This week, as part of our “On The Margins at DU” column that investigates the successes and failures of inclusive excellence at DU, The Clarion spoke with Dr. Casey Stockstill. She is a member of the Faculty of Color Association (FOCA). FOCA is a “voluntary empowerment and advocacy group composed of faculty members from under-represented racial and ethnic groups.”
Dr. Stockstill has been an Assistant Professor in the Sociology and Criminology department for two years at DU. She graduated with her undergraduate degree from Columbia University, and she received her MA and PhD in Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research revolves around how race and class manifest in preschool and the way children experience racially and class-segregated spaces.
This interview has been edited for clarity and cohesion.
Kiana: For those who don’t know, what does FOCA’s work look like? What have you been doing recently?
Dr. Stockstill: Last quarter, we were involved with the search for a new Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. We didn’t end up hiring anyone because none of the candidates seemed like the right fit, so now DU will have to choose a person to fill that role in the interim.
Another faculty committee offered a new curriculum, and we were one of the faculty-interest groups responding to it. In their proposed curriculum, if a class had even one reading that was about a diverse group—race, gender, class, sexuality, etc.—they would count it as a ‘diverse course.’ We were part of a town hall about the issue. Those conversations have stalled out because of COVID-19, though.
Kiana: As a professor of color, how inclusive of an environment do you believe higher education is for marginalized communities?
Dr. Stockstill: It’s tough because many institutions are historically white, and that impacts what others expect of professors. The default image of a professor is a white man, so you have an inherent authority if you fit into that category. Otherwise, students and colleagues doubt your competence.
When I was a graduate student, I experienced this as a TA. I would get more pushback from students than my white counterparts did. Students felt comfortable saying, ‘I don’t agree with how you did this, can you regrade it?’ and emailing the lead professor to tell them I did things wrong.
As a professor, you get some angry evaluations. Comments from people who think I’m biased when I teach a class about racism. Also, people don’t expect you in that role. Like, when I go to the dentist and people ask what I do, I tell them that I work at DU, and they ask what I’m studying. They think that I’m a student instead of a professor.
Kiana: Going from being a student of color to a professor of color, how has your experience in higher education changed?
Dr. Stockstill: I’ve noticed that other professors can go by their first name and be more casual with students. It is different from how a lot of women of color, myself included, conduct ourselves. We really embrace and define that boundary of calling us Doctor or Professor. You want people to respect and acknowledge your expertise. When there is too much closeness, people act with you in a way they wouldn’t with white male professors. You need to emphasize with students that you aren’t their friends.
Kiana: What experiences do you face as a woman of color in higher education that your white counterparts do not?
Dr. Stockstill: Students of color seek you out in a different way. They’ll confide in you if they’re struggling or tell you personal stories. It’s good when they come to us, but it’s interesting. If you’re a new black faculty member, you’re going to meet many of the black students on campus by Week 4.
People mix me up with other black faculty, which is wild because there’s not that many of us. But at the same time, people I’ve never met will know me. You feel like people are watching you all of the time.
Kiana: Do you feel like DU supports you and helps you overcome the obstacles of being a professor of color?
Dr. Stockstill: No, I don’t think so. I identify as black, and there is a real problem with the amount of black faculty, staff and students we have. It takes a toll when I walk around and have to go days without seeing a black adult my age in the building. I have to seek them out because there are only a few of us in Sturm Hall, which is a huge building. I like FOCA meetings because it’s a space where I can see other faculty of color.
Kiana: In what ways has DU succeeded in taking faculty of color into consideration in the past?
Dr. Stockstill: It is because of the students and professors of color before me who agitated and made demands that I’m here at all.
Kiana: In what ways has DU failed to take this community into consideration?
Dr. Stockstill: We have a problem recruiting and retaining black faculty. To my knowledge, about two percent of our faculty is black, and we seem stuck there.
I feel like they see us as an asset to students, not as full people experiencing things. People think it’s important to have a certain number of people of color on a committee. But from our point of view, I have ten invitations to be on committees now. Each of your committees looks great, but what does that feel like to me to get so many requests and have so many commitments?
Kiana: What is your perception of how students view inclusive excellence at DU?
Dr. Stockstill: They seem pretty cynical, especially if they are upperclassmen. They feel like DU is all empty talk and nothing is happening. You only have this four-year snapshot, so you can’t see how things have changed. But things were probably way crappier ten years before.
Kiana: What do you hope to see in DU’s future of inclusive excellence?
Dr. Stockstill: I’d like to see more racially-specific efforts among faculty. That’s important because faculty and staff are here a lot longer than students, sometimes indefinitely. We have the time to try to see changes through. The Native American Task Force is great, and I think we need similar initiatives for underrepresented groups. Black@DU was just started for staff and faculty, and I’m excited about that.
I would also like to see a white allyship group. We had that at University of Wisconsin, and it was really powerful. White people took some of the labor and work of racial justice and advocacy off us. They sent emails, organized events and did all of the mundane things that actually take a lot of time and are important for bringing together activists.
Kiana: In a classroom setting, how do you go about bringing up these racially-charged conversations?
Dr. Stockstill: Nowhere is a safe space, so I open with telling people that we’re going to be uncomfortable. The discomfort will be mutual, and we can learn through it.
I tell students to expect themselves to make mistakes. There is a fear of hearing something racist, but there’s also a fear of saying something racist so people won’t speak up or engage with the class. I also do my best to debrief with students if something racist or insensitive is said in class.
Kiana: How do you support your students? How should faculty go about this?
Dr. Stockstill: This isn’t true of all first-generation college students, but many of them are less likely to ask for help and think the rules are unbendable. Students with college-educated parents are more likely to go to a professor and ask for an extension.
There are two ways to address this. Professors can have clear guidelines, so there isn’t a secret policy of ‘Email me, and I’ll change the rules for you.’ Or tell all of the students that this is an option available to them. I wish more of my colleagues thought about the class backgrounds of students and how that impacts the way they move through college.
Kiana: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Dr. Stockstill: Student activists should tell professors what they’re up to. We don’t automatically know why you might be stressed out or not turning in your assignments. The activist work you’re doing is just as relevant to bring up as someone else’s study abroad plans. I don’t know how all professors would react, but I’d like to think they would be helpful and accommodating.
