By: Serach Nissim
A student at SUNY Binghamton filed a discrimination complaint against a progressive sociology professor at the university, leading school officials to rebuke the race, gender policy and force changes to the class syllabus.
As reported by the NY Post, the complaint said Professor Ana Maria Candela had written in the class syllabus that white students should expect to be heard from last, to allow others a chance to lead the academic discussions. “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,” Candela wrote. The teacher wanted to “give priority to non-white folks, to women, and to shy and quiet people who rarely raise their hands,” the syllabus read.
A Title IX discrimination complaint was filed by student Sean Harrigan to the school administration. “How am I supposed to get a full participation grade if I’m not called on because of the way I was born?” Harrigan, an economics major, told the Post on Monday. Harrigan also told the Post that in lectures, Candela regularly equates capitalism to slavery. “This is just the tip of the iceberg,” he said. “The sociology department scares me.” Harrigan mentioned that another sociology class, entitled “nonviolent compassionate communication”, also has a progressive professor. He said that professor sincerely tried to discourage him from using America as an example of a compassionate nation.
In response to the complaint about Candela, Binghamton officials reportedly rebuked the professor. The school also rushed to get the syllabus revised, saying they oppose the practice. A school spokesperson commented saying that they fixed Candela’s syllabus, deleting the offending phrases. “The faculty member has updated their syllabus, removing the section in question, and is now in compliance with the Faculty Staff Handbook,” the school stated.
“The Faculty Staff Handbook outlines principles of effective teaching, which include valuing and encouraging student feedback, encouraging appropriate faculty-student interaction, and respecting the diverse talents and learning styles of students,” the school said. Candela’s syllabus “clearly violates those principles,” a school official added.
