Hi everyone, I have received some questions about microaggressions. The definition is one of the trickiest parts of the conversation. From what I know, and this is not my area of expertise, microaggression refers to subtle verbal or non-verbal messages or cues that denigrate a person because of group membership. Wiki points to 2010 work by Derard Wing Sue which further states, "microaggressions are considered to be different from overt, deliberate acts of bigotry, such as the use of racist epithets, because the people perpetrating microaggressions often intend no offense and are unaware they are causing harm."
It is my opinion that here at KU we need to educate our campus about microaggressions, the damage they can cause, and how to identify them. The creation of a programming or tutorials would be a good first step in this direction. Jumping into a policy, especially one with disciplinary action as an enforcement tool, could have a chilling effect on some dialog that needs to happen in classrooms, for students especially, as part of their development, learning about their world, and learning to respect the experiences of others. However, I was asked to explore if there are other universities that have promulgated such policies. Based on the early reaction, I am guessing that I will not find many formal policies on this topic. I appreciate any information you are willing to share about similar discussions on your campus. Feel free to send me a direct message if you feel that is more appropriate. Oh, and here is a Chronicle article<http://chronicle.com/article/Campaigns-Against/231459/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en> in case you are interested in learning more. Thanks again! Amy From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Smith, Amy E Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2015 9:04 AM To: Association of College and University Policy Administrators Subject: [acupa-l] Microaggression Policy Dear ACUPA members, Our Vice Provost for Diversity & Equity is interested in developing a policy that would prohibit microaggressions on campus. Has such a policy been discussed or developed on your campus? I would be interested in any information you can share. Thank you, Amy Amy E. Smith, M.S.E. Director, Policy Office Office of the Provost The University of Kansas Tel. +1 (785) 864-4906 | Fax. +1 (785) 864-4463 Email [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> | Web www.policyoffice.ku.edu<http://www.policyoffice.ku.edu> ATTN: Please be aware that when you respond to an ACUPA-L e-mail, the reply will be distributed to the ENTIRE list of members. If you do NOT want to send an e-mail to everyone, please reply directly to the individual who initiated the query (their e-mail address appears in the "From" line of their original e-mail). If you wish to remove yourself from the ACUPA e-mail list, please go to the following website and complete the form. We will remove you from the list within 24 hours, during normal business hours. http://www.acupa.org/MembershipForm_Discontinue.html If you have questions about the ACUPA e-list, please contact Jamie Parris at [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]?subject=ACUPA%20e-list%20assistance> or 607-255-6837.
