The University of Massachusetts Amherst
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Academic Dean Advice

An academic dean’s advice on giving INCs

Updated: 05/11/2023

At the end of the semester I typically hear from instructors and students who have questions on the subject of granting/requesting a grade of Incomplete for a class. This post is intended to offer clarity on the process.

Recent data from the UMass Amherst Registrar’s Office indicates that at least 40% of incompletes go unfinished in the semester following when they were given.

For faculty – When is an INC appropriate?

Recognize that sometimes giving an INC is helpful but it may be more of a hindrance to students than a help.

  • You do not have to agree to give a student an INC. It is at your discretion and you want to remember that this likely means that you will end up working with that student during the break and possibly into next semester (and possibly beyond).
  • You should not give a student an INC without their knowledge and without a written agreement of the work to be completed and a deadline.
  • INC grades are counted as Fs toward a student’s GPA until they are resolved, which means that INCs can have a negative effect on a student’s GPA and academic standing in the short run if they would have received a higher grade based on work already completed. (When in doubt, grade them out!)
  • If they are not resolved by the end of the following semester, INC grades are converted to IFs. Faculty can still opt to let students finish the course after the grade has changed to IF.
  • Although you have discretion, we advise faculty NOT to give INCs to students unless they have completed 50-80% of the work of the class.
  • Students should be passing your class at the time you agree to give them a grade of INC.
  • If you have submitted grades for your classes and later learn that a student was dealing with extenuating circumstances, you may still work with them to complete work and submit a grade change.

For students – Tips for requesting an INC

  • Make sure you have a clear sense of the assignments, quizzes, exams, projects, or other work you have left to complete for the class.
  • Use a calendar to plan out how you will complete this work. Draft a plan to complete each task and create a clear and reasonable timeline.
  • When you reach out to your instructor to ask if they would be open to giving you an INC grade, you should include your work plan.
  • When possible, plan to finish your INC prior to the start of the following semester – having a full semester of classes in addition to an INC is very challenging.
  • If you have questions about whether an INC is the best option for you, speak with your academic advisor or an academic dean.
  • Remember that sometimes it’s better to finish the class as best you can during the semester and move on. Many INCs become IFs and students do not finish them.

Official INC Policy 
(from page 28 of the Academic Regulations):

“Students who are unable to complete course requirements within the allotted time because of severe medical or personal problems may request a grade of Incomplete from the instructor of the course. Normally, incomplete grades are warranted only if a student is passing the course at the time of the request and if the course requirements can be completed by the end of the following semester.”

The Academic Regulations further stipulate that for each Incomplete grade given a written agreement should be kept in the department office that includes the following:

  1. The percentage of work completed during the semester by the student,
  2. The grade earned by the student on the completed work during the semester,
  3. A description of the work that remains to be completed,
  4. A description of the method by which the student is to complete the unfinished work, and
  5. The date by which the work is to be completed.

Essentially, an INC represents a contract between instructor and student and it should be entered into with clear boundaries on both sides. I encourage both parties to be open to renegotiate the terms of the INC under the appropriate circumstances.

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Academic Dean Advice

Thinking about the W-Drop and P/F date

About two-thirds of the way through each semester there is a date that marks the last point at which students can withdraw from a class or change a class to Pass/Fail grading in SPIRE. The UMass Academic Calendar is the place to look for this date. This post provides information that should help you think about your options.

First, let’s talk about Pass/Fail Grading

Each semester, students can choose to switch one graded class to Pass/Fail grading This means that as long as you PASS the class, you will receive a final grade of P on your transcript, you will earn the credits for that class toward the 120 credit total that you need to graduate, and there will be NO impact on your GPA. 

Some things to think about:

  • Classes that are taken Pass/Fail CANNOT count toward General Education requirements or major requirements. 
  • If you FAIL a class for which you’ve selected Pass/Fail grading, it DOES show up as an F on your transcript and that WILL factor into your GPA.
  • You can revoke the Pass/Fail option after grades come out and take the letter grade you earned for that class. You might choose to do this if the grade you earned would improve your GPA and/or you’d like the class to fulfill a requirement. You can revoke the P at any time prior to graduation, regardless of when the class was taken.

Why might you elect P/F grading?

