The Middle States Evaluation Team will be virtually visiting Bryn Mawr from November 9th-11th as part of the college’s reaccreditation process. For those unfamiliar with this process, the Middle States Team will essentially evaluate the quality of education provided to Bryn Mawr students and assess whether the college meets their commission’s Standards of Excellence. One of the standards requires the active offering of classes and learning experiences towards a degree. Therefore, as indicated in President Cassidy’s email on November 8th, classes will resume on November 9th. President Cassidy and the administration are merely trying to ensure Bryn Mawr is reaccredited, as the Middle States Team only visits every ten years and was originally scheduled to visit this past spring. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was rescheduled into the virtual visit taking place this week.
Unlike the reaccreditation process, institutional racism does not just take place every ten years. It has been present since Bryn Mawr was founded in 1885, as the college made a rigorous education accessible to only white, wealthy women. President Cassidy explains in the same email mentioned above, “Education is our mission and our reason to exist. The college made a legal and moral contract with its students, and their families, to offer classes. We have an obligation to honor this contract.” If “education is our mission and reason to exist,” then the strike poses no issue as it is educating Bryn Mawr community members on the college’s racist legacy and effects. Several educational opportunities are available, both asynchronous and synchronous. Students and faculty at Haverford and Bryn Mawr are holding teach-ins, and we encourage students to attend one or more during the strike. Additionally, President Cassidy’s citation of a “moral contract” should not only apply to class availability. It should extend to securing justice for BIPOC students, which is what the strike aims to do. Justice has not been established, so the strike continues.
It is crucial for students to receive support from faculty and have them as allies. Although classes are resuming due to the Middle States Team’s visit, curriculums should be modified to teach students about racial injustice. This would allow students who have to attend class to do so without breaking strike as normal class material would not be taught. Departments should also address the systemic racism present within themselves and write letters to the administration in support of the strike. Such letters should mirror the letter written by Haverford’s biology department, which stated that they would be restructuring to help create an “antiracist, inclusive department, recentered with voices that are traditionally marginalized.” Changes similar to this will benefit students in all departments, especially LGBTQIA+, FGLI students, and those with disabilities. After all, it is a departmental responsibility to do what is best for their students. Finally, Bryn Mawr’s administration has been intimidating professors and students by claiming that there is no way to protect international students who strike, as well as those on financial aid. However, there are ways to protect these students; one being the implementation of the previously mentioned changes to class curriculums. International students could attend class, as it is necessary for their visas, but also not break the strike by doing asynchronous work and attending teach-ins. This would allow them to support the strike while fighting for institutional change through education. The only thing needed for this to be a successful protest is the support and flexibility of faculty members.