As many of you have
probably already read, the AAVMC, The Association of American Veterinary
Medical Colleges, has recently published the results of a Climate Change
Survey, which was performed in 2011. A total of 5,268 students from all 28 U.S. veterinary
colleges participated in the 50-question campus climate survey. Below is a link
to the survey and some of the interesting findings.
http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/may12/120501a.asp
We thought it appropriate
here at Broad Spectrum VSA to ask some of our student leaders what they thought
about the survey. Here is what some of us had to say:
Thoughts/reaction to Climate Survey findings?
Sonia Fang, Western University of Health
Sciences class of 2013
I am excited that this was done, and I’m glad
we got such high response rates. I think
it’s important, for any organization, to reflect on the demographics within
their organization and whether or not that reflects the population they intend
to serve. I am glad to see people
interested in this topic, if not for the sake of knowledge and understanding
that there is need for diversity, than at least to know that as a business, the
veterinary field needs to be adaptable to change.
Nikki Wright, University of Pennsylvania class
of 2014
At the time of the
survey release, even before there was any data available, this study forced us
to reflect on our personal feelings about diversity and community’s cultural
climate. This alone was a powerful experience for people who are
privileged enough not to have to face the existence of these issues in their
daily lives. Many students and veterinarians have expressed that they are
surprised that this data did not already exist. Does this reflect an incorrect
assumption by our peers that diversity is a non-issue, or perhaps that it is
such an important issue that there must already be extensive time and effort
being put toward this end. The most profound result of this data is that
this is the first time that we’ve been able to point to empirical evidence to
support the existence of these groups and thereby highlight their needs.
The data demonstrate that there ARE veterinary students who identify as
racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ, and disabled. Moreover, I have
met a few students that still do not feel safe being out at their veterinary
school. This is unacceptable. I hope that the schools will use this data
to understand the composition of their student body and actively make changes
to better serve their needs. I would love to see this evolve into the
type of thing that prospective students know that they can ask for when trying
to choose a school.
Arturo Otamendi,
Louisiana State University class of 2014
I am very
grateful for the AAVMC and this wonderful survey that brings light to many
issues and topics that many people are not comfortable discussing. I believe
the more we talk about topics such as sexual orientation and sexual identity,
the more people will feel comfortable about it. Fear only comes from ignorance,
and the more people know about the LGBTQ community, the less they will have a
tendency to fear this unknown. I am very thankful to live in a time when I can
be open about my sexuality and not feel concerned for my safety, but there is
always work to be done.
Did any particular finding
concern you, raise questions, or spark your interest?
Sonia
I was excited to see that there were a
relatively large number of LGBTQQIA students, though saddened to see that there
was ambivalence towards us, though that is to be expected. I did think it was very interesting that
people of color and LGBTQQIA students (not mutually exclusive categories) were
more likely to hear homophobic or racist comments. I think this will need to be evaluated
carefully. In my opinion, and from my
lived experience, this is likely due to the fact that those most impacted by
marginalization will be better able to spot instances of discrimination when it
happens, while those who are not marginalized in those ways are apt to either
miss it or ignore it. For example, when
I hear “that’s so gay,” that triggers something in me that might not be
triggered in someone straight. A
straight person might not know what it’s like for me to hear someone use “gay”
as a term meaning “stupid,” or what it means for me to hear it on a daily
basis. Someone who is not marginalized
in these ways might not know how subtle bigotry or subtle racism manifests, or
what a microaggression even is, and what that can do to a person, especially a
person who is dealing with intersecting identities of race, class, gender,
sexuality, and ability. Another
example: when people make jokes at the
expense of gender identity, or when they intentionally misgender others as part
of a joke, that might trigger very different experiences in someone who is
aware of misogyny, transphobia, transmisogyny, or sexism and someone who is
not.
There is an article I like to reference when I
encounter situations like this: http://www.racialicious.com/2008/04/16/racism-fatigue/. It’s
a piece on a fabulous blog about addressing the subtle to-not-so subtle
instances of racism. In this instance,
the article references a Vogue cover with LeBron James and Gisele Bundchen that
generated a lot of controversy. I love
this part:
“And it can be especially important to talk
about the subtle things, because that’s where privilege reveals itself most
clearly. Any white person who’s neither an idiot nor an asshole can see and
deplore the racism in, say, this image. But we can’t all see it in the Vogue
cover. So when we start talking about the Vogue cover as part of a long
tradition of racist imagery that casts African-American men as aggressive apes,
we get a much more useful conversation going. Instead of just a bunch of white
liberals saying, “That’s horrible!” and a bunch of white supremacists saying,
“No, it’s right on!” we get to see all the grey areas of privilege brought out
in the open: those of us who try to be anti-racist and educate ourselves
accordingly but still missed the racism there until it was pointed out to us;
those of us who sorta see it once it’s pointed out but still think people are
making a mountain out of a molehill; and most importantly, those of us who
missed it in the first place and, on the basis of that, continue to insist it
is not there.”