  • The main purpose of Pass/Fail grading is to allow students to enroll in a course to explore interesting content without being as concerned about grading. This is a great option for exploring a subject that you think you might be interested in but you’ve never tried before.
  • If you are in a class and it’s not going as well as you hoped, you can choose the Pass/Fail option to protect your GPA. This can take some of the pressure off and help you do better in the class. 
  • If you are exploring a major and took a class for that purpose but now realize that the major is not really for you and you want to focus more on your other classes, you might use the Pass/Fail grading option.

Only use the Pass/Fail option if you are confident that you can PASS the class. If you think you might fail, you might want to consider withdrawing from the class instead.

Notebook page with last day to withdraw as textWhy might you decide to withdraw from a class?

  • If you are failing a class and know that you won’t be able to pass it.
  • If you have taken on too much during the semester or are dealing with extenuating circumstances and need to lighten your course load. 

Before you choose to withdraw, you should consider having a conversation with your professor or an academic advisor to find out if there are options for improving your performance.

Some things to think about :

  • For some students, dropping a class may mean they drop below full-time status (you have to be enrolled in 12 credits to be full-time). For MOST students this is not a problem, however, there are a couple of categories of students who should consult with an advisor, academic dean, or financial aid counselor before they drop a class:
  • International students CANNOT drop below 12 credits unless they have a medical reason.
  • Athletes on scholarship typically cannot drop below 12 credits and maintain eligibility in their sport. Those students can check in with an academic dean to discuss options.
  • Students with a Pell grant should consult with a financial aid counselor before dropping below 12 credits. 

What does a “W” on my transcript mean?

Many students worry that they will not be able to pursue graduate school or other post-graduate opportunities if they have a “W” from a withdrawn class on their transcript. This is not true! The “W” is merely a notation that you dropped a class after the Add/Drop period ended. There is no impact on your GPA when you withdraw from a class. 

What happens if I miss the deadline for Pass/Fail or W-drop?

  • SBS Academic Deans hold a “grace period” day on the day after the W-drop date. You can come to our office (128 Thompson Hall) to speak with an academic dean about your wish to drop a class or change to Pass/Fail grading. 
  • Beyond the grace period day, you can petition the academic deans for an exception.
  • Late withdrawals are typically only granted due to extenuating circumstances; poor academic performance does not qualify as an extenuating circumstance. Late P/F petitions are rarely granted. You can find both the late withdrawal petition and the late P/F petition in the “How Do I?” section of the SBS Pathways website.
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What’s up with the Add/Drop deadline?

Hey, did you notice that Add/Drop is now only ONE week long? When did that happen, and more importantly, WHY??

Let’s start with the more obvious of these questions: Yes, the Add/Drop period is now only one week long. That means for this semester you have until 11:59pm on Wednesday, September 8 to go into SPIRE and drop a class with no record of it on your transcript, or add a class without needing permission of your academic dean.

We know this is new and unusual for our returning UMass students who have typically had two whole weeks to make these changes to their schedule. However, after research by the Registrar’s Office, a review of other campuses, consideration by the Faculty Senate, and with input from actual UMass students, this process was changed.

I can imagine that for many of you this feels unfair and annoying. I get that. It can be difficult to get your schedule sorted in the first two weeks. That said, here’s what the Registrar’s Office learned about success rates for students who added classes at the end of add drop: Students who added classes on the final days of the Add/Drop period were TWICE as likely to earn a D or F, or to withdraw from the class as students who had added a class during registration or the first week of Add/Drop.

Maybe it feels paternalistic for University administrators to say, “We’re doing it for your own good.” But, we are. I never want students have to spend more money or time than they planned to finish their degree because they failed classes and got behind. That’s some of what we were seeing with the original Add/Drop period.

So what happens if you have a really good reason to add a class late? Students will still have the option to petition their academic dean for a late add. Yes, we will expect you to make a good case for why you need to add the class and what evidence you have that you’ll be successful. Late adds for research assistantships and internships are relatively straightforward and approved without much fuss.

You can speak with your academic advisor or an academic dean if you have questions. Academic deans are located in the SBS Pathways Center in 128 Thompson Hall. Stop by, call (413-755-1057) or email (sbsadvising@sbs.umass.edu) to set up an appointment.

