Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

I never thought my worldview could change from simply attending yet another Zoom meeting, but that is what recently happened. Our vibrant and inspiring Muslim Student Association (MSA) presented a program titled, “Hawk Talk: Meet the Muslims of MVCC.” I felt fortunate for the opportunity to hear from a panel of five MVCC faculty members who are Muslim, as they courageously shared their experiences that included comparing living in the United States with their experiences in other countries. The 90 minutes flew by thanks to their stories and the brilliant facilitation of a student leader from the MSA.

Prior to the program, I did a quick refresher to remind myself of the different types of Islam and the difference between Islam (the religion) and Muslim (the people who follow Islam). I clicked the Zoom link, hit my mute button, and got ready to learn.

With each panelist’s story, common themes quickly emerged. Like most religions, Islam is very personal. Despite the panelists sharing very different experiences and stories, they all found a sense of peace that comes from their faith and how Islam’s focus on kindness and doing good deeds makes it more a way of life that blurs the lines between a religion and simply how one lives.

A question was asked about their thoughts on stereotypes about the treatment of women in Islam. All five panelists and the facilitator happened to be women and commented how most stereotypes about oppression are more about gender than religion. They all had very interesting insights that highlighted the difference between religious oppression and cultural oppression. What we see in the U.S. media as oppression due to religious beliefs is often, in reality, a reflection of the culture in those countries or regions — oppression that is disconnected from the religion of Islam. For example, contrary to the perception of most Americans, in many countries Muslim women have the choice of whether or not to wear a head scarf, as the Quran does not prescribe specific garments like burqas, veils, etc., and most Muslim women do not view the hijab as an oppressive garment or something that is forced upon them.

Listening to their stories made me ask the question, “Is the subtle gender bias you experience here in the States more frustrating than the more overt religious bias you experience?” They all said “Yes.” Some went on to point out how the media presents such a myopic, stereotypical view of obedient and oppressed women in Islamic-majority countries and yet, those countries have a history of female leadership and women’s rights with some having elected female prime ministers.

Specifically, in the past several decades, a number of countries in which Muslims are a majority, including Turkey (Prime Minister Tansu Çiller, 1993), Pakistan's Benazir Bhutto (1988-1996), Bangladesh (prime ministers Begum Khaleda Zia (1991-1996, 2001-2009) and Sheikh Hasina (1996-2001, 2009-Present), Indonesia (President Megawati Sukarnoputri, 2001), Kosovo (President Atifete Jahjaga, 2011), and Kyrgyzstan (President Roza Otunbayeva, 2010) have been led by women; Mauritius, which has a significant Muslim minority, elected a female Muslim (Ameenah Gurib) as president in 2015. At one stage in the 1990s, over 300 million Muslims — at that time, between one-third and a quarter of the world's entire Islamic population — were simultaneously ruled by women when elected heads of state. In contrast, this country has yet to elect a female president and has yet to ratify an amendment to the U.S. constitution guaranteeing women equal rights under the law (not just leaving it to existing 1972 legislation that could theoretically be overturned by a congressional vote).

My worldview was further expanded when the panelists were asked what they’d like to see changed about Islam. They’d like to see a more complex view of the Prophet Mohammed presented and celebrated. Too often he is associated with war, but he was a strong advocate for human rights of all people — women and slaves included. The panelists said they’d also like to see the media and society celebrate the peaceful focus of Islam along with the tremendous diversity that exists within the religion to break down the short-sighted and simplified stereotypes that are all too common in this country.

With COVID-19, I was anxious about the College being able to continue our legacy of providing such diverse and extensive programming opportunities available to our students, but I’m not as concerned anymore. The pandemic presents a fascinating opportunity for us to seize in this moment. Talking about diversity, equity, and inclusion and engaging in uncomfortable conversations takes effort, intention, and courage. Pre-COVID, I would have had to muster the energy and courage to physically go to a room and sit with my “white-maleness” as a visible minority and risk being exposed for all my ignorance about the topic in a room full of experts with real, lived experiences … that would’ve been pretty uncomfortable for me and most people like me. Thanks to the Zoom delivery format, it only required me to click on a link, hit my mute button, listen, take notes, and think. It was literally so exhilarating to expand my worldview that I couldn’t help but comment in the chat and quickly unmute myself when the opportunity came to ask questions. It was the most comfortable I’ve ever been with being uncomfortable.

