There is a controversial case out of Georgia where academic adviser Abbey Dawson has been put on leave at Kennesaw State University after being videotaped telling an African-American student, Kevin Bruce, that his waiting in the lobby to see an academic adviser constitutes harassment and would be reported to the police.
It is not clear if there had been prior exchanges with Bruce but Dawson appears to be responding to the refusal of Bruce to follow the appointment procedures for speaking with academic advisers. I can understand that the office was irritated by someone who refused to follow procedures if appointments are required in every academic advising session. If the office had made it clear that it was against policy to see “walk in” students, the refusal to comply and come back with an appointment could be viewed as bizarre. For example, if someone insists on seeing a doctor without an appointment and refuses to leave the waiting room, a nurse could find the conduct to problematic.
However, it is not clear why this became a matter of harassment or possible threatening conduct since there is no sign of Bruce doing anything other than sitting in the lobby. African-Americans often raise concerns (with good cause in some cases) that black males are viewed as inherently threatening by whites in circumstances where the actual conduct is inconsequential or indistinguishable from whites. It is the escalation to the level of harassment and police referral that justifies a closer investigation. Accordingly, I think the university was right to pursue the matter with this investigation.
Bruce also posted an email exchange showing that Dawson and others on the faculty were being unhelpful when he was seeking academic advice. Obviously, there is more to be considered in context of this controversy, which is why an investigation is warranted without assuming anything negative toward either Bruce or Dawson.
What Isaac said.
” just putting it out there for consideration”
Chum for the chumps.
Of course someone would blame it on Progs and Feminism, lol.
@nick
Ha!
I wonder why they can’t see this aspect?
I agree, the Progs need a handbook, but in a three ring binder because the rules change so often.
http://youtu.be/BKGZnB41_e4
Is this disparate treatment of blacks in America in play in this case of the advisor and student also? I don’t know, just putting it out there for consideration. It pretty hard to deny it happens.
“Sitting here until someone is available is harassing them. It is.”
And to think someone awarded this idiot a masters degree… sheesh.
http://cdn.themetapicture.com/media/funny-court-confession-jury.jpg
pogo, Great minds!
What’s the big problem? These overpaid and mostly useless advisors need to get a grip, see students and earn their keep. They have only one mission, and that mission is to meet with and advise students who seek out their inconsequential assistance. Her job is to meet with students. Period. It appears as though the waiting room is empty. Nobody breaking down the doors to gather her pearls of wisdom. What was she soooooo busy doing that prevented her from speaking with this student? He needs to make an appointment to meet with one of these incompetent paper pushers? Puhleeeeeez. She should be grateful that any student still seeks out this type of assistance, which allows her to even keep her wasteful position with the school.
Good chance this is a simple case of a-hole vs. a-hole. I see nothing presented that indicates race is a factor. But, if it is white a-hole vs. black a-hole, well then it’s RAAAACIST. If she were a man, she would have been fired by now. White females can be a protected class, but black trumps white female. It’s all in the PC manual.
This whole exchange is hilarious on another level.
Feminism has taught women that feeling uncomfortable in the workplace can be warded off by claiming “harassment”, and blacks have learned that disparate outcomes can be attacked by claiming racism.
When the two protected classes collide, she finds that ‘black’ trumps ‘woman’, or at least that the appearance of racism trumps the appearance of sexism.
The Prog playbook is fluid and internally inconsistent, so I understand her error.
“That black males are viewed as inherently threatening by whites in circumstances where the actual conduct is inconsequential or indistinguishable”
A. The reputation is for sudden violence.
See:
1. FBI stats.
2. U.S. Prison population.
3. Ferguson, Baltimore, Detroit, etc.
B. Your leap to the claim of racism is laughable (and egregious) in this case, where no part of this exchange can possibly point to that conclusion other than that there are two races in the video, but nothing else. It is suggestive of the ‘disparate outcomes’ approach.
I have no doubt whatsoever that if I went to George Washington University Hospital and demanded to see a doctor without an appointment, they would tell me that I have to follow the same procedures as everyone else. If I refused to leave, they would call campus security and I would be given the option of leaving, or being charged with trespassing. But no one would care, because I’m white and am therefore expected to follow the rules. In the Kennesaw case, I don’t see how it is a racial issue. It could just as easily be a gender issue. Most women advisors would feel uncomfortable and perhaps harassed if an adult male showed up without an appointment, refused to follow the rules and refused to leave. It could be perceived as a stalking issue or at least a “this is weird” concern. Or maybe it’s the policy of Kennesaw State to over-react. Placing the woman on leave is certainly an over-reaction. Is she somehow a danger to the campus community? Her big mistake was not realizing that blacks must be treated with kid gloves and preferably, any interaction between whites and blacks is best avoided.
I think the professor told her to get rid of the kid which is why she took the stance she did. Just following orders.
From the background on this, the student was getting the run around on getting academic advice from his advisor. He had tried several times and I think when the woman told him to come back in an hour he thought he was getting another “brush off.” I would have done that same as he did in the circumstances. You can catch up on your reading and you clearly are not harassing anyone.
As for the grammar problems, if you really want a laugh some time go to the library and pull the master’s theses for the math and science students. They are riddled with grammar errors. And they do not understand the concept of the period.
She is young enough to understand him.
He should first make an appointment with the English Department. No one educated at the college level should be speaking so poorly unless it’s on purpose. “I’m not harassing no one” really means “I’m harassing everyone.” Maybe she’s a literal interpreter of language and on that basis, she has a case.
As we have no evidence of what went on before the Univeristy staff person threatend the student with security, we have no way of knowing why she did so.
The advisor seems to have taken an extraordinary interest in making Bruce perform as per the rules. If the student is of college level, in spite of his poor grammar, he should be able to understand a simple no.
The simplest way to stop his attempting to bypass the rules would be to ignore him until he followed the rules. A first, second, and perhaps third explanation to fill out the forms and make an appointment followed by ignoring him completely would have put the matter to either rest or would have seen Bruce escalating the situation, if indeed that was his objective.
Dawson, threatening security, made too big a deal of it. Kids will be kids.
This story would not sell if it was not tarred with the racist brush. It is quite possible this ^ahem^ lady is simply a pathetic excuse for a human being and treats everyone this way.
Please fix the spelling of the name of the University – it’s Kennesaw NOT Kenneshaw.