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The myth of multitasking

Published in the Daily Hampshire Gazette, 2/16/2021

I spent the morning in the parking lot of the vet’s office after a troubling weekend where we watched our three-legged dog struggle through her usual sniff and pee routine. She was clearly having trouble putting her weight on her back leg and I knew that something was wrong, and she needed to be seen right away.

Here’s the problem: I was also planning to get caught up on work on the Presidents Day holiday. When I called the vet, they reminded me that I would have to come for an emergency visit and that because of COVID restrictions I would most likely be waiting for a while in the parking lot before one of the vets would be able to squeeze Peggy Sue in between patients.

I agreed because there was no alternative. I set up the appointment and asked the receptionist if I’d be able to access Wi-Fi from their parking lot. I brought my laptop, figuring that I’d be able to work while I waited.

I did manage to answer a few emails. But between the vet tech calling to ask questions about my dog, trying to get said dog to stop barking at other dogs in the parking lot, and fielding questions from my husband and friends, it was difficult to focus on my work.

I was not able to accomplish as much work as I had hoped, but the situation did help me clarify what I wanted to write about this month: multitasking, or rather trying to avoid falling into the trap of thinking that multitasking is possible.

My job has many facets and I am always working on prioritizing what needs to get done first. This often means that some tasks don’t get as much attention as I’d like to give them. On a typical day, I work on projects while keeping my email inbox open. That way I can scan the emails that are coming in to make sure I catch things that are important.

Email notifications result in pulling me away from what I’m working on. I often feel like I don’t have the long stretches of time I need for important projects because I’m always being asked to respond to “fires” that need to be put out now. In truth, some of those crises do need a quick response but most do not.

What I should be doing is putting longer stretches of project time on my calendar, shutting off notifications on my email and my phone during those times, and digging into projects that require attention.

I’ve also noticed that during the pandemic it’s become more difficult to maintain my focus. Working from home, my attention is often divided between the task at hand and a question from one of my kids or a cat jumping into my lap demanding attention. I find it too easy to lose my concentration — in fact as I was writing this sentence, I got a message from a friend, read it and answered it before coming back to my writing.

The students I work with also talk about their multitasking — doing their reading for class while watching something on Netflix or texting friends while working on an assignment. They are not accomplishing as much as they believe they are.

According to Doctors Cynthia Kubu and Andre Machado at the Cleveland Clinic, human brains are incapable of multitasking. They write: “For nearly all people, in nearly all situations, multitasking is impossible.” We may think we are doing it but really we are merely switching back and forth from one activity to another, without giving our full attention to either.

Trying to multitask leads to difficulty with attentiveness and learning. I see this in classes when students are clearly focused on their cellphones rather than what is happening in the classroom (or Zoom room). I’ve also caught myself in this situation as well, reading a text during a meeting and realizing that I’ve lost the thread of what is being said.

The Cleveland Clinic doctors described a research study that found that multitasking — trying to complete homework or other projects — while using our various devices to listen to music, text, or check notifications has negative effects on learning and for students this can mean poor grades.

What does this mean for those of us who are distracted by this modern, constantly connected life? It means that we are not giving our full talent to the things that are most important to us. It’s time for us to turn off the notifications, close our email, and relearn how to monotask.

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The importance of storytelling

Published in the Daily Hampshire Gazette, 1/22/2021

My mom passed away in early December. She had lived with Alzheimer’s disease for at least six years — most likely longer before we actually knew. During the last several months of her life, she was at a nursing home in Rhode Island and because of the pandemic, my siblings and I were not able to visit often.

Her death was heartbreaking for my family, particularly because our final hours with her were limited to two people at a time for 30-minute visits in full PPE. It was agonizing not to be able to hold her and have her see our faces as we talked to her and held her hands. I have to believe that my mom knew we were there, despite the circumstances.

In July, I wrote about my family’s experience of taking care of my mom through a series of medical challenges during the COVID pandemic. She never had COVID, but her health and quality of life declined rapidly because of the pandemic. It doesn’t help to be angry at the universe about this, but sometimes it’s hard not to be.

Before March, my siblings and I would see her a few times a month — to visit or take her to a doctor’s appointment. During these times, we’d share stories of our families and we’d encourage her to tell us stories from her childhood. Sometimes, we’d tell her funny stories we remembered about her when we were kids — she liked being the star.

