Professor Excludes White Students From Class Discussion, Reaps Reams of 'Inclusive' Support

Last month, I covered the story of State University of New York (SUNY) Binghamton Professor Ana Maria Candela’s class policy for calling on students.

Fox News tended to the issue, too:

Binghamton University slaps down professor's 'progressive stacking' section of syllabus for 'non-white folks' https://t.co/VbvHIePBre

— Fox News (@FoxNews) February 21, 2022

Ana’s sociology syllabus laid it out — white people were banished to the back of the bus.

To quote the document:

If you are white, male, or someone privileged by the racial and gender structures of our society to have your voice easily voiced and heard, we will often ask you to hold off on your questions or comments to give others priority and will come back to you a bit later or at another time.

The policy’s purpose: to “give priority to non-white folks, to women, and to shy and quiet people who rarely raise their hands.”

According to the instructor, a dose of humiliation might teach ’em not to be treacherous:

Those who feel most privileged to speak begin to take the initiative to hold space for others who feel less comfortable speaking first, while those who tend to be more silenced in our society grow more comfortable speaking.

One student — economics major Sean Harrigan — filed a Title IX complaint.

Fast forward to a statement by the school and an “update” to the syllabus.

SUNY Binghamton promised Ana would now be “in compliance with the Faculty Staff Handbook.”

But was she wrong to begin with? Not according to gobs of supporters.

Professor William Martin — himself a member of the college’s sociology department — has launched a Change.org petition in support of Ana and her “inclusive classroom.”

“As colleagues and students of Professor Ana Candela, we are deeply dismayed at the attacks upon her by Fox News and the failure of the SUNY-Binghamton administration to support her,” William writes. “Dr. Candela recognizes, as we do, that our classroom discussions are often dominated by a minority of persons reflecting societal class, racial and gender inequalities.”

It’s all about excellence in education:

Our lives and education take place within and are reproduced by limited choices and experiences. Many of our students all too often feel marginalized, and discussions are constrained and limited as a result. We should not pretend otherwise. Good teachers encourage students to engage and challenge these inequalities.

Less isn’t more:

If we are to open up the doors of education and sustain lively interchanges and vibrant analysis, we need more Professors like Dr. Candela. Rather than admonish her as the SUNY-Binghamton administration has done, we celebrate and endorse her ability to foster a more equitable classroom and university.

As noted by Campus Reform, Ana’s got a friend in Binghamtom sociology Chair Gladys M. Jiménez-Muñoz.

Gladys…commented on the petition that she signed it “because the classroom is the space for us to challenge students to examine social inequalities in a concrete way. Dynamics, such as this one, is a pedagogical tool in the context of academia.”

English Professor Joseph Weil waxed, “I…cannot fathom why anyone would attack her, except we seem no longer to live in a democracy, but in some tight-lipped oligarchy. She has my full support.”

Professor/Sociologist Jakob Feinig’s on board as well:

Fox is attacking one of my colleagues, Ana Candela, for promoting inclusive classrooms. Please consider signing a petition in her support.https://t.co/05zj7Kcwj9

— Jakob Feinig (@FeinigJakob) February 22, 2022