A Binghamton University professor wrote in her syllabus that she would prioritize calling on “minorities, women and shy people,” adding that she would likely call on white males last. She was told to remove the wording from her syllabus, but now activist students and professors are defending her actions.
Syracuse.com reported that Binghamton sociology professor Ana Maria Candela made the addition to her syllabus. The New York Post added that Candela wrote that “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 ask 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.”
“Our experience with this practice is that within little time, 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. As you can imagine, it has tremendous benefits for our society as a whole when we learn to hold space and listen to others whose voices are typically disregarded and silenced,” the syllabus said.
Candela was told to remove the policy, Fox News reported, and a spokesperson for the school said it violated school policy.
“The Faculty Staff Handbook outlines principles of effective teaching, which include valuing and encouraging student feedback, encouraging appropriate faculty-student interaction, and respecting the diverse talents and learning styles of students. The syllabus statement you have brought to our attention clearly violates those principles. The faculty member has updated their syllabus, removing the section in question, and is now in compliance with the Faculty Staff Handbook,” the spokesperson told the outlet.
But that was not the end of the story. WSKG reported that more than 100 people attended a rally to support Candela’s policy. Professor Tina Chronopoulos told the outlet that Candela’s policy shouldn’t have been removed.
“[Faculty] are worried that, you know, whenever they bring up, quote unquote, ‘these difficult topics,’ that they’ll get blowback from people who feel like they’re being discriminated against,” she said.
Candela herself told rally attendees that she appreciates the support she has received.
“That tells you something about what students are experiencing on this campus,” Candela reportedly said. “That you have to write a statement to help them to feel safe coming into the classroom space, to speak their voices, to have their voices heard.”
The College Fix reported that Binghamton sociology professor William Martin began a change.org petition to support Candela, claiming her policy is “inclusive.”
“Dr. Candela recognizes as we do that our classroom discussions are often dominated by a minority of persons reflecting societal class, racial and gender inequalities. … Many of our students all too often feel marginalized, and discussions are constrained and limited as a result. We should not pretend otherwise,” Martin wrote.
Martin added that Candela should be “celebrate[d]” for her policy.
As the Fix noted, not everyone supports Candela. One student in her class, Sean Harrigan, filed an anti-gender discrimination complaint against the professor for the policy.
“How am I supposed to get a full participation grade if I’m not called on because of the way I was born?” Harrigan told the Post.