Indeed, according to Raza Kolb, the College is hostile to faculty of color in many ways that are at first easy to miss. Raza Kolb also cited issues mentioned in the FSI report, such as a lack of recognition for the increased service burdens of faculty of color and comments from peers that she would not fit in the College community. She chose to pursue the position in Toronto after she received tenure. “The process is not designed to adequately assess the work of scholars in what are still considered marginal fields,” said Raza Kolb, who specializes in postcolonial literature. Although Raza Kolb received tenure this year, she began applying for other jobs when she became worried about a possible negative outcome of her tenure decision. Assistant Professor of English Anjuli Raza Kolb, who will be teaching next year at the University of Toronto, cited bias during the tenure process as one of the reasons for her decision. These examples, however, do not represent the entirety of the experiences faced by faculty of color at the College, as members of the College community have in recent months been increasingly describing an unwelcoming environment. “It is just that a better opportunity with much more job security presented itself and I chose to take it.” Professor of History Kenda Mutongi described needing a “change of pace” from the College after 23 years of teaching, and said, “I was very happy at Williams, and the College was very supportive of me and my teaching and research. “My reason for leaving has nothing to do with the issues currently on everyone’s mind,” she said. Visiting Assistant Professor of Japanese Mamoru Hatakeyama expressed similar sentiments. “It is true that I am leaving Williams, but it does not intersect at all with being a faculty member of color and/or the problems laid out in the 2009 Faculty-Staff Initiative report,” said Visiting Lecturer in Japanese Jinhwa Chang, who added that she received a strong offer from another institution. Many refer to more desirable opportunities outside Williamstown rather than issues with the College. Professors departing from the College cite reasons both disconnected to and closely linked to issues of bias against faculty of color. Buell explained that, corresponding with hiring trends of recent years, when an increased number of faculty of color were hired, next year will see a greater number of faculty of color scheduled to take sabbatical. These numbers do not take into account visiting professors or faculty who will be taking a scheduled sabbatical from the College, which professors take after every three years of instruction. Of these faculty, one is retiring, while the other five are departing to continue their careers elsewhere. In contrast, at the end of this year, six faculty of color will be leaving the College. While some faculty cited problems similar to those expressed in the FSI report, others disconnected their decisions from these conversations.Īccording to Dean of the Faculty Denise Buell, in the 11 years before the 2018–2019 academic year, the number of faculty of color leaving the College ranged from none to four, with an average of two faculty members of color departing during these years. In light of the resurfacing of the 2009 Faculty Staff Initiative (FSI) Report, which detailed challenges facing faculty and staff of color, the Record reached out to these faculty members about their decisions to leave. These departures come at a moment in which the struggles of students, faculty and staff of color have occupied a key role in recent campus protests, events and discussions. These faculty cite multiple reasons for leaving, ranging from professional to personal to cultural concerns. An increased number of faculty of color are going on temporary leave or departing from the College this year compared to recent years.
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