The Topology of Nepotism at Gallaudet University By Slemo Warigon August 2, 2020

Ingroup favoritism reflects the connections we form in the workplace due to shared race, ethnicity, religion, language, or other subjective factors (Greenwald & Pettigrew, 2014). One of several forms of ingroup favoritism is nepotism (Hrab, 2019), which means providing biased and preferential treatments to one’s family members at the expense of others. Fueled by implicit or unconscious biases, nepotism enables discrimination against underprivileged and underrepresented people in the workplace (ABA, 2019; Greenwald & Pettigrew, 2014; Scopelliti, 2017), and causes serious fractures within organizations (Scopelliti, 2014). The purpose of this article is to graphically illustrate workplace nepotism involving three families at Gallaudet University so that readers can identify, analyze, and address a similar form of ingroup favoritism in their organizations.

Nepotism abounds at Gallaudet and other organizations in the Deaf community. The culture of nepotism – an organizational practice of giving preferential job opportunities to family members – contributes to racial inequalities in a workplace, and may be a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Johnson, 2018). Figure 1 below graphically illustrates the topology of nepotism involving the Bravin, Grossinger, and Skjeveland families at Gallaudet. These are not the only families engaged in nepotism, and may not be fully aware of their white privileges or unhealthy biases on campus.

Figure 1. The Bravin, Grossinger and Skjeveland Families at Gallaudet University

The Parallax Viewpoints, 2(1) 1 August 2, 2020

Previous articles (Warigon 2020a, 2020b; Warigon & Williams, 2020) have discussed several notable examples of nepotism, cronyism, conflicts of interest, and White Deaf elitism. These articles also noted that racial inequalities, nepotism, cronyism, favoritism, conflicts of interest, and White Deaf elitism contribute to the toxic work culture at Gallaudet. This toxic work culture does not promote the drive for diversity, equity, and inclusive excellence that the Gallaudet administration is committed to.

The current Gallaudet administration has held numerous meetings and conversations with campus constituents about diversity, equity, and inclusive excellence. The administration indicated that the recent promotion of Mr. Eyob Zerayesus, a Black Deaf male, to Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, was part of its drive to infuse equity, diversity, and inclusive excellence into the work the University does with students for their Living, Wellbeing, and Belonging (LWB). However, with examples of nepotism illustrated in this and previous articles (Warigon, 2020a, 2020b), it is difficult for Gallaudet to convincingly demonstrate its commitment to equity, fairness, and transparency in its search and hiring process.

Nepotism fosters a toxic work culture, which inhibits Gallaudet from hiring, training, and retaining diverse and competent employees for various leadership roles on campus. High- sounding rhetoric on diversity, equity, and inclusive excellence that is not matched by concrete and verifiable actions inevitably rings hollow to stakeholders who are committed to dismantling systemic racism at Gallaudet.

References

ABA, American Bar Association (2019, January 17). Implicit biases & people with disabilities. Retrieved from https://www.americanbar.org/groups/diversity/disabilityrights/resources/implicit_bias/.

Greenwald, A. G., Pettigrew, T. F. (2014, October). With malice towards none and charity for some: Ingroup favoritism enables discrimination. American Psychologist, 69(7), 669-684.

Hrab, A. (2019). Nepotism and favoritism: Managing favoritism in the workplace. eSkill. Retrieved from https://www.eskill.com/blog/favoritism-nepotism-workplace/.

Johnson, H. (2018, January 21). Nepotism and racial practices in the workplace – Is it legal? Retrieved from https://medium.com/@KnowledgeisPower/nepotism-and-racial-practices-in-the-workplace- is-it-illegal-56892214afb0.

Scopelliti, V. (2017, January 11). Nepotism and bias in volunteer organization: A thorny issue. HR Daily Community. Retrieved from https://community.hrdaily.com.au/profiles/blogs/nepotism-and-bias- in-volunteer-organisations-a-thorny-issue.

Warigon, S. (2020a, June 25). Pervasive institutional racism in the Deaf community: Deconstructing the conflict of interest topology, nepotism, and white Deaf elitism. The Parallax Viewpoints, 1(2), 1- 6.

Warigon, S. (2020b, July 25). Confronting the racial inequalities, white Deaf elitism, conflicts of interest, and toxic work culture at Gallaudet University. The Parallax Viewpoints, 1(3), 1-22.

Warigon, S., & Williams, B. L. (2020, June 21). Toward unity and strategic change for Black Deaf people. The Parallax Viewpoints, 1(1), 1-3.

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