February 11, 2021

opinions features sports a & e February 11, 2021 The Vinyl What's Earth Women's hoops I can't feel my face Renaissance without art? team back in action when The Week- Volume 104 With vinyl sales on the Mother-daughter duo Duke's game Fri. will be nd comes on Number 4 rise, the record player encourages creativity in first since Jan. 17. Super Bowl LV half time has officially made a studio. show makes audiences www.duqsm.com come-back. stir with commentary. PAGE 4 PAGE 6 PAGE 7 PAGE 9 THE DUQUESNE DUKE Proudly Serving Our Campus Since 1925 Guest Column: "Duquesne Univ. Update: has a whiteness problem" Shank could return as professor Kellen Stepler editor-in-chief Gary Shank, the Duquesne education professor who was fired for using a racial epithet in a Sept. 9 lecture, may now be able to return to teach at Duquesne. On Friday, Feb. 5, university President Ken Gormley issued a statement responding to Shank’s grievance that he filed against the university in November. On Jan. 14, the University Grievance Committee for Faculty (UGCF) found that while Shank’s use of the racial epithet was misguided, Griffin Sendek / Multimedia Editor “it was not malicious,” and rec- As the Duquesne community reacts to the news that education professor Gary Shank has the opportunity to be reinstated, alumnus George Yancy, a Ph.D. recipient ommended that he be able to re- from Duquesne, shares his thoughts on the matter. In an open letter to the Black students of Duquesne, Yancy speaks to issue of race on campus. turn to his job at Duquesne. According to Gormley's state- OpenP Letter to Black I be next? The question grows grapple with controversial texts, tion. “We can’t breathe!” is our ment, Shank will be suspended, out of a collective understanding that you want to be coddled, that shared reality. When Shank said without pay, from Duquesne until Students at Duquesne that Black lives do not matter in you are a “prisoner” of political “I’m giving you permission to August 2021. He will be required University white America. What you felt in correctness, or that you are part use” the N-word, that was a grip to meet multiple conditions dur- Shank’s course was a microcosm of a larger problem called “cancel around your throat, a knee on ing his suspension in order to be of a larger form of societal and culture.” Had Shank been better your neck. Both his permission Editor's Note: Last semester The eligible to return to his position. historical anti-Blackness. educated about his whiteness, and his use of the word were vio- Duke committed to addressing Requirements for reinstatement I say this, because as Black and about how the structure of lent. Since Black people already the issue of race on campus as During his suspension, Shank people, we have earned the right whiteness functions as a site know the pain caused by white part of the Poynter College Me- will undergo mandatory diver- to articulate how we feel. We of willful ignorance, he would people using the N-word, it must dia Project. We believe this col- sity, equity and inclusion train- know what anti-Black racism have understood that using the have been white students who umn helps drive that dialogue. ing taught by Alvin B. Tillery Jr., feels like, what it looks like, and N-word, as he did, was not just were being given permission. the founder and director of the what it sounds like. It is not our about poor judgment or “mis- Simultaneously, Shank’s center for the study of diversity I apologize for not writing fault that many white people do guided behavior,” but was self- whiteness endorsed and invali- and democracy at Northwestern when I initially heard the dis- not understand the magnitude ish, pedagogically incompetent, dated that permission. Imag- University. turbing news that Dr. Gary of our plight, that they do not and violent. ine me giving “permission” to “Shank will be required to take Shank used the N-word in his know what it means to be Black So, let us be clear, as Black male students to use the B-word a course in “Leading Diversity, Educational Psychology course, in a country that has systemically people, we should always be or the C-word without serious Equity and Inclusion” with Dr. on September 9, 2020. That year, failed to address, let alone fully uncompromisingly angry when pedagogical work on the real Tillery and complete additional the killing of Breonna Taylor and acknowledge, our pain and our white anti-Black racism rears its violence and ugliness of sexism. independent training as deter- George Floyd galvanized global suffering under white suprema- ugly head, but never surprised. Imagine me giving “permission” mined appropriate by Dr. Til- protests against the killing of un- cy. I want you to know that I see I am convinced that anti-Black to heterosexual students to use lery,” according to the