I’m grateful for the leadership of our Muslim Student Association, the wonderful student facilitator and the brilliantly courageous panelists for providing our MVCC community with such a meaningful program. I look forward to the MSA’s upcoming programs and I encourage everyone to attend (look for more information to come.):

• Open Mic Night with Imam Thomas Facchine: Oct. 26, 2020
• The Humanity of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) from a Christian’s Perspective by Dr. Craig Considine of Rice University: Nov. 13, 2020

If you have any questions or comments about this post, please contact me directly at presblog@mvcc.edu. 

Mountains, Molehills, and Thriving in Chaos

Monday, September 21, marks six full months since MVCC transitioned to remote operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Those have been the longest, most complicated, draining, and unfamiliar 26 weeks, 182 days, and 4,368 hours of my life.

While we’ve been at this a while now, it still seems that at any given moment on any given day, something that normally would have been an isolated molehill can feel like an insurmountable mountain. However, since the start of the fall semester, I’ve noticed more and more people sharing what I would describe as normalizing chaos. I know we all are experiencing the pandemic differently, but there are some common elements that seem to apply to most of us at one point or another. It may be some armchair psychology, but here are a few helpful things I’ve learned from talking to others at the College.

I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve said, or heard someone else say, “Just taking it one day at a time!” The idea of staying in the moment has never seemed so important, and is a key strategy for working through the chaos surrounding us. Wishing for the pandemic to end and for things to go back to our old normal is an easy but incredibly unproductive endeavor. I know when I let my brain go there, it increases my stress and anxiety levels in an instant. Slowing down and focusing on the moment can increase appreciation and gratitude for the moments we do have. Throughout the pandemic, I’ve noticed an increase in people recognizing others at the College; colleagues are expressing appreciation for the efforts of their peers for providing some kind of help or for just doing a great job. While this is wonderful to see in any context, it is especially important now — research has shown that when we practice gratitude in various forms, it makes us healthier and more productive.

I’ve also heard people, in so many words, managing their locus of control — trying to worry only about the things within their control and putting the things they can’t into a more productive context. In other words, if I can’t influence or control it, I’m going to call it what it is, and instead deal with the things that I can control. I’ve seen this result in myself and others who seem to be “making the most” of our current circumstances, and have been surprised at how creative we were at solving a problem.

Another strategy for thriving in this environment has to do with how people are managing their time. Our regular daily schedules have been turned upside down. Whether it be the normal rhythm of our children going to school, after-school activities, or even getting together with friends, everything has become more complicated. Making time for yourself and your own well-being has never been more important or more challenging. I recently read an article that suggests identifying a ceremonial or cognitive “moment” that ends your work day so that your work doesn’t bleed over into your personal evening/family time. Rather than doubling your time streaming or watching television, consider trying something new that you wouldn’t have tried otherwise. If you’re feeling in a funk, use the pandemic as an excuse to do that thing you always wanted or stretch yourself in a new way. Perhaps now is the time.

At MVCC, we’re starting the fourth week of our fall semester, and are six months into our first year of learning what it's like to operate during a pandemic. Some days are harder than others, but I’ve been inspired by stories from throughout the College in which pandemic-forced changes to the way we work have prompted innovative solutions that make us even better — many we will keep when the restrictions are lifted. And I guess that’s just it: Drawing on what Jim Collins identifies as the Stockdale Paradox in uncertain times, it’s healthier and more productive to focus on the belief that the restrictions will be lifted rather than to worry about when they’ll be lifted. Until then, taking one day at a time, focusing on our locus of control, and caring for our own well-being will help those molehills remain molehills so we have what we need when the real mountains get in our way.

