Inside Higher Ed: Prof. Gómez Shares Best Practices for Graduate Students to Respect & Support BIPOC Professors
For many Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) professors, the difficulties of higher academia don’t stop after they enter the field, but continue throughout their careers. From microaggressions to discrimination, faculty are sometimes not supported by their universities. This also translates into how students interact with their professors. To help create a more equitable workplace, Prof. Jennifer M. Gómez co-authored a list of tips for graduate students to keep in mind when interacting with BIPOC professors that address subconscious biases they may have.
Excerpt from “What BIPOC Professors Need From Students” by Shanique G. Brown and Jennifer M. Gómez, originally posted in Inside Higher Ed:
“Though we can’t and don’t intend to speak for all women faculty of color, we do want to share our top 10 tips for students engaging with marginalized faculty from our distinct perspectives as Black women professors in the academy…
- Do not mistake our kindness for leniency. Being kind and having high expectations are not mutually exclusive—we can and do have both. Though we may be caring and courteous, we also have high expectations of our students. Please don’t be surprised if our exams are difficult, our courses are demanding and our research projects are hard. The supportive environments we co-create with students also involve accountability mechanisms for your work and critical feedback to support your learning. It serves you to appreciate the high expectations we have of you, as they exist because we believe in your ability to learn and grow from student to professional.