The storytelling was reassuring for all of us. It kept us connected to my mom and it reminded her that she had a very rich and full life, even if she no longer remembered it.

While my mom was in her declining months and we weren’t able to visit her, my brother had the brilliant idea of creating a journal for her. He wrote out many of the details of her life so that the nursing staff and CNAs would know who she was and also so that they could remind her of her life during times when she was scared and lonely.

Now that she’s passed, there are days when I feel adrift or like I’ve lost part of myself. I know this is grief and I also know that my grief is in sort of a limbo right now, because we weren’t able to hold a funeral or memorial service. My siblings and our extended family haven’t been able to gather to remember my mom and share our stories about her life. The best we’ve been able to do is share stories about our beloved mom on our social media accounts.

Stories are part of our DNA. They are how we tell people who we are. We use them to teach our kids lessons. Through our stories, we share our values with others. Stories bring people together and remind us that we are often more alike than different.

Within families, siblings and parents often remember different stories or highlight different details when they share family folklore. It’s amazing to think that my siblings and I grew up in the same home when I hear how we tell our family anecdotes.

Having a family member with Alzheimer’s can mean that you miss the opportunity to hear some of their stories. As I remember it, my mother didn’t tell us many stories of her teenage years or her young adulthood. There are parts of her life that I’ll never get to learn about.

During her last couple of years, my mom’s strongest memories were of her childhood. She was a self-described tomboy whose antics included walking on a rolling barrel, jumping onto the running board of her dad’s moving car, building forts in the woods behind her house with her neighbor, Teddy. She also loved to climb trees. In recent memory, no visit to her primary care doctor was complete without my mom telling Dr. O’Heelan about her tree climbing days. She’d say, “My mom would yell out the window, ‘Yvette, get out of that tree!’ ”

I’m grateful to have these stories to share with my kids who don’t have many memories of my mom before the Alzheimer’s phase of her life. It’s fun to see their surprise when they hear about the things their grandmother did when she was young. They have trouble imagining her as a young person.

Sharing stories can help us deal with our grief and I look forward to the time, hopefully this summer, when my family can all get together and share our stories. In the meantime, I’m trying to remember to tell my kids stories from my younger days so that they can have those as keepsakes.

I’ve been reading Ann Patchett’s book, “Commonwealth.” One line that stays with me comes from a character who, as she spoke about her dying father, says, “You take all the stories with you.”

We do take all of our stories with us when we go, and that’s why we need to share them now.

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Time to retire the word ‘unprecedented’

Published in the Daily Hampshire Gazette, 11/17/2020

Over the weekend, I posed the following question to my friends on one of my social media accounts: “Can we agree to retire the word ‘unprecedented’ at the end of 2020?”

At the time, I was watching the news, and I groaned as the anchor used this word to describe something — I don’t even remember now what it was — maybe Trump’s refusal to concede? Or the number of new COVID infections? Our inability to keep each other safe during a pandemic?

All I remember now is the thought that went through my head: “This word no longer has meaning.”

The online version of Merriam-Webster’s dictionary reports that “unprecedented” is an adjective meaning “having no precedent; novel; unexampled.” Similar to the word “unique,” “unprecedented” is intended to be used sparingly. After all, once an unprecedented thing happens, there is precedent.

To find out if I was just imagining the increased use of this expression, I did a not-very-scientific experiment. I searched for the word “unprecedented” in my work email from Jan. 1, 2020 through Nov. 15, 2020. I filtered out headline updates from The New York Times and other messages that were not associated with my job. The result was that the word “unprecedented” appeared in 177 work-related email messages that I received.

Then I did a similar search for the entirety of 2019, which resulted in a mere 11 messages. In other words, the word “unprecedented” was used 16 times more frequently in 2020 than in the previous year — at least as far as my email is concerned.

The word appeared in an average of 18 emails per month. The highest frequency of its appearance was in March (36 messages) and April (43 messages). This correlates with the first surge of coronavirus cases in the United States, along with campus closures due to the pandemic.

It was unprecedented to send students home and ask all faculty and the majority of staff to work remotely to finish up the academic year. It was unprecedented for us to rethink the way we did most things so that we could stay away from each other and keep each other safe.

