Perspectives on Allyship in Academia

Allyship in academia is critical for creating inclusive communities that are welcoming to all students, but the perception of its benefits and challenges can vary depending on a number of factors. This session will explore perspectives of allyship in academia by bringing together a diverse group of faculty and students who can share a wide range of experiences and insights, and aims to facilitate a discussion among all attendees that leads to an exchange of ideas, the strengthening of our community, and progress toward our common goal of inclusion in computing

Perspectives on Allyship in Academia

Allyship in academia is critical for creating inclusive communities that are welcoming to all students, but the perception of its benefits and challenges can vary depending on a number of factors. This session will explore perspectives of allyship in academia by bringing together a diverse group of faculty and students who can share a wide range of experiences and insights, and aims to facilitate a discussion among all attendees that leads to an exchange of ideas, the strengthening of our community, and progress toward our common goal of inclusion in computing

Challenges and Benefits of Bringing a Partnership Lens to Allyship

Male allyship offers a key opportunity for men to serve as partners in fostering women’s sense of inclusion and belonging. Yet male allyship research rarely takes on a partnership lens to study allyship from the perspectives of both men and women in allyship dyads. In recent research that took a partnership lens to study male allyship in male-dominated environments within academia, severe challenges arose in recruiting dyadic samples. In this article, I explore why women in male-dominated fields within academia may choose not to participate in dyadic research by reviewing personal communications by non-respondents. Content analysis of the personal communications (n=50) revealed five themes: Work Pressure and Lack of Time, Lack of Anonymity, Being Judged for Work Priorities, Absence of Collegiality, and Hostile Workplace. Of note, the work environment of women in male-dominated disciplines of academia may be more challenging than other types of organizations, precipitating low participation in dyadic research. Implications for taking a partnership lens to conduct allyship research with women in male-dominated disciplines within academia are discussed

Allyship in the Academy: The Girlhood Project and Redefining Girlhood

The emerging field of Girl Studies reflects increasing interest in social justice programming and research in higher education. Yet much girl-centered work has tied the concept of allyship to traditional service models, without examining the power structures reinforced by top-down service practices. Academia, social movements, and larger society have historically failed to center the voices of girls or the diversity of girlhood(s). In partnership with The Girlhood Project, this project utilizes practice rooted in theory to deconstruct those power systems which reinforce hegemonic identity and deny agency. Using qualitative data from coconstructive discussions about allyship and girlhoods, “Allyship in the Academy” examines enacted themes of identity, relationship, and oppressive social norms

Allyship Development Program Newsletter

Women\u27s History Month Edition Eagles on Women\u27s History Month Articles and Readings Book Recommendation

EXAMINING RACISM AND WHITE ALLYSHIP AMONG COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGISTS

Historically, research has focused on White individuals’ initial responses to learning about White privilege and other indicators of early stages of racial awareness and identity development. However, the literature is relatively sparse regarding understanding the experiences of racial identity development in White individuals who are beyond initial introductions to racial awareness, such as Counseling Psychologists (CPs). The assumption is that Counseling Psychology professionals are adequately trained to provide efficacious mental health services and engage in culturally sensitive work activities; however, research indicates that Black clients, colleagues, and graduate students experience racism, such as microaggressions, when interacting with White CPs. The current study seeks to address the overarching question: how do White Counseling Psychology faculty members understand their experiences with racism towards Black Americans? Ten White Counseling Psychologists were interviewed, and their interview data were analyzed with Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). IPA explored the unique perspectives and meaning-making processes that White Counseling Psychologists employed when discussing their experiences with racism against Black Americans. Findings elucidated how racism and allyship manifested variably among White CPs. Participants ranged from individuals engaged in advocacy work to individuals who actively defend the academy as a White space. Findings were organized into five overarching themes, including: White Privilege to Emotionally Distance Self from the Realities of Racism, Struggles to Engaging in Allyship, Honest Self-Awareness and Reflection, Intentional Advocacy, and Perceives Racism in their Environments. Recommendations were proffered to inform imperative training and allyship opportunities for White Counseling Psychologists in academia

A Call to Action: Taking the Untenable out of Women Professors’ Pregnancy, Postpartum, and Caregiving Demands