I’d welcome your thoughts on this, as well as any strategies you’ve found useful in normalizing the chaos that seems to be all around us. You can contact me directly at presblog@mvcc.edu.

How I Spent My “Summer Vacation”

The Summer of 2020 was the summer that wasn’t for most all of us. The pandemic and related economic downturn sent many of us inside (except for front-line essential workers who still went to work every day) and removed most of the hurried rush from our daily lives. This allowed many Americans to slow down and see racial strife in our country in new ways.

It was unfortunate that media coverage of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests were overtaken by riots — much in the way the message of NFL players who knelt during the National Anthem to protest racial injustice was overtaken by those who amplified the alternative narrative to make the kneeling about the American flag. Nevertheless, I believe a good portion of Americans began to see, for the first time, that racism in this country is systemic, composed of several layered and troubling elements that society works hard to mask and downplay.

Maximizer is my top strength in the Clifton Strengthsfinder assessment, so I gave some thought toward how I might make the most of “the great slowdown.” I’m not a project person, so it wasn’t going to be about building something, although learning to play the guitar or taking up a new hobby were considered. After being greatly moved by the BLM movement, I committed to expanding my understanding of racial injustice in this country.

I was raised in a very homogenous community outside of Flint, Michigan, and my primary exposure to anyone different from me was playing basketball in the city. It wasn’t until I attended graduate school at the University of Michigan that I really spent any considerable time in conversation with people of different racial and religious backgrounds and sexual orientations. I found that many of my beliefs were rooted in a lack of exposure and understanding that led to stereotypes, prejudices, and bias. When I got to know people who were different from me, I began to see everyone as individuals. The more I got to know my fellow students, colleagues, and friends, it became evident just how much I had to learn about diversity and race.

Over the last 30 years, my career in community colleges has given me the opportunity to learn a great deal about race through reading, workshops, and many friendships, acquaintances, and interactions with others. As much as I thought I knew about race, nothing prepared me for what I learned this summer. My journey started with emailing a statement to the College on the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others, then reflecting on how to go beyond those words and take action — if only for myself.

• A friend recommended I visit the Justice in June website where I found a brilliantly curated inventory of videos, podcasts, and articles about race in America. I started with the 10 minutes a day routine and moved from there.

• I invited MVCC employees of color to join me for two rounds of meetings where many shared their experiences at the College and recommendations on how to make MVCC more inclusive. Their stories have inspired and changed me more than they will ever know.

• Netflix had a special section of shows about the Black experience in America, and “I Am Not Your Negro” caught my eye. It was a documentary that felt more like a film to me because it was done in a way that engaged me from start to finish. It focused on race relations in mid-20th-century America through the eyes of author James Baldwin. This led me to look up his “pindrop speech” at Harvard in 1965 on YouTube, which subsequently filled my “recommended videos” queue with fascinating resources about race that I would not have found otherwise.

• I took several different implicit bias tests from the Harvard implicit bias project.

• And on the recommendation of a colleague, I’m currently reading “Microaggressions in Everyday Life” by Derald Wing Sue and learning about the devastating cumulative effect of microaggressions that people of color experience every day. I have come to believe that microaggressions are a very uncomfortable valley through which white people need to walk and learn about the implicit bias that we all have — and yet, I’m embarrassed to say that I had never heard the term “microaggressions” until just a few short years ago.

You might say this blog post is the equivalent of the first day of third grade, standing in front of the class to present how I spent my summer vacation. At times it felt like anything but a vacation, with many uncomfortable moments and new revelations. As is the case with so much learning, it’s not as much about the answers you find as the questions you discover that make the difference in your growth. Looking back on this summer, which has been filled with so much stress and reasons to be sad, this work feels like the first few steps of a long, meaningful, and fascinating journey that will likely never end for me.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact me directly at presblog@mvcc.edu. 