However, the coronavirus was not the only thing that made 2020 unusual. The term “unprecedented” has been used to describe so many things. Here is a sampling of them:

?Hospital ICUs filled to capacity and a shortage of ventilators

?Lack of PPE for first responders, nurses reused masks for days

?Sharp spike in job losses

?Close to 250,000 deaths of U.S. residents from COVID-19

?Wildfires raged across Australia and later the West Coast of the U.S.

?Ongoing protests for Black Lives Matter in the wake of George Floyd’s murder

?Increasing visibility and audacity of white supremacists in the U.S., including a plot to kidnap a sitting governor

?Toilet paper, cleaning and baking supply shortages (seriously?)

?Students of all ages expected to learn remotely

?A sitting U.S. president lying about the security of our elections

?Confirmation of a Supreme Court justice during an active presidential election

?An African American and South Asian American woman elected as vice president

?The U.S. president’s unwillingness to concede the presidential race

There are certainly events missing from this list that I’ve forgotten or that others would consider more “unprecedented” than these.

While I’m hoping 2021 will be a better year for the human race, there are some things that started in 2020 that I hope we can use to set new precedents. For example, people have been spending more time outside. In addition to common pursuits like walking, hiking and biking, I’ve enjoyed how activities such as dining and exercise classes continued to take place outdoors even into the cooler months. Doing yoga outside while watching the sunset was a highlight of the fall.

Looking after our neighbors is another habit that I hope will continue. Several communities set up official mutual aid groups to help each other. There were even more unofficial kindnesses happening among neighbors. People in my neighborhood seem more willing to stop to say hello and get to know each other.

Spending more time at home with family has had its high and low points. In my house, it’s been difficult for my teens to spend so much time on screens doing their schoolwork, and our house is too small for us to each have an office space. That said, I appreciate being able to work from my couch with my dog snuggled beside me. I recognize that I am one of the lucky ones who has a job when so many people are out of work.

Once we are beyond 2020, when we have some time and distance from it, we’ll be able to see more clearly what happened, how we got to this place — both the bad and the good, and how that set the precedent for the future.

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Time’s up! Will state see an increase in homelessness?

Published in the Daily Hampshire Gazette, 10/16/2020

At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic after many lost their jobs, the state instituted a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures so that residents who were already struggling with their finances wouldn’t also have to worry about losing their homes. The moratorium was set to expire on Aug. 18, but Gov. Baker extended that deadline for two months.

The end of this week will mark the end of the moratorium, and while the state Legislature has attempted to stall immediate evictions, there will not likely be another extension to the moratorium after the Oct. 17 deadline.

The commonwealth offers two programs that provide short-term funds to help residents with low incomes to stay in their homes. Way Finders in Springfield (wayfinders.org/apply-financial-assistance) is the local nonprofit that oversees both the Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) and the Emergency Rental and Mortgage Assistance (ERMA) programs. RAFT funding is predominantly geared towards families earning less than 50% of the area’s median income. ERMA funds are used to help both renters and homeowners earning between 50-80% of the area’s median income.

In addition to the state programs, some local communities are using Community Preservation Act or Community Development Block Grant funds to provide short-term rental assistance. Amherst and Springfield have programs in place. Easthampton and Hadley are developing theirs.

It may sound as though there are many avenues for people who are struggling to pay their rent to get support, but each of these programs has capped the total amount that a household can access. What will happen once households have used all of their options?

Between March 15 and Aug. 22, a total of 1,208,132 Massachusetts residents filed for unemployment. Over the summer, unemployment in the state reached a high of 17.7%. These are people who are figuring out how to survive on much less income than they are used to. Sometimes this means choosing between paying bills or buying food and medicine.

The moratorium has helped stabilize both individual households as well as communities. However, when it is lifted and landlords begin eviction proceedings for their tenants, we will face new challenges. Evictions are costly to both landlords and tenants. There will likely be a backlog of cases; proceedings will take a long time. The legal costs will be high, and so will the emotional costs.

Eviction is damaging. In the short term, evicted individuals and families have to find somewhere to go. They may end up moving in with family or friends or end up living for a time in a homeless shelter. During this pandemic, either of these options may mean exposure to the virus and an increase in COVID cases. Studies have also shown that people who have been evicted suffer from higher rates of depression. Eviction can be particularly destabilizing for children, who lose the structure and sense of security they need to thrive.

