Another piece of mine printed in the Gateway today. I have the original here, because I’m not a fan of the editing, but you can check it out for yourself here. Read the second comment if you really want to get upset, with gems like, transgendered students are “confused.” Anyway, read on:
Two years ago, I stumbled onto the U of A campus for the first time as a student. Having come to the university from a small town in rural Alberta, I was most looking forward to a liberal atmosphere. Yes, no more sexism, racism, and homophobia, among other things.
While I was wrong in believing that interpersonal discrimination happens to a far lesser extent than it did in my hometown, I was struck by the more insidious inequalities that are reinforced on our campus. Despite what we may believe, our beloved U of A is no haven of equality.
First, there’s the classic example: tuition fees. Many of us pay upwards of a few thousand dollars with little difficulty, but a lot of us also have a little something called “class privilege.” Any introduction to sociology will point out there are vast numbers of people who simply lack the economic means to attain a post-secondary education.
I can hear you chime in, “But there are scholarships! And bursaries!” While this is true, most of these funds are awarded to students taking at least four courses per semester, despite full-time status requiring students to complete only three courses each semester. That means that people who really need the funding – single parents, (dis)abled persons, classed individuals – often don’t receive it.
But what of those of us who can afford our education? Chances are, unless you’re a white, able-bodied, heterosexual, middle-class male, you might have your fair share of problems. The inequalities may be difficult to perceive, but that doesn’t make them any less harmful.
Consider first that the risk for sexual assault is four times higher for college-age women than any other group, and while university-endorsed frat culture isn’t solely to blame for the problem, it certainly plays a part. Transgender students lack gender-neutral washrooms throughout campus and, as a result, must choose between refusing to use them and risking shame and possible violence. Additionally, current wheelchair access across the university is something to be truly embarrassed by, in addition to the fact that many services are ill equipped to serve those with disabilities, including the Centre for Writers. According to their website, “any student at any level of his/her degree is welcome to make an appointment.” They fail to mention that they can’t help blind students.
Students aren’t the only ones who face these issues; staff face a number of similar problems themselves. According to Human Resource Services, leaves for biological parents can be up to 50 weeks (25 weeks paid and with benefits), while adoptive parents receive a mere 10 paid weeks with benefits. This effectively limits heterosexual adoptive parents and gay and lesbian couples from attaining equal parenting opportunities.
The list goes on: Regardless of affirmative action, the number of staff who identify as visible minorities in the Faculty of Arts – often regarded as the most liberal faculty – is unbelievably low. In 2007, only 8.3 percent of staff and faculty who completed the Employment Equity Census Questionnaire identified as members of visible minorities. In addition, of the current 93 Canada Research Chairs – who have significant decision-making power regarding the direction of the university – 22 are women.
Despite all of this, I’ve only scratched the surface. Call it what you will, but the oppression of non-privileged groups is alive and well at the U of A, and it’s important to realise that and not assume some inherent liberalism exists throughout campus. There are groups that work to better things, however, such as Specialized Support and Disability Services and the Women’s Centre. As students, we’re then presented with two options: we can join the efforts to combat these problems, or we can contribute to them through our own complacency.
Posted by Derek
Posted by Derek
Posted by Derek