Coming to Back to Life

I put socks on twice this week … er, I mean I worked two days in my office this week. Monday, July 20, was our first day back as part of a three-phase return for the Fall semester. I have to say it felt good and was a refreshing change for me in contrast to my “Zoom cocoon” of the past four months.

The Utica Campus was spotless. Our Facilities crew has been working on campus all this time and we all should be grateful for their commitment and hard work — the place is beautiful. The buildings and grounds stood out more than usual because there were so few of us on campus. It was a different feeling for sure. However, this was the plan all along: to keep our population density low to minimize risk and begin testing our approach to safety while the numbers are small.

After arriving on campus, I went to the checkpoint at Payne Hall and got my bracelet for the day. My first day it took less than five minutes to check in with a few people in line, and three days later it took less than one minute. The people staffing the doors to check for bracelets as people entered the building provided me an extra level of assurance that the people on campus have minimal risk of COVID-19, having answered the mandatory questions and not having a high temperature.

We have a couple of police academies in operation, in addition to several classes in the Science and Technology Building finishing classes that were suspended in the Spring. Walking around campus with my mask on felt as normal as going to the grocery store and was a small change to reap the benefit of running into colleagues and having unscheduled, informal conversations.

Walking around campus gave me a chance to reflect on just what a massive disruption this pandemic has created. We can “get things done” and check off our daily task lists while working remotely. But as I’ve learned over the years, “how” we get things done is often just as important as “what” gets done. Zoom and email certainly provide the technological means for our work, but the human element — even when six feet apart with a mask — is a powerful thing, particularly when it comes to the student experience.

Our challenge is to hold on to enough of that human element and provide what we can to the extent possible with safety measures in place. I often say that change never happens at the right pace — it’s too fast for some and too slow for others; too much for some and too little for others. Our phased return is intended to provide a slow and measured change to allow the College to implement safety protocols in ways that allow for evaluation and adjustment and provide all of us with a steady and supportive experience in emerging — if only a little bit — from our Zoom cocoons…and revisiting parts of our closets we haven’t seen in months.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact me directly at presblog@mvcc.edu.

Another Phase of “New Normal”

MVCC went fully remote on March 23, 2020. Over those 119 days, our world was turned upside down and rotated a few different ways, but we’re still on our feet. We all have masks now and the rhythm of our days is different yet the same. The Mohawk Valley region is doing fairly well with limiting the number of infections and maintaining capacity in our healthcare system. Higher education (and MVCC) was approved to reopen when the region achieved Phase Four status, so we’ll move from fully remote to partially remote on July 20, 2020. As we look toward our staggered return to campus, I can’t help but reflect on where we’ve been and where I see us going.

To maintain a reasonable density of people on campus, we’re bringing staff back in a staggered, phased approach. On Monday, July 20, we’ll begin a three-phased, staggered return of our workforce. Our Responsible Restart Plan that was approved by SUNY has an outer limit of the percentage of our full-time employees, but we’ll be well short in each phase, having the wiggle room to increase on-campus staffing if we need it as follows:

• July 20 — No more than 33% (26% projected)
• Aug. 3 — No more than 50% (34% projected)
• Aug. 24 — No more than 66% (46% projected)

While many of our essential employees in Facilities, Public Safety, and IT have been coming to campus every day and “flex-essential” employees in the Business Office and many others have been coming to campus periodically over the past four months, it’s time for many of the rest of us to move toward the “masked normal” they’ve all been living. We’ll have roughly 25% of our courses on campus along with more than 150 students living in the residence halls. Additionally, we’ll have an as-of-yet unknown number of students coming to campus for access to the internet, useful study spaces, and likely a sense of a normal college experience with in-person human interaction under current social distancing guidelines.

The transition to remote operations over the past few months has brought new and unique experiences to us both individually and collectively. We’ve been able to grieve the sense of loss we’ve felt from our lifetimes of routine and also celebrate the building of new memories both personally and professionally. Our challenge going forward is to commit ourselves in the effort of keeping everyone safe while raising our own bar of personal accountability to make sure the work gets done for students and each other in the face of unsettling and unfamiliar circumstances. I’ve been so proud to see our culture evolve over the past few years to increasingly adapt, innovate, and rise to the challenges that came our way.