In a similar vein, I also thought it was
interesting that there were people who felt the schools were being “too
sensitive.” I generally think being
sensitive to issues where people feel marginalized or misunderstood—I never
think that’s a bad thing. I think it’s a
bad thing when people don’t analyze what they’re saying carefully. I don’t think that an institution could be
too sensitive, especially since the default is often being oblivious, especially
to matters pertaining to diversity.
Nikki
LGBTQ population:
The fact that 6.5% of
students identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, or questioning, and 0.5%
identified as transgendered substantiates the existence of this population in
the schools. Many people expressed their feeling that this number may be
under-representative of the actual population, and this is furthered by the
observation that 81% of students reported knowledge of out faculty, staff, or
students. Another issue that showed up in the data was the existence of
lingering ambivalence about LGBTQ issues and religion. I am not sure what to
make of it, but I think it is clear that the school administrations and
students need to be addressing this by providing resources for students,
faculty and staff, and encouraging constructive dialogue around these issues.
Disabilities:
12% identified as having
an impairment or disability (this included vision, learning, and hearing).
Do students who identify as having a disability feel that they have
access to the resources that they need?
Harassment:
Although there were not
many students that reported being harassed themselves, there were an alarming
proportion of students (14%) that reported seeing others being harassed and 76%
of students reported knowing of harassment that occurs on their campus. What’s
more, it is mainly students doing the harassing. Also troublesome was the
observation that 20-30% of racial/ethnic minorities and LGBTQ students reported
hearing homophobic or racist comments. This was a lot higher than the
percentage of students in general that reported hearing these remarks. It is not clear what we
should take from this, but as Ms. Greenhill announced during her presentation,
we are excited about looking into this further in the form of a qualitative
study.
Support/resources:
Although
the number is low, it is extremely disappointing and worrisome that 2.4% of
students reported having no supportive group of friends or acquaintances on
campus.
Arturo
One topic that caught my attention
from this survey was that there was still some ambivalence towards LGBTQ
topics. I believe many people now a days want to seem like they are very open
and understanding of all races, religions, and sexual orientations, but I have
noticed that though they show their approval on the surface, their true
feelings and thoughts contradict that. People now a days don’t want anyone to
think they have ambivalence toward their LGBT classmates, but deep down there
are some feelings that will take a long time to erase from peoples minds.
Would you say they’re
representative of your experiences at your school?
Sonia
I would say that is
pretty representative. I see the misuse
of the words “retarded” or “gay” on a daily basis at school and at work, which
is disappointing. I haven’t ever been
exposed to blatantly racist comments, but I have seen students tokenized and asked
to speak as representatives to their race.
In running different organizations that relate to the LGBT community, I
have personally seen ambivalence to my organization, sometimes subtle,
sometimes institutional, and sometimes blatant.
And I would say that while our student body and faculty are generally
pretty careful to not make bigoted or sexist remarks, there is sometimes an
underlying sense of subtle bigotry and chauvinism. And there are instances where I know a
professor won’t say anything to me, but might mention to other professors that
they don’t understand or don’t feel comfortable with other professors’ level of
involvement/support with our LGBT groups.
Nikki
yes - I would say that the reported proportions
loosely reflect the population at Penn Vet. In general I think that we are very
fortunate at Penn because we have a variety of resources and support for
minority students and LGBTQ students through the university and because we are
located in such a metropolitan environment with access to further support. We
have an active chapter of Veterinary Students as One in Culture and Ethnicity
as well as a relatively large LGBTQ&A group, and there are definitely out
faculty members, staff, and students.
Arturo
I would say that these findings are accurate of my
school. Many people are very open minded and positive about me and our other
gay and lesbian classmates. I still know of gay and lesbian students who are
too scared to be out because of how it could affect their education and/or
ability to attain a job after graduation. However, even though students seem to
be very comfortable with their classmates about what they do, they don’t
necessarily want to hear about it or discuss topics that concern LGBTQ in the community.
I think we need to work harder and be more proactive about starting a dialogue
in which people are comfortable discussing issues and problems that concern the
LGBTQ community.
Talk about how the LGBT
vet student community is becoming organized?
Sonia
I think in the last 3-4 years, there has been
a lot of organizing, and I’ve been very privileged to be part of it, through
Lambda and Friends at WesternU and through my extensive involvement with Broad
Spectrum Veterinary Student Association.
I think we’re just beginning to find our voice and figure out how to
best position our organizations, and to figure out how to make our
organizations sustainable. I think there
is also a push towards short-term goals, such documenting what schools are
doing every other month, as well as long-term goals such as influencing
non-discrimination policies, having more resources for students, both in terms
of ethnic and LGBT diversity, as well as documenting the oral histories of LGBT
veterinarians.