statement. armed and innocent Black bod- you, I hear you, I feel your pain. racism exists in every nook and the Fa-word. Imagine me giv- Following the training, Shank ies by white police officers. As it When it comes to anti-Black rac- cranny of “American democ- ing “permission” to nondisabled will be required to write and sub- was for me, I’m sure their deaths ism, let no one tell you that you racy.” This country was founded mit a substantive reflection to students to use the R-word. The impacted the core of your Black are being too sensitive, that you upon our unheeded cries and our see LETTER— page 2 see SHANK— page 2 psyche, leading you to ask: will do not possess the “objectivity” to existential and social asphyxia- 2 Guest POLICE briefs Shank narrows down path to Here are the crimes reported for permanent reinstatement Column Feb. 2 to Feb. 8. from SHANK— page 1 “While Professor Shank’s actions Shank’s attorney Warner Mariani from LETTER— page 1 On Feb. 5, the resident direc- may have lacked intent to cause shared a letter sent Feb. 10 from the tor of Vickroy Hall smelled the Gormley of what he learned from the harm, they nonetheless were harm- AAUP to Gormley, closing their file pattern here would reflect a sense odor of marijuana coming from a training, including how it impacted ful to the students in the class and to of unquestioned authority, the dorm room while she was doing his view of his behavior on Sept. 9. on the case “while indicating [the the entire campus community and power of normativity, and a failure paperwork verifications. A cita- “Dr. Tillery will be asked to certify deserving of strong sanctions,” the AAUP’s] willingness to assist any ef- to understand both the violence tion was issued. to the president, based upon his ex- statement said. forts to bring the faculty handbook embedded within those slurs and tensive experience, that Dr. Shank Gormley is allocating an addi- into closer conformance with AAUP- COVID-19 DATA understands the seriousness of the the marginalized who are assault- tional $50,000 of special funding supported academic freedom and (as of Feb. 7) conduct he engaged in and its po- to Duquesne’s Office of Diversity ed by them. If you add to these ex- tenure standards.” tential impact on his students and and Inclusion, “to create opportuni- amples the tenor of Shank’s peda- Educational Psychology stu- This week, Duquesne the university community, as well as ties for students across campus to gogical disrespect, then you create the importance of being sensitive to, launched a new COVID-19 engage positively on the issue of re- dent: “I don’t want future stu- an environment where Black stu- dashboard on its mini-site. and mindful of, diversity, equity, and spectful language and behavior on dents to go through what we inclusion in the classroom,” the state- dents will not feel safe, will not feel The new dashboard features the issue of race.” went through on that day” ment said. Argument of academic free- respected, will not feel “at home.” campus COVID-19 data Following Gormley’s announce- along with information from Shank will also be placed on a dom rejected by the university Add to this the predominantly ment Friday evening, Duquesne Allegheny County. “performative improvement plan Gormley wrote Friday that “aca- white undergraduate student The campus data dashboard with a specific emphasis on teaching demic freedom and tenure do not pro- sophomore Zeke Daure sent an body at Duquesne University, and breaks down COVID-19 methodology,” and will work with vide a blank check for faculty mem- email to students in Shank’s fall its predominantly white faculty, Duquesne’s Center for Teaching Ex- bers to engage in conduct which is cases, tests, isolation and 2020 Educational Psychology class, this only creates those private mo- cellence (CETR) to “re-structure, re- disrespectful or harmful to students. quarantine spaces and vac- and to a social justice class, regard- ments when Black students ask cination information. write and organize his lessons in all Nor is a faculty member immunized courses.” from responsibility by sitting in front ing things Shank has said. themselves: Am I wanted here? Between Jan. 29 and Feb. A formal reprimand will also be of a Zoom screen and stating, ‘this is Daure, who was in the Zoom lec- Do I belong here? Why does this 4, there were eight positive placed in Shank’s permanent file, pedagogical,’ before launching into a ture when Shank used the n-word, university not reflect more stu- which will make “clear that if Profes- tests at Duquesne, and 471 series of offensive racial slurs to make said he sent the email because he dents and faculty who look like sor Shank engages in conduct of this an ill-defined point, thus seeking to tests conducted.

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