@dustypig These striking RA’s are not even unionized. There demands are a litany of the politically correct terminology that has led to a backlash. They sound like they do not want to have to work in order to get free room and board. Everything should be free, The dean of students is disliked because she is probably the only one to dare tell them “no”, which is apparently a forbidden term when dealing with students at schools like Scripps.
No, they sound like they are saying that the demands on them are too heavy and should be reduced. That is a reasonable request. The extent to which their job responsibilities could/should be changed is something that should be discussed.
For someone complaining about what you consider to be immature behavior, you sound very childish here.
Look, I’m not saying that these RAs deserve to get all their demands met. I’m also not saying that I think the administration’s response has been inadequate – maybe it has, maybe it hasn’t. I don’t know the details so I can’t say. What I’m arguing against is the idea that these RAs shouldn’t even dare to raise these concerns, that they’re being “snowflakes” by saying that they think they’re being unfairly treated. That is a very authoritarian viewpoint, and it’s one that I certainly hope the administration doesn’t share. What I think is that the administration there should review the demands in that letter, meet with the RAs to discuss the matter, and consider whether they should change any of their policies. What is so awful about that?
(Now is probably the time to disclose that I am an environmental advocate by profession, so my paid job entails making requests of governing bodies that they revise their policies in order to benefit the environment. So I see nothing unreasonable in people making requests to institutions that they change their policies. I think this is one of the best ways to institute change.)
Can we leave the “snowflake” name calling out if it? This is CC not the Breitbart comments section. It truly doesn’t help the dialogue.
I agree with @doschicos that the “snowflake” name-calling is unhelpful. Furthermore, these commenters need to realize that a situation involving harassment and threats resulting from exposure of the affected student’s personal contact information in the national alt-right media contributed to the student suicide that set this current crisis in motion. There is a whole lot of background to this situation that most participants in this thread have not taken the time to educate themselves about. And the name-calling echoes the kind of ugliness that contributed to a tragic situation.
This thread is turning into a bash-fest, disparaging both the “gals” involved and “schools like Scripps.” The college-specific CC threads are not here for people to show up and attack the character of both the students and the institution itself. @TomSrOfBoston , you get plenty hot under the collar when people show up on the Northeastern threads and re-post the “How Northeastern Gamed The Rankings” article for the ten thousandth time. Why come here and go negative about another, equally-reputable college? Saying that you know you may get some heat indicates that you know you’re crossing a line.
If the complaint about the dean is true, that she made the RA’s, who had just lost a peer to suicide, continue in their jobs and wait a week for her to engage with them because she was grieving and needed to “practice self-care” by going on vacation. I do not see that as a “snowflake” complaint. That is not the behavior I would want to see from the person charged with the health and well-being of students. If that account is not true, then I would be happy to read a rebuttal, but thus far there has been no such rebuttal.
I agree that the RAs demands are too wide-ranging and too couched in social justice jargon that will not get their point across to people outside their ideological bubble. They need to choose their battles, and communicate in a way that will be persuasive to a wider audience. However, a productive negotiation with skilled and compassionate administrators could certainly steer the conversation in such a constructive direction. I would hope that highly-paid educators whose whole job is to provide leadership in a higher ed setting, would have the skills to facilitate such a process.
It is not helpful to use the students’ style of presentation as an excuse to dismiss them as entitled “snowflakes” with no legitimate concerns. Simply de-legitimizing both them and the entire college is a lazy approach to a complicated situation. Not to say that anybody is obliged to delve into the details and nuances of what has transpired here; but it isn’t helpful to make sweeping judgments if you don’t have the full story.
I hope this is an extremely ill-considered joke?
My daughter was at Scripps overnight around April 15, and did a tour then as well. Below is a post I made to another thread posted recently that asked questions re the unrest. Sounds like the students have become much more vocal, or at least some. Just posting because it was relatively recently that my daughter had a much more pleasant experience with a positive outcome, so maybe take heart in that and that you were in the mix of some particularly upset students?
“My daughter just returned from an overnight at Scripps. She had a wonderful time and said, “the strike is a topic of discussion but not civil unrest” and she had great conversations with RAs and other students about why the strike was going on and maintaining commitments to the student body as a whole. The Core class she sat in on discussed the strike in a very positive way. She said that for many students this is the first time they have been involved in political activism of any kind, so there is a definite sense of excitement (and some outrage) on campus. Otherwise, my daughter sat in on 4 classes and really enjoyed them all, in particular the professors. Overall, the strike did not negatively impact her visit; rather, it allowed her to better see the socially active mindset of Scripps students.”
That said, she has made comparisons since then about other overnights (Wellesley in particular) loving that the students were more positive than at Scripps, so it did make an impact to some degree for her as well. (I have no real knowledge of the issues that are being debated at Scripps, so am not making a judgment on those.)
This is the statement from the protesters. Found it online. Sorry if this has already been talked about. I am only providing the document as I have not had a chance to delve deeply into it as of yet.
April 16, 2017
We are writing to inform you that members of the Scripps College Admission Ambassador Team (AAT) are taking action to support the Resident Advisor (RA) Team in their strike. As the AAT, we recognize our positionality as a liaison between prospective students, transfer students, and admitted students and Scripps College, and we are using our platform to echo the demands that the RA have presented. We also recognize that our work is a direct representation of Scripps and how prospective and admitted students perceive us as an institution.