Nikki
It started independently
with small LGBTQ&A chapters, sometimes called LGVMA student chapters,
springing up at a few schools (Cornell, Penn, Davis, Wisconsin, etc). Additionally,
some schools have a strong VOICE chapter that serves the LGBTQ community as
well and fosters the growing ally involvement in LGBTQ issues. The recent
organization into a national organization, Broad Spectrum, has been heavily
dependent on leadership and outreach efforts by the LGVMA and concurrent
involvement with VOICE.
Arturo
Once
I learned about Broad Spectrum, which is the national organization for
veterinary students in the LGBTQ community and allies, I immediately was
interested in becoming more involved. As a pre-veterinary student, I
contemplated hiding my sexuality because I was unsure if this would affect my
chances of getting into vet school or perhaps getting a job after vet school. I
didn’t have anyone to talk to or someone who had gone through the same things
that I would be going through. This made being OUT at my school a lot more
challenging. Broad Spectrum is here now for any veterinary and even pre
veterinary students to be able to communicate with other students in the LGBTQ
community and be able to relate to each other. I believe that unity is going to
be a big aspect of getting LGBTQ students comfortable in being open at their
school and to get rid of the fear of not being able to get a job, internship,
or a residency after veterinary school.
What is the goal of these
[diversity AND LGBTQ] efforts?
Sonia
I think the obvious
goal is to make these institutions and this profession more inclusive. I talked to someone recently who expressed
interest in why LGBT organizations even existed, because it seemed to be
getting better. To that, I say we still
need these organizations. It’s getting
better, yes, to some extent, because society is changing and because LGBT and
allies alike are pushing towards change.
But until there isn’t rampant discrimination of people of color, LGBT
people, those with disabilities, etc. (recognizing these are not mutually
exclusive groups), it is still important for us to be aware of our
demographics, and it is still important for there to be groups like Lambda and
like Broad Spectrum to provide community and support, especially those who
would otherwise not have those resources.
I would hope that these efforts also make people aware of the privileges
they carry and how they might intentionally or unintentionally marginalize
other people. This extends to
marginalized communities in themselves.
For example, it is clear to many that LGBT groups are marginalized in
straight communities, but often LGB people do not evaluate how their actions
might marginalize those on the transgender spectrum. Or it might not be clear to white LGBT people
that sometimes how they talk or act can feel really marginalizing to people of
color, especially LGBT people of color.
Overall, I just hope these efforts get people to think critically, and
to re-evaluate how they act and treat other people.
Here are some
helpful resources:
General resources on how privilege
operates (this can come in many forms including
homophobia, heterosexism, cissexism, racism, sexism, etc):
Nikki
First and foremost, the
veterinary population should reflect national population demographics.
The main reasons that I
feel that diversity should be a priority: The veterinary community must be an
inclusive one. This is true in terms of maximizing our relationships with our
peers, our clients, and the global community. It is also true within the
veterinary schools. We must foster the creation of a comfortable and
welcoming environment for all, and in particular those students that identify
as minorities. Vet school is already hard enough!
With that being said I
understand that diversification of the profession is not the top priority for most.
As a SAVMA delegate I represent the Penn Vet community in the SAVMA House
of Delegates and serve as the chair of the Integrative Communication and
Diversity Committee. It is clear that the main concern of late is
economics. The veterinary student population is in trouble for a number
of reasons including but not limited to mitigating the massive amounts of debt
that they are acquiring, and finding available jobs after graduating in the
context of market with diminishing employment opportunities and stagnant
salaries. I want to emphasize that the AVMA and AAVMC are doing a great
job of trying to understand how they can best serve the students in this
capacity. Therefore, I think that it is important to highlight the value
of diversity in terms that are relevant to the economics of the profession as
Dr. Malcolm Kram discussed in his presentation about inclusiveness. This is
especially important when considering things like cultivating the economic
value of the profession.
Diversity will contribute to the valuation of
the profession. There is a consensus among many that we
must take charge of broadening society’s view of the profession. In
particular, we need to champion the goals of the One Health Initiative, and in
doing so help to publicize the non-traditional roles that veterinarians serve,
demonstrating that we are an asset and should be consulted on issues ranging
from human global public health, urban planning, development, and global food
production. Also implicit in the One Health movement is the idea of
accessibility. We need to make veterinary medicine and public health
education accessible to everyone, and emphasize the importance of
preventative animal health in all aspects of human health.
Arturo
Our goal is to have a central location where LGBTQ
students can contact for advice and help on anything they might need. We aim to
be an information center for students who are interested in starting an LGBTQ
club at their school, pre-veterinary students who have questions about the
application process and how their sexuality might be viewed in veterinary
school, and also a link to information from practicing veterinarians who are
LGBTQ and have gone through the whole process already. We aim to unify the
student community in order to have a more open and friendly environment. My
hope is that one day, anyone who is LGBTQ will be comfortable to be completely
open and feel safe and secure and loved in their veterinary college.
