Issues at the UMN-TC Honors College...
[link to original tweet thread]
The University of Minnesota Honors College is meant to be a safe and professional vicinity for academic excellence. However, this is not anywhere near the case- especially if you are a student of color or a woman.
Common at the U, you can find Living Learning Communities. These LLCs serve as small communities within our residence halls to house like-minded and similar individuals to aid in making the campus a little smaller. The honors college has their own LLC housed in Middlebrook Hall, though it is predominantly white. In 2020, 25% of UMN 1st year students were students of color and 22% of 1st year students in the honors college were students of color, however there were nowhere near those numbers of students of color represented in this LLC. In fact, the few POC who lived in Middlebrook hall spoke of the segregation, racism, and micro aggressions they experienced on a daily basis.
Ironically, Middlebrook hall was one of four UMN buildings cited for their racist roots and poor namesakes. Vice President Walter Middlebrook was cited for enforcing segregation amongst students living at the university during his time in office.
Beyond their uncomfortable living situations, the governance in the Honors College also leads to an unsafe learning community, specifically for students of color. The entirety (100%) of the University Honors Program staff is white, all four administrators are male, and 80% of the subordinate support staff are women.
Of these four men leading the University Honors Program, one has been cited in a complaint in Hennepin County Court for his unprofessional teaching techniques. He admitted to asking a female doctoral student highly offensive questions during her oral doctoral exams. Based on the "Fuck Marry Kill" game, this professor asked his students whom they would "shag", whom they would marry, and whom they would kill. And he graded them on it. He defended this action, stating that he has asked his male and female doctoral students this question every previous year. He has been at the U for sixteen years.
Our honors program should be building up Minnesota's future leaders and innovators. It should be intellectually provocative and academically accepting in its structure. It should be diverse and easy to be involved and learn. It is none of these things.
Sources:
MN Daily article discussing lack of diversity & racism in residence halls