Want some Smithie reviews on our housing system?

smithtransfers:

Get the inside scoop on what Smithies REALLY think about the houses that they live in! :)

This is an appreciation post for Smith Dining Staff:

iaquariuschicken:

Thank you so much for being amazing and not glaring at me even though I came to dinner at 6:50 and walked through the kitchen like three times. Also, thank you for leaving soda and hot water in the dining hall. You are the best and are always underappreciated.

Just realizing that it’s Julia Child Day at last

DEAR FOOD,

GET IN OUR MOUTHS

Microaggressions 101

smithsga:

By Emily Wald, SGA Diversity Committee

I will start this off with a disclaimer: I am not an expert. I know more about microaggressions than many, but I still have a lot to learn. A discussion with a friend the other day made me realize some microaggressions I had been perpetrating unknowingly. This is an important reminder that we all must always challenge and question our own words, thoughts and actions, and work to undo the socialization we have been subjected to as members of society.

“Microaggression.” If you are a current Smith student, you have probably heard this term used more than once. But do you find yourself wondering what it really means?

The truth is, there is no set-in-stone definition of what microaggressions are. But here is a foundation for understanding it: a microaggression is a casual statement or action that often unintentionally reinforces assumptions and stereotypes. Still confusing? Here are just a few examples of common microaggressions, as experienced or witnessed by me, told to me by others and found at The Microaggressions Project at microaggressions.com:

• Asking someone where they are “really” from.
• Telling someone that they speak English really well.
• Using female pronouns to address a group that may include a non-female-identified student.
• Insistence by men of carrying heavier items and giving women lighter items or nothing at all.
• Dress codes that demand women dress in a way not distracting to men.
• Touching other people’s hair, particularly common with “cultural hairstyles” such as afros, braids, twists, locs, etc.
• Asking someone if their hair is “real.”
• “It’s just a phase,” regarding any form of coming out or change in appearance.
• Asking people with visible disabilities what is wrong with them.
• Assuming that a disability you cannot see is not a “real” disability.

It is possible that you have unintentionally committed one of the microaggressions listed above, or that you have been a victim of one. Have you ever felt like someone was expecting less of you because of some aspect of your perceived identity? Have you ever felt like some aspect of your identity was invalidated because you did not fit the stereotypes? If so, you have been a victim of a microaggression. And we have probably all committedmicroaggressions ourselves – unconsciously, unintentionally – and never realized it.

What is so bad about microaggressions, really? It is just one little innocent statement. “I didn’t mean it like that.” But microaggressions build up. Assumptions are made again and again. They are more than isolated incidents:microaggressions are a symptom of the oppression that so many minorities still face in the U.S. After a while, a victim of microaggressions might begin to wonder if anyone is an ally. Your intention might be innocent, but the impact can be devastating.

So what can you do to not commit microaggressions? What can you do to be a better ally? First, do not assume that a person of a certain identity is not present in a group you are addressing. If something you are saying might offend someone of a certain background – don’t say it. Do not make ethnic, racial, sexist, classist or other jokes. Do not ask people of a certain identity to speak for or represent that entire identity, and do not assume they are “lesser” because they do not fit your perception of that group. When you express an opinion, couch it as such – just an opinion – and do not assume everyone agrees with you. Be open to disagreement. 

Above all, if someone calls you out on something you said that was offensive, do not dismiss it. Do not try to argue. Do not let yourself off because you “didn’t mean it.” Instead, listen to what is being said to you. Really try to understand. Apologize. Make a conscious effort to not make the same mistake again. 

To be a good ally, pay attention to what others say. If you notice a friend saying something that could be amicroaggression, do not ignore it just because it does not affect you. Say something. The best way to be an ally is to speak up so that victims of microaggressions do not have to always be the educators.

Catch a Ride to the Polls tomorrow!

smithsga:

SGA is teaming up with the Smith Dems and Republicans to provide free rides to the polls between 8 AM and 6 PM. Shuttles leave from JMG! Be there!

“Hey… let’s go skinny dipping in Paradise tonight.”

famous last words