In our act of solidarity, the majority of us will not guide the normal tours beginning Monday, April 17th. As an alternative, we will use our tours as a platform to share with prospective students and families the toxic and frustrating climate that Scripps has created and perpetuates against marginalized students. For each of the tours, we will read the statement listed at the end of this letter. The RA team has outlined their demands and the actions needed from the administration, and we seek to put the same pressure on administration. While we seek to pressure the administration, our actions are not a reflection of our supervisors’ performance, but instead a response to a broader lack of institutional support. Should the RA’s not receive a response from administration by April 20th, members of the AAT will not participate in the scheduled Admitted Student Day program on April 21st.
We understand that it is necessary for prospective students and their families to have the opportunity to interact with students and learn about Scripps College. However, we will no longer give students our refined tours where we share mostly positive sentiments of Scripps. As a team that is mostly made up of students of color, we understand the need to provide a realistic, critical, and honest image of what Scripps provides and does not provide students so that prospective students can make an informed decision. Serving as a liaison is one of the main functionalities of our position, so it is necessary to caution and prepare prospective students for the environment that many of us have unknowingly walked into.
In order to move forward and ensure that Scripps College is truly welcoming to and supportive of marginalized students, the Scripps administration needs to respond and carry out the demands issued by the RA Team.
The demands as echoed in the letter from the RAs are as follows:
We demand the immediate resignation of Charlotte Johnson as Dean of Students and Vice President of Student Affairs.
We demand the following changes to financial aid:
The creation of a publicized emergency fund to accommodate fluctuating financial circumstances that includes funding for direct and indirect costs
Increased transparency in the formulation of financial aid packages to ensure that they appropriately reflect increases in tuition, room, and board
The removal of the financial policies that penalize students for obtaining private funding through merit scholarships and crowdfunding
We demand that Scripps College update emergency preparedness plans for life-threatening events against their students, including when students receive online threats and/or their personal information is made public without their consent.
We demand that Scripps College restructure the Residential Advisor role so it is more sustainable for students, and more closely embodies restorative justice practices.
We demand that student mental health and safety must be supported through:
Increasing subsidies for off-campus therapy and the 8-session limit
Creating a specific and public policy on the official procedure for supporting students in a mental health crisis
In solidarity,
Members of the Admission Ambassador Team
Statement to be read aloud for prospective students
Introduction as normal
Today, I want to give you a real depiction of what is happening on campus and tell you about the current campus climate at Scripps. Scripps, like any other institution, is not perfect and we believe it is your right as prospective families to have access to a transparent and real view of Scripps College. Right now, we the Admission Ambassadors as well as the First Generation @ Scripps Team, are acting in solidarity with the Resident Advisor Team’s strike and demands presented on Thursday, April 13th.
To summarize their statement, the RA Team demands are:
The immediate resignation of Charlotte Johnson as Dean of Students and Vice President of Student Affairs
Changes to financial aid to create a publicized emergency fund available to students and to increase transparency in the formulation of financial aid packages
The creation of emergency preparedness plans for life-threatening events against their students
The restructuring of the Residential Advisor role so it is more sustainable for students, and more closely embodies restorative justice practices.
The increased support of student mental health and safety
These demands are fueled by the inaction and complacency of the institution and its result in the violence against students of color, low income students, and first generation students.
We understand that you may be frustrated to hear this (especially for those of you have traveled many miles), but we and many students on campus right now are also frustrated. As Scripps students committed to our mission statement, we are committed to integrity. To maintain our integrity and to actively participate in our community, we must act and use our role to inform and caution you as potential students of this institution. For the betterment of this community and for the future of Scripps, we believe that echoing these demands and being in solidarity will best benefit current students and students to come.
A letter to the campus community from President Tiedens on Wednesday, April 19 regarding the Residential Advisor Strike.
http://alumnae.scrippscollege.edu/s/783/rd/interior.aspx?sid=783&gid=1&pgid=1575
I agree that the term “snowflakes” is patronising and offensive, especially on a board like this that is ostensibly for the very students being insulted. Students today certainly face challenges that those of us who attended college a generation ago never dreamt of.
@doschicos I don’t think we are in the position to judge whether the 200 alumnae are representative since, as you admit, we don’t even know all the details of the RAs complaint.
@exlibris97 I said “broad based” (sheer number) not “representative”. If you wish to tag me, please use my wording as intended. Thanks!
Not to belabor a point, but 200 people could provide a “broad based” sample albeit it may or may not be representative.
Also, I was at a conference at the 5Cs last week. Walked through Scripps and spoke to some students. The “vibe” was perfectly fine. Some students mentioned the issues they were having with the Dean and President, but we’ve been going through that at my university for over a year. Scripps isn’t unique in that regard.
I would say it’s unique if the RAs have to go on strike, that could be a significant burden to them financially.
@neva24 - I am so sorry this happened to your D. My D is a senior at Scripps and has loved her 4 years there.
@neva24 can you update us on what your D decided?