By: Brett A. Sokolow, J.D.
Consequent to increasing sectarian tensions on campus, ATIXA members tell us they are seeing a rise in anonymous racist, homophobic, transphobic, Islamophobic, pro/anti-Israel messages, and other discriminatory comments appearing in student housing, classroom chalkboards, flyers on doors and hallways, and notes on whiteboards. Students and employees also report comments and posts on social media, which affect a broader audience than the campus community. Even when these messages don’t single out individuals, they may impact everyone encountering them. What is a conscientious college administrator to do?
Issues related to race, color, ethnicity, shared ancestry, and national origin fall under the purview of Title VI, and ATIXA has been tracking OCR’s Title VI resolutions for years. They are replete with OCR’s expectations for what actions recipients should take to address hostile environments in school settings. Our consultants led a Time with IX on this topic recently, and a recording is available here and to members in the My ATIXA portal.
The In-House Culture Assessment
Institutions can conduct in-house culture assessments and climate inquiries to address hostile environments, especially when hiring external auditors is beyond the budget. With proper training and preparation from ATIXA, these processes can be effectively managed. While some internal assessments are straightforward, others can be complex. Like anything, the effort you put in impacts the quality of what you get out.
It’s crucial to have a clear sense of what needs to be investigated or assessed and then devise a strategy to gather evidence that illuminates the situation. Sometimes, interviews may provide enough data to understand the current campus culture. However, practitioners might also need to deploy climate surveys, micro-surveys, targeted surveys, focus groups, mediation, and other methods to understand underlying causes, symptoms, and dynamics. Although gathering this evidence may not always be that challenging, it is time-consuming and often involves extensive writing and data processing (and frankly, asking good questions that will result in useful data is more challenging than most people realize).
Culture Shifts Take Time
Discrimination and harassment may lead to low morale and leave a toxic environment long after the offenders are removed. This challenge can be compounded by fears of retaliation, which create hesitation to report and file complaints.
Transforming a toxic environment isn’t instantaneous or resolved simply by eliminating the catalyst. Culture change is gradual, and rebuilding trust takes time after it has been eroded. Unfortunately, organizational culture change efforts often end with solving the immediate problem, neglecting the more complex task of restoration, or leaving it to others to address. Instead of relying solely on climate assessments, institutions should invest in strengthening organizational dynamics and team building. Other toxic individuals may fill the void left behind (removing one catalyst can merely pave the way for another). Therefore, cultural transformation is an ongoing, systemic process, not just the result of a single investigation, which only provides a foundation for a fresh start or clean slate. If you work hard to dismantle the elements of a toxic culture, it is unrealistic to assume that a healthier climate will just arise in its place.
The process can best be thought of as having three phases. The data collection phase of the assessment is where we come to understand how the climate is toxic, and what is causing that toxicity. Then, we remediate and figure out how to remove or mitigate the causative elements or people. Then, we rebuild, laying the foundation for healthier norms to thrive. The fourth step really just restarts the cycle, when we again assess and study the climate, to see if our efforts have been effective.
Once the Assessment Is Complete, Then What?
After the culture assessment is complete and we want to lay the foundation for healthier norms, practitioners should ask themselves these three crucial questions:
- Who is shaping the new climate?
- Are they committed to long-term change?
- Do they possess the necessary tools, support, and skills?
Remedies for Lasting Change
Continuous improvement requires sustained commitment from leadership and invested stakeholders willing to champion long-term initiatives. Implementing regular feedback and open dialogue mechanisms can help maintain momentum and address emerging issues before they become entrenched. When combined with targeted training and policy adjustments, these efforts can lay a strong foundation for lasting, positive transformation. Investing in these strategic endeavors manages immediate challenges and reinforces the institution’s dedication to fostering an inclusive and equitable campus culture. With careful planning and ongoing effort, institutions can create lasting change that benefits their entire community. Sometimes, regime change is the needed element. In other cases, leadership is only a symptom of structural considerations, and we need to revise our structure or fully restructure it. Sometimes, we need to clean house, modify policies, and procedures, retrain, or even consider abolishing or breaking up a dysfunctional department, division, office, or entity. We may need apologies, ownership of problems, or restorative steps to begin or further the healing process to allow stakeholders to move forward.
Remedies for hostile environments encompass a variety of approaches that supplement informal and formal complaint resolutions and supportive measures. These remedies may include:
- Restorative justice, campus forums, editorials, and public statements
- Training in conflict defusing and de-escalation techniques; training in conflict resolution and healthy dialogues
- Policy revisions and reiterations, tailored remedies for individuals, incident-specific remedies, and group-specific remedies
- Continuous monitoring, restitution efforts, protocol development and revisions, staffing, and overhauling academic programs
- Creating campus safe spaces, engaging with dissenters, enlisting allies, and empathy induction
Train with ATIXA on Addressing Title VI Concerns
ATIXA is dedicated to empowering individuals and institutions to manage these complex environments effectively. We offer training beyond initial complainant/respondent resolutions, equipping attendees with tools for ongoing cultural and climate improvements. This January, at the ATIXA Winter Symposium in Las Vegas, our Title VI certification registrants will explore many of these techniques, addressing both the primary and complex aspects of managing hostile environments.
ATIXA offers training for climate/cultural/equity assessments. Reach out to us at inquiry@tngconsulting.com. We can help train your team.