Note: This is a reply to a LTE submitted by Anonymous.
In September and October, Elizabethtown College held a series of training sessions regarding power and microaggressions. Recently, the Etownian received an editorial in which the author expressed their discontent with the training sessions, specifically regarding the discussion about asking for people’s preferred pronouns in a group setting. Though the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Title IX, who sponsored the event, did not wish to comment, the lecturer, Dr. Don Trahan discussed some of the claims in the editorial over a Zoom call. Trahan is an international consultant who works in higher education and a leader in the World Diversity and Inclusion Congress.
One of the issues the editorial discusses is that the lecturer explained to not ask for pronouns in a group setting because it could force someone out of the closet. Trahan responded to this statement by clarifying that it is an incorrect declaration, and he emphasized that context was an important factor to the discussion. He said the scope of the discussion was not about the LGBTQ+ community, but about microaggressions and that he used the example of pronouns as a way to illustrate another form in which microaggressions can happen. He also highlighted the fact that during this example about pronouns, he was also talking about student leaders being models of giving their pronouns, and that would make others in the group feel free to also offer theirs.
“I want to emphasize that if you are going to use [the discussion about pronouns], the context is very important,” Trahan said.
He also stated that there should be protocols in place for the LGBTQ+ community regarding pronouns, and that something similar to the Safe Zone training should be extended to everyone on campus in order to have a specific training on gender identity. He also said the needs are different for the LGBTQ+ community and that his discussion was not about that, responding to the statement from the editorial about the author’s call of learning how to ask for people’s pronouns. Trahan said more education would be needed to introduce concepts relating to gender identity and the needs of the LGBTQ+ community, and that one training is not enough because inclusion is an ongoing journey, not a destination.
“It was not the nature of the workshop,” Trahan responded.
Another issue the editorial brought up was the way in which the author perceived Trahan answered student questions during the training sessions. Specifically, the author observed the lecturer not answering or ignoring questions from the chat. Trahan responded by saying the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Title IX assisted with the compiling of questions and that overlapping questions were combined. He also noted that students attending the sessions were encouraged to use the “Q&A” function in Zoom as opposed to the chat feature.
The author of the editorial also said that students’ questions were “blatantly ignored,” and Trahan disagreed with the observation. He then commented that he stayed over time to answer questions and let students know that they could reach out to him after the session by providing his personal email address and links to his social media and website, and that Etown students have reached out to him to continue their discussion on power and microaggressions. He also pointed to time constraints in regards to answering questions.
“We stayed over [time] and answered questions because we wanted to make sure we didn’t leave anything unanswered,” Trahan replied.
Trahan again emphasized that students could reach out to him to continue discussing power and microaggressions and that he is committed to continuing these conversations.
“We want people to have an internal awareness of self, and that’s really important because we want the campus community collectively to have as safe and supportive of an environment as possible,” Trahan said. “I will continue to work and meet with any student who has questions or would like to explore this space further.”
An additional contention the author of the editorial wrote about was a change of language between sessions, specifically that the word “safe” was introduced in the second session. Trahan responded that this is not accurate, and that his messaging is consistent across all his trainings and did not change.
“We want anyone who is attending Elizabethtown College to get the best experience so they can show up, they can feel that they belong, and they have the support they need,” Trahan said.
In the editorial, the author expressed they had feelings of “frustration, confusion, and fear in the aftermath of the training.” In response to this statement, Trahan encouraged students to reach out to on-campus mental health resources, such as Counseling Services and the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Title IX as a way of having a support system.
Finally, the author of the editorial called for an apology and clarification email from the “holders of the training,” and while Trahan said clarification may help, he was hesitant to apologize for the content delivered.
“I never want anyone to feel as though their voice is not valued, respected or heard, so for that, I would offer an apology to any student who misunderstood the context of what the training was
about or the learning objectives that I covered at the beginning of the session,” Trahan stated.
Finally, he emphasized that education about power and microaggressions are not a “one-and-done deal,” but rather a life-long journey. He also reasserted that he was committed to working with students and meeting them “where they are” in their learning process about power and microaggressions.
“We live in our own reality, blinded by that which encompasses our world view, and afraid of anything that challenges our own position,” Trahan said. “I would encourage people to go back and reflect on that and really think about what that statement means.”