Despite becoming increasingly represented in academic departments, women scholars face a critical lack of support as they navigate demands pertaining to pregnancy, motherhood, and child caregiving. In addition, cultural norms surrounding how faculty and academic leaders discuss and talk about tenure, promotion, and career success have created pressure for women who wish to grow their family and care for their children, leading to questions about whether it is possible for these women to have a family and an academic career. The current paper is a call to action for academia to build structures that support women professors as they navigate the complexities of pregnancy, the postpartum period, and the caregiving demands of their children. We specifically call on those of us in I-O psychology, management, and related departments to lead the way. In making this call, we first present the realistic, moral, and financial cases for why this issue needs to be at the forefront of discussions surrounding success in the academy. We then discuss how in the U.S. and elsewhere, an absence of policies supporting women places two groups of academics—department heads (as the leaders of departments who have discretion outside of formal policies to make work better for women) and other faculty members (as potential allies both in the department and within our professional organizations)—in a critical position to enact support and change. We conclude with our boldest call—to make a cultural shift that shatters the assumption that having a family is not compatible with academic success. Combined, we seek to launch a discussion that leads directly to necessary and overdue changes in how women scholars are supported in academia

Academic Allyship in Nursing: Deconstructing a successful community-academic collaboration

Public health and social care systems in Canada are frequently racist and discriminatory towards Indigenous people and exacerbates health inequities that Indigenous people experience. In New Brunswick, there are a range of culturally informed health and social services being offered within First Nations communities and by Indigenous organization that operate outside of reserves. Some of these services and organizations rely on support from non-Indigenous allies to meet the needs of their community members. However, it can be challenging for non-Indigenous people to engage in allyship due to unconscious bias, false assumptions, and lack of cross-cultural understanding. Effective allyship can also be challenging due a lack of understanding of the time, resources, and commitments that are required. Academic allyship from within post-secondary institutions can be particularly challenging because of a history of past harm done to Indigenous communities and entrenched colonial structures and policies. The purpose of this article is to provide an example of academic allyship with an urban Indigenous organization and consider some of the success factors that have supported this ongoing collaboration. The authors reflect on more than four years of successful collaboration and use a recent project to illustrate what worked and why. The success factors were, building a relationship and trust; becoming better informed; offering support freely; stepping off the beaten path (to tenure); staying critically self-aware; and enjoying the work (immensely). The success factors are not intended as a roadmap because every collaboration is unique. However, they may help potential allies enter potential collaboration being better informed. Academic allyship can be highly impactful and highly rewarding, but it also should not be undertaken without reflection on one’s reasons for doing so and capacity to commit. Résumé Les systèmes de santé et de services sociaux publics au Canada font souvent preuve de racisme et de discrimination envers les peuples autochtones, aggravant du même coup les inégalités en matière de santé que subissent ces peuples. Au Nouveau-Brunswick, une gamme de services de soins de santé et de services sociaux adaptés à la culture sont offerts au sein des communautés des Premières Nations et par des organisations autochtones à l’extérieur des réserves. Certains de ces services et organismes comptent sur le soutien d’alliés non autochtones afin de répondre aux besoins des membres de leur communauté. Cependant, il peut s’avérer difficile pour les non autochtones de s’allier en raison de préjugés inconscients, d’hypothèses infondées et d’un manque de compréhension interculturelle. La méconnaissance du temps, des ressources et des engagements nécessaires peut également constituer un obstacle à l’établissement d’une alliance optimale. Les torts causés aux communautés autochtones par le passé et les structures et les politiques coloniales enracinées rendent particulièrement difficile la création d’une alliance universitaire au sein des établissements d’enseignement postsecondaire. Le but de cet article est de fournir un exemple d’alliance universitaire avec une organisation autochtone urbaine et d’examiner certains des facteurs de réussite qui ont favorisé cette collaboration. Les auteurs se basent sur une collaboration florissante de plus de quatre ans et illustrent ce qui a fonctionné et les raisons expliquant cette réussite grâce à un projet récent. Les facteurs de réussite se basaient sur l’habileté à bâtir une relation et un climat de confiance; de s’informer davantage; d’offrir gratuitement du soutien; de sortir des sentiers battus (vers la titularisation); de faire preuve de jugement critique envers soi-même et d’apprécier le travail (immensément). Les facteurs de réussite ne se veulent pas un guide rigide, car chaque collaboration est unique. Cependant, ils peuvent aider des alliés potentiels à entrer dans une éventuelle collaboration en étant mieux informés. L’alliance académique peut être très percutante et enrichissante, mais elle ne doit pas non plus être entreprise sans réfléchir aux raisons et à sa capacité à s’engager

