California State University Monterey Bay officials are intent on confronting issues even when there are none to contend with. Now they are asking students of color to report incidents that result in “race-related stress.”
The campus’ Personal Growth and Counseling Center posted tips on its website for students dealing with the “burden” of this stress. It said this hardship may become psychological distress and even lead to physiological health problems.
Cal State U. Monterey Bay Tells Students to Report Profs for Racism if They Don’t Call on Enough Minoritieshttps://t.co/TXUuD9IzsN
"You will be made to care."
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The center said that dealing with stress is important “even if you are mistaken that a racist act occurred.” The difficulties “only require that a person believes they were the target of racism.”
In other words, actual racism is not required, but merely the impression that a person was unfairly targeted.
The school encouraged students to document and report “acts of racism or intolerance.” For example, the center suggested that racism could be present in the form of certain students not being called on in class or an instructor offering a “racially biased curriculum.”
Offended students are urged to “talk to someone you trust and report it.”
They are further instructed that racism in 2023 tends to be “covert,” as opposed to “racism commonly seen in the past.” Students are warned that they may experience harmful racist acts through “stereotyping, assumptions, or exclusion.”
This race-related stress may manifest itself, according to the university, in “anxiety, depression, paranoia, and self-blame.” The advice adds it may even cause physical issues such as heart disease, hypertension, and muscle tension.
Students are warned specifically of “stereotype threat,” which means they are not regarded as individuals by their peers. Rather, they are “representatives of their racial/ethnic group.”
Counselors encouraged students to “call people out” when acts of racism and intolerance are witnessed. They were cautioned, however, not to engage in name-calling or to accuse another of being racist.
This, the school said, may cause that person to shut down and end meaningful dialogue.
Cal-State Monterey has an enrollment of just over 7,000 students. Currently, about 46% of its student body is Latino, with White students making up 29% and Asian Americans 9%. Mixed race students account for 8% of its population and 3% are African American.