In the long run, eviction can stop people from finding stable housing even when they have recovered financially. Evictions are included on credit reports and may be in rental histories for up to seven years. The fallout from an eviction can alter the course of a person’s life.

The Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA) and other housing advocates are calling on the governor to increase the RAFT funding from the Coronavirus Relief Fund. They estimate that approximately 17,000 households across the state are in danger of being evicted without this additional help. The proposal calls for a $175 million increase RAFT and $15 million for legal assistance and case management for low-income renters and property owners who may end up in housing court.

As of this writing, Gov. Baker had committed to some parts of the CHAPA proposal. He has added $100 million to the RAFT program and dedicated another $50 million to rehousing those who have been evicted. Even better would be to drastically reduce the number of evictions that happen.

At the federal level, the U. S. House of Representatives has proposed another stimulus bill that would help those who are in need, but the Senate has prioritized the Supreme Court confirmation hearings.

If you are interested in learning more about housing and how you can be an advocate, you can become a member of the Citizens Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA) or you can join your community’s Affordable Housing Partnership.

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Schooling, remotely

Published in the Daily Hampshire Gazette, 9/15/2020

This week my kids started remote schooling in Easthampton. One is in middle school and the other is in high school. It’s pretty stressful but they’re glad that they won’t be in face-to-face classes. As they say, “Mom, kids don’t know how to social distance.”

I’m a couple of weeks ahead of them. I’ve been teaching remotely since Aug. 24. School this year is not what anyone is used to, and the adjustment is frustrating for students and teachers alike.

Technology doesn’t always work seamlessly. Wi-Fi cuts out at inopportune times. Instructors at the college level don’t have to use the same platforms or teach synchronously. New college students, in particular, are struggling with time management and how to make friends in this remote environment.?

At UMass, our first-year students are eager to figure out how to make this semester work so I turned to some experts for tips on how they are thriving in college during a pandemic.

Rachel Green is a junior from Shrewsbury. She’s a Civil War buff, an experienced archer, and a fencer. She says:

“My quarantine survival tip is to take breaks and get some sunlight. It’s really easy to just stay in my bed or at my desk. I could probably go a few days without setting foot outside my apartment. Which is why it’s so important to get up and walk around outside! It’s basic self-care, but it is something that can be easily forgotten about.”

Kimiko Daniele studies economics and spent her pre-COVID summer as a legal intern. She’s been a peer advisor, helping students understand UMass systems.

She says, “This semester has been chaotic with each class using different websites, some classes have online lectures in addition to regular classes, etc. Every Sunday I take 10 minutes or so to write down all my assignments for the week. I create a weekly planner that clearly states what tasks I have to do, and on which days. Having some type of weekly planner allows me to understand my expectations and responsibilities and helps me manage my time.”

Makayla Fucile is a Massachusetts native, a legal studies major, and a member of Commonwealth Honors College. Her advice to students is this:

“It’s been incredibly important to keep a strict schedule for classes, homework, exercise, and personal time. I’ve used an agenda more than ever this semester. It’s been very easy to get stuck at the computer for hours, so I’ve worked hard to set aside time to step away from my work.”

Ayla Thorntona graduated in May with a bachelor of arts degree in political science and Spanish. Currently she’s working on her master’s degree in public policy at UMass. Ayla was a peer advisor, an undergraduate teaching assistant, and a campus tour guide. She says:

“To survive remote learning as a college student, I change up my environment a couple times per day, depending on the workload. If the day is full of Zoom meetings and homework follows, I’ll start at my desk, maybe end up at the kitchen table, and when weather allows I will head to my backyard with a blanket, my laptop and some snacks. That has been helpful in ‘restarting my brain’ a bit and allows me to not get stuck sitting in the same spot all day, which is very possible sometimes!

“Another thing I have been doing to survive remote learning is taking a lengthy break in between classes to do something that takes my mind off of work. I’ve recently gotten into cooking and I find that putting music on and cooking lunch or dinner has been a good time to take a break and focus on something different for a bit.”

Lily Giannasca is a senior in the legal studies program who spent the summer as an intern for the Massachusetts Appeals Court. She shared the following:

“School right now feels surreal, so staying motivated is draining. Staring at Zoom squares can feel impersonal and isolating.