The Importance of Being Uncomfortable and Unfinished

Our initial intention was to outline the structure of an entity, the Bear Healing Lodge, within the Faculty of Nursing at MacEwan. This structure was created out of the Truth and Reconciliation’s Calls to Action. However, as we engaged in critical discussions we realized that who we were becoming as persons, as we unpacked out privilege and power, was invaluable and informative to prepare us for authentic allyship and partnership. We realized that outcomes and endings were not the end goals, but being uncomfortable and unfinished were necessary for the creation of an ethical space for members to engage in decolonization of self. Authentic allyship and partnership must fundamentally be relational, create a brave space for vulnerability, and stimulate a shift in paradigms for multiple perspectives. We have humbly offered learning intentions, as solution-oriented perspectives, for others to learn which may lead to positive change. Résumé Notre intention première était de présenter la structure d’une entité, le Bear Healing Lodge, au sein de la Faculty of Nursing de MacEwan. Cette structure a été créée en suivi aux appels à l’action de la Commission de vérité et réconciliation. Cependant, alors que nous entamions des discussions critiques, nous avons réalisé que ce que nous devenions comme personnes, au fur et à mesure que nous remettions en question nos privilèges et notre pouvoir, nous préparait de manière inestimable et instructive à une alliance authentique et à un partenariat. Nous avons réalisé que les objectifs ultimes ne se résument pas aux résultats et aux conclusions, mais que le sentiment d’inconfort et d’incomplétude étaient nécessaires à la création d’un espace éthique permettant aux membres de s’engager dans la décolonisation de soi. Une alliance authentique et un partenariat sont fondamentalement relationnels, créant un espace sûr qui permet la vulnérabilité et stimulant un changement de paradigmes pour une ouverture à de nombreuses perspectives. Nous avons humblement offert des intentions d’apprentissage en tant que perspectives axées sur les solutions dans l’espoir d’un changement positif

Developing an LGBTQIA2+ Affirming Curriculum and Testing its Impact on Allyship

Why are some conversations considered more difficult in learning spaces than others? What is the potential for educational interventions strengthen our capacities for such challenging conversations and for allyship? Guided by these broad questions, the present thesis focused on LGBTQIA2+ affirming education and sought to specifically test how an intentionally queer online learning experiences impacted the participants’ self-perceived allyship efficacies. In my thesis, I draw on literature exploring how the “civility, teacher immediacy, or teacher credibility” (Chen & Lawless, 2018, p. 376) of Western education has prevented instructors from bringing topics related to race, gender, immigration, sexuality, and others in the classroom and also how these topics impact different students differently (Scharrón-Del Río, 2018). However, despite the challenges faced by both instructors and students, literature also shows how it is more harmful, especially for students, when these topics are not being taught or explored in the classroom (Scharrón-Del Río, 2018). To address this issue, the current thesis implements Queer Communication Pedagogy (Atay & Pensoneau-Conway, 2020), which is a feminist educational approach, to develop learning materials countering the white cis-hetero dominance of western education. The project offers the LGBTQIA2+ Learning and Affirming Challenge implemented through the Fogler Library at University of Maine. My interest was to investigate how having an LGBTQIA2+ affirming curriculum impacts allyship towards LGBTQIA2+ population. A survey consisting of demographic questions and an allyship scale (Jones et al., 2014) was used to “assess the skills to support lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) persons, knowledge of the LGBT experience, awareness of LGBT oppression, and engagement in action among heterosexual allies to the LGBT community” (Jones et al., 2014, p. 181). Participants completed the survey before and after engaging in the LGBTQIA2+ Learning and Affirming Library Challenge. The data collected from those participants who completed both the surveys allowed us to conduct a paired samples t-test for each question in the allyship measure. The results of this survey along with the existing literature available helped us to understand how an educational intervention such as a curriculum developed using QCP can contribute towards positive differences in improving allyship competencies. Practically, this project provides content which can be incorporated in any academic discipline. In terms of research implications, it highlights how queering education is not an additional burden but something which can positively impact learning, respect, and knowledge production in the classroom and beyond. In addition to the positives, the research also poses the questions as to who benefits from a queer affirming curricula and how, especially since Western academia is dominated by white cis-heteronormativity, both in terms of content and in terms of representation among learners and educator