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A couple of updates to the structural racism debate at 

Minneapolis Community and Technical College:

First, instructor Shannon Gibney has filed an appeal of 

the administrative reprimand she received over how she handled a heated discussion 

You may recall that a top campus official wrote Gibney that she'd created a hostile learning environment for the students, a characterization disputed by faculty union president Barbara Hager.

Hager, Gibney and a campus spokeswoman said they could not comment on what actually happened in the classroom -- either because of privacy restrictions or because the case is under appeal.

An emailed statement from MCTC said campus officials "want to ensure that students, faculty and staff from all cultures and backgrounds feel welcomed and have an appropriate learning environment."

But Hager told me faculty have tried for several years to get such training -- and that what has been on offer has been inadequate at best.

That said, Hager wasn't sure whether the training itself would have prevented the confrontation.

And she said the MCTC administration should have handled the dispute in a less formal fashion right after the students filed the complaint:

Education News

On Campus Blog

Alex Friedrich

Author

A couple of updates to the structural racism debate at Minneapolis Community and Technical College: First, instructor Shannon Gibney has filed an appeal of the administrative reprimand she received over how she handled a heated discussion with three white male students. You may recall that a top campus official wrote Gibney that she’d created a 

A couple of updates to the structural racism debate at Minneapolis Community and Technical College: First, instructor Shannon Gibney has filed an appeal of the administrative reprimand she received over how she handled a heated discussion with three white male students. You may recall that a top campus official wrote Gibney that she’d created a Read more →


MCTC instructor appeals reprimand over race discussion

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