“When I feel isolated, I cannot begin to focus on academics, so I have been actively creating opportunities to connect. Normally I would avoid such blind boldness, but last week I reached out over email to say hello to a student I’m in classes with now and last semester. I casually checked in and offered to discuss lecture or share notes if she was interested. She was receptive, and we’ve been chatting over text since. It makes Zoom squares feel a little more human.

“Remote learning is disappointing for all students, but especially for students missing out on their year of firsts. My first year of college was impactful because of the friends I made and the experiences we shared. Just because we are not in person, does not mean that you cannot make your first college friends.”

And finally, even though I’m on the other side of the Zoom screen as a teacher, my advice for students who are working on remote school is to learn to ask for help. Instructors want to help students be successful and each school has resources set up to assist but students have to practice asking for help when they need it.

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Calling out versus calling in

Published in the Daily Hampshire Gazette, 8/19/2020

When I was a sophomore in college, I got a job waiting tables at a rib joint near my apartment. It was the first time I worked closely with Black people and poor people. Or, maybe I had worked with poor people but didn’t realize it because I thought of myself that way, too.

That year and the following summer, I worked long hours between the restaurant and my on-campus job so that I could bank enough money to support myself during my junior year when I planned to study abroad in Europe.

I was excited about my upcoming travels and was talking about them one day with the dishwasher, a young Black man, who I knew lived in public housing. He said, “Whoa, Jackie, you’re gonna go on a plane?” He said this in a way that told me flying was something he never expected to experience.

That conversation opened my inexperienced eyes to the differences among those around me. It sparked my curiosity to learn more about people, where they come from, and how they’ve had different experiences than I. I began this journey more than 30 years ago and I plan to keep learning.

That said, I still find myself saying awkward things, sometimes even offending people unintentionally. I know I have used microaggressions without intending to. For example, in the past I’ve described a person of color as “articulate” and later learned that this is not acceptable because it conveys my white surprise upon coming across a person of color who speaks well.

It’s mortifying when I realize that I’ve said something stupid, but I try to get over myself and apologize, knowing that my embarrassment is insignificant compared to the injury I’ve caused. I pledge to do better and make fewer mistakes as I continue to learn.

I had a new-learning experience after reading about Steve Locke, a professor at Massachusetts College of Art and Design, who in 2015 was detained by police in Jamaica Plain because they thought he fit the description of someone who attempted a break-in. Steve Locke is Black.

Professor Locke wrote a blog post that went viral and resurfaces from time to time after similar incidents make the news. In his account, Locke wrote about his intense fear as the police questioned him in the street. He described how grateful he was that an older Black woman stayed nearby the whole time, bearing witness to the scene.

Here’s what made me pause; the officers wanted to bring the white female victim to the scene to see if she could identify him. Professor Locke said he was not guilty and provided an alibi, but that didn’t matter because the police needed the word of the white woman to clear him. It dawned on me then that we are socialized to believe white people over people of color. I just hadn’t thought about it before even though it seems so obvious.

I write about this as the U.S. seems to be on the verge of creating deep and lasting change. There is momentum to build an equitable and just society, but we have to come to terms with the roots of racism in our country and how that racism exacerbates inequality and access to things like housing and education.

As a white person who advocates for social justice, it’s on me to do the work of understanding my privilege and the role it plays in systemic racism. It’s up to me to recognize that microaggressions are real and harmful and that if I choose not to speak up when I see racial injustice, it’s just as bad as the injustice itself. I’ve been learning this at my own pace over years but it’s critical to work on it now.

The movement needs white people to get up to speed quickly (seriously, these issues have been around for 400 years – so it’s kind of high time) so we can collectively take advantage of this moment to make the change that’s needed. This sense of urgency can lead some activists to be impatient with those who have good intentions and a desire to be an ally, but who sometimes say and do things that are harmful to people of color.

As I’ve described above, I’ve made these mistakes and they’re part of learning how to be an ally. We don’t know what we’ve done wrong until we’ve crossed a boundary.

