University of Maryland, College Park’s Division of Student Affairs is facing backlash after its counseling center distributed what many are calling a tone-deaf flier.
The counseling center sponsors “White Awake,” a “safe space” for white students to better understand race issues and become better “allies” for minority groups. Noah Collins, the university counselor leading the group, specializes in group therapy, especially in areas of racial and cultural awareness. The controversial flier calls the program “a group for White students to talk about race,” and asks:
Do you sometimes feel uncomfortable and confused before, during, or after interactions with racial and ethnic minorities?
Do you want to become a better ally?
The counseling center released a statement to Inside Higher Ed, saying: “We agree with the feedback that the flier was not clear enough in conveying the fact that the purpose of this group is to promote anti-racism and becoming a better ally.”
The group appears to be nothing more than a support group for insecure, sheltered white kids. The flier doesn’t invite minority students to participate, nor does it suggest they are welcome.
“Members will support and share feedback with each other as they learn more about themselves and how they can fit into a diverse world,” the flier reads. The group seems to assume that white students feel out of place with minorities around them and need an adult form of pre-school to help them get along.
Students and members of the black community have balked at the group, arguing white students don’t need a safe space to talk to each other about other demographic groups. After all, if the purpose was to better understand minority groups, wouldn’t it make more sense to include people from those groups?
Student Alysa Conway tweeted: “Why do they need to attend therapy sessions on how to be a decent human being in society? Why do they need to have these sessions to learn how to coexist?”
In an article for The Root, columnist Michael Harriot commented, “If this support group fails, there’s only one other place I know where they can go to feel comfortable in a relatively secure safe space for white people. It’s called ‘Everywhere.’”
The university has discontinued the flier but refuses to cancel the program. Instead, they’ve decided to rebrand it as the “Anti-Racism and Ally Building Group” to better reflect their “intention and values.”
Brendan Pringle (@BrendanPringle) is writer from California. He is a National Journalism Center graduate and formerly served as a development officer for Young America’s Foundation at the Reagan Ranch.