Just when we thought transitioning to remote operations was our greatest challenge, rising to what the coming Fall semester is likely to bring will most certainly challenge us to bring our best selves to work every day, so get ready to surprise yourself and each other with what we’re going to do.

If you have any questions, please contact me directly at presblog@mvcc.edu.

Change, Grief, and Working Remotely

When I am faced with a confusing phenomenon or experience, I challenge myself to make sense of it. Working remotely has been a confusing and uncomfortable shift for me, which has me thinking a lot about change lately. I have studied organizational change for almost thirty years, and generally enjoy change in both my personal and professional experiences. But the past three weeks have provided a palpable application of what I’ve come to learn. Two important elements of change worth noting are the pace of change and the emotions of change. It was clear that this change to remote operations was much too quick for everyone, but processing the emotions associated with what we all are experiencing feels far more complex.

It’s easy to say the pace of change moves too fast for some, too slow for others, and rarely just right for anyone. In this case, it seems safe to say that it moved at the same pace and was not right for any of us. But we did it, which is a statement of triumph in itself. I like to think of change moving at a pace best described by Tushman and Romanelli (1985) in their model of punctuated equilibrium. All living organisms (and organizations) evolve through periods of equilibrium (no change) and sudden periods of punctuations (change). The longer the periods of equilibrium, the punctuated periods of change will be more dramatic. Optimally, organizations will have more regular periods of change with muted punctuation levels and smaller periods of equilibrium for rest and recovery. Similar to a high-performance athlete who trains their muscles through periods of intense workouts (punctuations) and periods of rest and recovery (equilibrium), an organization can become stronger by learning how to manage change. Needless to say, the move to remote operations was a heavy deadlift that required all of us to “move on the count of three!” And we did it.

The emotions of change are directly tied to the pace of change. If change occurs suddenly with little time to comprehend the reasons, implications, and significance of what’s happening, emotions can be confusing, intense, and mixed in ways that are difficult to manage. Rick Warren, Pastor of Saddleback Church in California, gave a great TEDx talk on remaining relevant. He said understanding and managing change is critical to stay relevant in the modern world. Recognizing the link between change and grief is critical in that when we think someone (including ourselves!) is resisting change, they may just be grieving that change. As he said, “There is no growth without change; no change without loss; no loss without pain; and no pain without grief.” We may not be resisting change, we may very well be grieving, and it’s important to acknowledge that possibility. With that in mind, I found a seven-stage model on the phases of change in Google images and overlaid that with the Kubler-Ross model of the five stages of grief. Many of the stages have the exact same description in both models.

With regard to working remotely, I’m proud to say I think we’re all doing it pretty well, and things are going relatively smoothly under really stressful constraints. However, I share all of this because I’m seeing a subtle shift in many Zoom meetings and emails over the past three weeks, and in my own feelings, as well. It seems we’ve moved through the shock and denial phases and are moving at varied paces into feelings of frustration, anger, and bargaining with the toll and grind of our collective circumstance.

The stories of our faculty and staff contacting students and providing them with inspiring levels of support, understanding, and flexibility continue to multiply by the day. This unprecedented crisis is pushing all of us to embody the notion of “every student, every day” in ways we perhaps never thought possible. We are living our core values of modeling the way, inspiring confidence, encouraging excellence, and truly embracing our community. For example, one student couldn’t bring herself to log in to her five classes because she was so overwhelmed with the thought of learning online. Her Student Support Advisor convinced her to give it a try, and the student found each and every one of her faculty members willing to provide her the flexibility and support to feel confident that she could do it. As a result, the student reported it wasn’t as bad as she thought and she’s committed to finishing her semester.

