Academia

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A checklist for identifying tokenism, microaggressions, and uncovering the hidden curriculum of academia in the US:

Before stepping onto a college campus - whether as a student or as a staff member - it’s critical to assess the institution beyond its glossy brochures and diversity statements. Beneath the surface, many institutions uphold the very systems of exclusion they claim to dismantle. Tokenism, microaggressions, and the quiet violence of performative diversity are often embedded in the fabric of these spaces. 

While no set of questions can fully prepare you for the oppression that lingers in every room, these are the questions I wish I had asked before committing my time, energy, and well-being to an institution as a student, sure, but especially as a staff member. 

1. Mental Health Support & Well-being:

How many BIPOC counselors are on staff in the university’s mental health office? 

Are the counselors full-time, in-house practitioners, or does the university outsource mental health services? 

How many of the practitioners are licensed professionals versus those still completing their practicum? 

What is the average wait time for students or staff to secure an appointment? 

Does the institution provide culturally competent mental health resources tailored to BIPOC students and staff?  

What are the suicide rates in the surrounding campus community? This can reveal broader socio-economic and mental health trends in college/university. 

How does the university support faculty and staff mental health, particularly those who experience racial battle fatigue? 

2. DEI: Beyond Performative Programming

Take the college tour but ask for a tour guide that comes from your ethnic background.  So worth it.

Does the university’s DEI department have real power and funding, or is it primarily focused on surface-level events and programming? 

Who oversees DEI efforts? Are they in a senior leadership position with decision-making authority, or is DEI merely symbolic? 

Is there a retention plan for BIPOC students and faculty, or does the institution only focus on recruitment? 

Does the institution conduct climate surveys on student experiences? If so, are the findings made public, and what actionable steps have been taken? 

Are there policies in place to protect BIPOC faculty from retaliation when they speak out about racial injustice within the institution? 

Are there affinity spaces or resource groups for BIPOC faculty, staff, and students already established? 

3. Representation & Structural Support:

What percentage of the faculty and leadership (not just staff) are BIPOC? 

How long do BIPOC faculty and staff typically stay?

A high turnover rate may indicate a toxic environment. 

Is mentorship available specifically for BIPOC students and junior faculty? If so, is it structured, or does it rely on informal, unpaid emotional labor? 

What measures are in place to ensure that BIPOC faculty are not overburdened with diversity work that is not factored into tenure evaluations or their job descriptions? 

Are there funding opportunities specifically for BIPOC researchers, students, and initiatives?  

4. Campus & Community Climate:

What is the relationship between the institution and the surrounding BIPOC communities? Does the university engage in exploitative practices, such as gentrification, or does it invest in meaningful partnerships? 

Have there been recent incidents of racial violence or hate crimes on or near campus? What was university response? 

Are campus police equipped with de-escalation training and implicit bias education? What is their history of interactions with BIPOC students and staff? 

Does the institution have a history of suppressing student activism related to racial justice? 

5. Curriculum & Intellectual Environment:

Are there required courses that engage with race, power, and systemic oppression in a meaningful way? 

How diverse are the authors, theorists, and perspectives included in the core curriculum? 

Do faculty members have training in anti-racist pedagogy, or is it left up to individual departments? 

Are there research centers or initiatives dedicated to BIPOC scholarship, and do they receive adequate funding? 

🧭Side Quest: View this talk by Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum and take notes on what parts of her story reflect the history of the FFO

🧭 Lauryn Hill in her own words

BONUS CONTENT:

• Secret Interview with a career Academic

• Book Resource: “Black Doctoral Students’ Experiences in Academia: Narratives of Collective Responsibility, Community, and Care” Edited by DeLisha Tapscott & Nardos Ghebreab

• “'Belonging is a Luxury to Us': International Graduate Students’ Sense of Belonging at a Predominantly White Institution in the U.S." Journal Article by Eun Jung Paik, PH.D.