come back to you a bit later or at another time, according to the syllabus.
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A Binghampton University professor was forced to remove a classroom policy giving priority to “non-white folks,” women and to shy and quiet students.
Ana Maria Candela had to remove the section of her syllabus in her “Social Change – Introduction to Sociology” class, with a university spokesperson noting the policy is in violation of the university’s faculty staff handbook, according to Yahoo News.
The classroom policy, “progressive stacking,” states “if you are white, male or someone privileged by the racial and gender structures of our society to have your voice easily voiced and heard, we will often asking you to hold off on your questions or comments to give others priority and will come back to you a bit later or at another time,” according to the syllabus.
In her experience with the policy, “those who feel most privileged to speak begin to take the initiative to hold space for others who feel less comfortable speaking first, while those who tend to be more silenced in our society grow more comfortable speaking,” said Candela.
A university spokesperson said the policy violated principles outlined by the faculty staff handbooks. Some of them include “valuing and encouraging student feedback, encouraging appropriate faculty-student interaction and respecting the diverse talents and learning styles of the students.”
“Binghamton University faculty seek to engage all students in their classes in active participation, including those who are shy or lack self-confidence,” the spokesperson said.