We have come to expect an endless well of patience, goodwill, and empathy from ourselves and our colleagues to move students through their academic journey — a tall order under the best circumstances. Right now, many of us are experiencing the same recurring cycles of stress, isolation, anxiety, and being overwhelmed as our students. I mentioned early on the need to support each other in all of this, but as we transition through these stages of change, and even grief for our loss of normalcy, it’s more important than ever to reach out, check in, and stay connected so we can find support and strength in one another.

If we acknowledge the pace and emotions associated with this stressful change in our personal and professional lives, we increase our understanding of what’s happening. We’ll then be better equipped to develop coping mechanisms to successfully navigate these unchartered waters that are anything but smooth. If we keep everyone in the boat, we’ll all make it to shore on the other side.

If you have any questions, comments, or insights, please contact me directly at presblog@mvcc.edu.

Week 1 of COVID-19 Remoteness Down …

Humans are generally social creatures. Even many who consider themselves introverts are hard pressed to say the social-isolating parameters under which we’re all living are not a challenge. This historic reality is and shall continue to test each of us in ways we’re only just starting to understand.

I spent my first full week of working remotely straining for some kind of routine to touch a sense of normalcy in this remarkably abnormal environment. I meet with my office team every morning for a Zoom meeting just to stay connected and pretend that we’re still doing our morning catch-up in the office before phones start ringing and meetings commence. It’s certainly not the same, but I cherish these virtual check-ins since they are as close as we can make it for now.

Things are definitely different, but Zoom meetings with colleagues still getting work done in spite of the circumstances motivate me. I’m inspired by stories of faculty and staff reaching out to students to encourage and support them through this major disruption, which for many was just one more thing they didn’t need to contend with in their already complex lives. Also inspiring are the innovative actions departments like the Business Office, Information Technology, Residence Life, and others have taken to adapt and stretch themselves and their processes in this new environment. 

When I need a boost of positive energy, I visit our internal MVCC Workplace social platform to see the great pictures and posts from employees sharing their experiences and staying connected despite being apart. I’m not going to lie, the email volume is a bit intense and the unprecedented screen time can feel like a burden somedays. The workday isn’t as tight as it used to be, and when work and home are all happening in the same place, the time can just bleed and feel like you’re always on despite never feeling completely on — if that makes any sense.

One thing that I believe needs to be reinforced is what I’ve come to learn about change — it moves too fast for some, too slow for others, and rarely right for anyone. This change came much too fast for everyone — the transition to working remotely all happened in about a week. We’ve quickly gone from talking about work/life balance vs. work/life integration to everything completely converging on us. When speaking about change I always encourage people to be patient with themselves and also with others. Never has that notion been more important.

I join many of you in wrestling with the feeling of wondering if I’m being productive “enough” without really knowing if that can be defined in this environment. I can block out time for a Zoom meeting here and there, but then something pops on the family front, or a distraction (like the snack cupboard or refrigerator!) presents itself to pull me away from being as productive as I think I should be. I think of those parents with young children at home and I can barely imagine what that must be like. I’ve been watching Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show: At Home Edition, and he asked Lin-Manuel Miranda if he was writing any new Broadway musicals like Hamilton, and he replied, “Writing? Working? I’m learning how to teach my kid math!” So even the most successful professionals are dealing with prioritizing each day, which brings a special blend of unprecedented freedom and opportunity with brutal isolation and monotony.

Here at the start of week number two, I’m going to try and “model the way” myself and encourage everyone to let go of any guilt — whether subtle or prominent — for feeling less productive than we think we should be. By recognizing the magnitude of this time in history that we’re living through as our present, we should all embrace each other in knowing that everyone is doing their best under the circumstances. Some days are going to be busier than a good day on campus and others will feel like we’re adrift in an open sea.

Our individual and collective resilience for ourselves, our students, and our family and friends will be something that truly will make us stronger when we get on the other side of this. We’ll be able to look back on last week when everything felt so foreign and clunky and face future challenges with a newfound strength and confidence that we wouldn’t have had if we hadn’t gone through this crisis together.

If you have any questions, comments, or insights, please contact me directly at presblog@mvcc.edu.