URL: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KrB1vWO4XFdRc43AsqZK9rlp-VAL4I6A/view?usp=sharing

As a participant in this program - a trainee (graduate student or postdoc) who is currently or has been previously affiliated with Stanford University - you agree to abide by the following guidelines, which are stated to help all of us contribute to a safe and healthy environment during events, group discussions, and on the Someone Like Me Slack.

Basic Guidelines:

•Confidentiality. Keep these discussions confidential. Some people may raise controversial points of view, share deeply personal information, or leave you feeling particularly emotional. You should not use what is discussed in this program or on the Slack in outside conversations. Platforms to post or contribute anonymously will be provided to further this effort, since issues regarding academia, advisor relationships, and the university can be particularly sensitive for trainees.

•Listen attentively. Pay attention to what someone is saying – without being distracted by your technology, side conversation, or pre-planning your response. Beginning to dismantle their point of view before they are finished not only limits your capacity to understand and learn, but may leave gaps in your own arguments.

•No interrupting. Speaking over someone or having a side conversation inhibits your ability to listen effectively and is disrespectful to the person sharing their ideas.

•No name calling. This applies to people foremost. Be respectful of people; focus any challenges you have on ideas themselves (and not the person sharing).

•Give and take air time. Be aware of how much you are talking as compared with other voices in the room. Who else may be waiting to share their perspective? Concurrently, if you have an idea that has not yet been shared, be sure to take the appropriate air time due to your voice.

•Respect and Safety: Anyone engaging in persistent harassment or intimidation of other group members will be asked to leave the group. If you have concerns for yourself or other group members please contact kwalwynb@stanford.edu or btolar1@stanford.edu, or use the confidential reporting resources provided on the support channel.

Sharing Your Thoughts:

•It is okay to make mistakes. Mistakes are how we learn. Invite yourself and others to learn from mistakes by talking about their impact and how to avoid similar mistakes in the future.

•Demonstrate your reasoning. How are you building connections between pieces of evidence and theory to justify your argument?

•Acknowledge and value that each person brings different experiences, knowledge, and levels of awareness to the discussion. How can you build off of and further contribute to what other trainees have shared?

•Emotions are okay and to be expected. Name your reaction and what you think is prompting it. Someone could learn about the impact of a particular idea or piece of knowledge.

•You do not need to be the sole representative of any of the identities you hold. There is significant emotional labor involved with talking about your community’s culture, and even then, you cannot speak for everyone. Do this when it is healthy for you. The default assumption should be that you are not speaking for everyone who belongs to any of your identities.

Guidelines for Responding to Statements:

•Use “I” statements to own your experiences and thoughts. You cannot speak for everyone – only yourself. “I think...” “I feel...” and “I believe...” are more effective than “We think...” “They feel...” or “You believe...”

•It is okay to name an idea or statement as oppressive, problematic, or triggering as long as you also name why you believe it to be so. Discuss the concerns you have about an idea, the logic/evidence/justification used, and why you think the idea is subsequently problematic, but referring to an idea as “stupid” or “ridiculous” errs toward judgmental name calling. Critique the idea using evidence and theory you think are relevant.

•Seek to understand when you think something problematic or unclear was shared. Ask a question that prompts the other person to clarify what they meant.

•Trust intent and name impact. Believe that your fellow trainees are actively trying to learn, and that sometimes an idea comes out poorly phrased. Ask them to clarify what was said and share what you heard and/or felt.

Listening and Reflecting:

•Question your assumptions about people in the group and the ideas being presented. In what ways can other points of view help inform your own stance?

•Acknowledge and appreciate the effort of those that are sharing their perspectives. It takes a certain amount of bravery to share one’s perspective – especially if it is uncommon. Concurrently, do not feel as though you are entitled to someone else’s knowledge or experience: you can ask for someone to share, but they may not feel comfortable doing so; respect their choice.

•Acknowledge how some narratives are erased or represented from the evidence base, and we may need to accept other forms of knowledge. Raise questions about where the evidence used in the discussion originated from and the perspectives or evidence that they may have missed. Whose voices/images are missing?

•Trust the process. These conversations can be long and complex. Know that you might not find a solution to the issue on the table, or that you might not cover every facet of the topic in one session. Learning may continue into another session or into discussions online (Slack) or offline.


Adapted from: The Harriet W. Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning at Brown University, Guidelines for Classroom Discussion Agreements (and resources below) https://www.brown.edu/sheridan/teaching-learning-resources/teaching-resources/course-design/creating-syllabus/equitable-classroom-participation

Adams, M., Bell, L. A., & Griffin, P. (2007). Teaching for diversity and social justice (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge.

Arao, B. & Clemens, K. (2013). From safe spaces to brace spaces: A new way to frame dialogue around diversity and social justice. In L. M. Landreman (ed.) The art of effective facilitation: Reflections from social justice educators, (pp. 135-150). Sterling, VA: Stylus.

Center for Research on Learning and Teaching. (n.d.). Examples of discussion guidelines [Web log resource]. Retrieved from http://www.crlt.umich.edu/examples-discussion-guidelines

Cote-Meek, S. (2014). Colonized classrooms: Racism, trauma, and resistance in post-secondary education. Halifax, NS: Fernwood.

Fox. H. (2017). “When race breaks out:” Conversations about race and racism in college classrooms (3rd ed.). New York: Peter Lang.

Leonardo, Z., & Porter, R. K. (2010). Pedagogy of fear: Toward a Fanonian theory of ‘safety’ in race dialogue. Race, Ethnicity, and Education, 13(2), 139-157.