I understand the urgency of the moment, but I have no patience for the “call out” culture that’s been emerging among some white activists. Calling someone out on Facebook for using the wrong word or expressing an uninformed opinion is not helpful. Shaming someone when they have good intentions but make a mistake does not encourage them to do better. In fact, this tactic often backfires and instead of helping people learn, it shames them into silence and the movement begins to splinter.

When I know someone has good intentions but they make a mistake, I try to take them aside and talk about the issues and offer another perspective. It doesn’t have to take long, it demonstrates respect, and it builds trust.

Calling someone in rather than calling them out is worth it. We need all the allies we can get in the fight for change.

Categories
DHG Columns

Side effects of a pandemic

Published in the Daily Hampshire Gazette, 7/28/2020

Just about two months ago, my mother walked unaided into the emergency department of a hospital in Rhode Island while my brother watched from his car. Because of the pandemic, he was not allowed to accompany her into the hospital. She had no idea why she was there.

My mom has advanced dementia from Alzheimer’s disease. She also has a number of other medical diagnoses: rheumatoid arthritis, high blood pressure, anemia and other related complications.

Despite all these issues, my mom had been living pretty happily at an assisted living facility. Within the past year she moved to their memory care unit where she interacted well with her peers and was active and engaged with staff. She walked around on her own without the aid of a walker and she was adamant that she was not going to use one.

At her assisted living, Mom was known for her sunny disposition, sarcastic wit and willingness to help anyone who needed it. My family has felt lucky that she has had this quality of life for the past several years and we’re grateful to the staff at her residence as well as her primary care physician.

Not that there haven’t been difficult times. Mom has had her share of hospital visits over the past five years, and because of her Alzheimer’s disease, my siblings and I would take turns spending the day at her bedside when these occurred.

She isn’t able to serve as an accurate reporter of her condition, so we’d take on that role. Having us there also cut down on her confusion, which meant she’d call out for help from the staff less often. It’s a system that worked well for everyone.

So, when she was sent to the hospital in May because she was dealing with a medical issue, we weren’t ready for the quick deterioration that followed. None of us was allowed to go see her and while we tried to be in regular contact with the hospital staff, it often seemed like the history and information we gave them was not being used or passed to the next shift.

When my mom ended up at a skilled nursing facility for rehab, the communication problems worsened. My siblings and I tried to stay on top of what was happening with her treatment and tried to assess when she might be able to return to her assisted living, but we often felt like we weren’t getting the whole story of what was happening. When we’d talk to my mom, she was confused and angry. Her declining moods got worse. She’d ask when we were going to come get her and we’d fib and tell her we’d be there soon. Not being able to see her in person was so hard.

After 40 days at the nursing home, she was sent back to the hospital with a fever and infection. The staff didn’t know she was able to walk and assumed she couldn’t. Because she was verbally combative, they gave her tranquilizers to keep her from disrupting other patients. When we’d call to talk to her, her speech was slurred and she’d fall asleep during the call. By the end of two weeks in the hospital my mom had regressed even further and was barely eating.

On July 13, the visitation policy in Rhode Island changed and I was finally able to visit my mom. I was the first member of my family to see my mom’s face in two months.

Her first words to me were, “Why can’t you just let me die? I just want to die.” My heart broke. We ended up having a bittersweet visit. She told me she loved me and all of the family. I’m not sure she knew exactly who I was. She fell asleep after half an hour.

I can’t fully blame the hospital or nursing home for my mom’s decline. The U.S. health care system is in a terrible state; nurses and CNAs are asked to take on more than they can handle and it’s not fair to them. But I’m sure if we had been with my mom, things would not have gotten so bad.

The rules preventing visitation are also reasonable and intended to protect a vulnerable population from getting coronavirus. It makes complete sense but that doesn’t make it any less devastating for families who can’t see their loved ones.

I hesitated to write this deeply personal account but I consulted with my siblings and they agreed to share our story. It’s important to talk about the secondary effects of this pandemic because they are far-reaching.

For some families, this prolonged period of instability has exacerbated mental health challenges. Others have lost their jobs and are struggling to put food on the table and keep the lights on. There are reports of a higher incidence of domestic violence due to the stress of lost wages and everyone being stuck at home together.

For my family, the fallout from the pandemic will likely mean that we will have to say goodbye to my mother sooner than we had anticipated. My mom won’t die from COVID19 but she will probably die sooner because of it.