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The purpose of this step is to ensure thatÌýsite visits are conducted in accordance with the principles of inclusive excellence.

In Step 5 (Conducting Interviews Inclusively), we explained thatÌýthe interview process gives the hiring committee a valuable opportunity to demonstrate the unit's strengths, thereby ensuring thatÌýthe candidate to whomÌýit ultimately makes a job offer will choose thisÌýposition and not another. As stated in Step 5, it is thus essential that the hiring committee uses the interview as anÌýopportunityÌýto show candidates that it isÌýgenuinelyÌýcommitted to the work ofÌýdiversifying faculty representation.ÌýYet to indeed be genuine, this commitment must reflect not only the values of those who serve on the hiring committee but alsoÌýthe unit's broader culture.ÌýFaculty diversification requiresÌýa paradigm shift. All unit affiliates have roles to play in fosteringÌýan inclusive and equitable work environment.Ìý

The site visit is thus an opportunity for members of the broaderÌýunit—rather than simply the hiring committee—to show candidates that they areÌýgenuinelyÌýcommitted to the work of redressing disparities in representation within the academy.Ìý

Legal and Illegal Topics of Discussion During Site Visits

All members of the ¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬ campus community who interact with candidates during site visitsÌýmust remainÌýlegally compliant (seeÌý, located inÌý¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬ's Faculty Search Process Manual) when asking candidates questions.

Simply adhering to legal requirements will not, however, result inÌýan inclusive and equitable siteÌývisit.

Marking Whiteness and Other Forms of Structural Privilege

In the words ofÌýJason Arday,Ìý"The challenging of normative Whiteness is paramount in dismantling the cycle of inequality that permeates society" (see Arday's essay "Dismantling Power and Privilege through Reflexivity: Negotiating Normative Whiteness, the Eurocentric Curriculum and Racial Microaggressions Within the Academy" inÌýMust-Read Articles on Faculty Diversification).

Members of privileged groups are often unaware of the ways in which social spaces affirm their identities as normative while simultaneously marking peopleÌýwith less-privilegedÌýsocial identities as "other."

In this way,Ìýwhite people tend to think of themselves and the physical spaces in which they predominate as race-neutral. Although representation ofÌýsocial groups variesÌýwithin differentÌýdepartments/programs, universities, and academic disciplines/fields, the academy is, on a whole, overwhelmingly white. It is even more overwhelmingly whiteÌýmale. Essential steps in the process of actualizingÌýa paradigm shift include:Ìý

• RecognizingÌýthat whiteness is not race-neutral
• RecognizingÌýthatÌýpopular conceptions ofÌý"professionalism" areÌýneither race-neutralÌýnorÌýgender-neutral
• RecognizingÌýthatÌýthe academyÌýsits on a historical bedrock ofÌýwhite supremacy, patriarchy,Ìýand colonialism

An essential measure of an inclusive and equitable unitÌýis that it embodies the principles it professes. In other words, the unitÌýhas a diverse faculty body withÌýwide representation inÌýleadership positions. According to this measure, most units have a lot of work to do. And this work will only be accomplished if the vast majority of unit affiliates are genuinely invested in the projectÌýof marking and dismantling structures of power—whiteness, colonialism, patriarchy, etc.

The hiring committee and anyone else who plans and/or participates inÌýsite-visit events andÌýactivities must be conscious about the social environments in which these events andÌýactivities take place.

• Are these predominantly white and/or male and/or ableistÌýand/or cisgender spaces? If so, how might site-visit planners make these spaces more inclusive?Ìý
• If racialization and other forms of social profiling are inherent toÌýsocial interactions, whatÌýdoÌýrespectful and inclusive intergroup dynamicsÌýlook like?

The site visit is an opportunity for units that are truly invested in dismantling institutions of inequity to express theirÌýcommitment to prospective hires who are, themselves, invested inÌýthis work.ÌýIf the unit'sÌýcommitment is genuine, it will be built intoÌýthe entireÌýsite-visit structure rather than broadcast in superficial expressions and pageantry. In other words, the unit shouldÌýemploy principles of universal design to ensureÌýsite-visit activities and events areÌýinclusive to all candidates and attendees at all times.

Unit affiliates who are members of overrepresentedÌýgroups must understand that hostile social environments are not alwaysÌýovertly vitriolic—certainly not from their perspectives anyway. When whiteness and other forms of structural privilege are unmarked, interactions that may seem benign—even positive—to people in positions of privilege can be deeplyÌýharmful. Think about the following example:

A whiteÌýunit affiliate is engaged inÌýa conversation with a visiting candidate whom the affiliate profiles as non-white. Because the affiliate perceives the candidate to be non-white, the affiliate assumes that the candidate isÌýinvested in theÌýproject of dismantling institutional inequity. In the conversation, the unit affiliate conveys this assumption while attempting to demonstrate the unit's commitment to the principles of inclusive excellence.Ìý

As this example illustrates, expressions of social othering canÌýassume seemingly benevolentÌýguises.ÌýUnit affiliatesÌýshouldÌýrecognize and resistÌýthe impetus toÌýmarkÌýmembers of underrepresented groups asÌýexemplarsÌýof inclusive excellence—whose professional value rests on their ability to diversifyÌýtheÌýunit. To do so perpetuates the pervasive myth that candidates who are members of underrepresented social categories are primarily valuable as denizens of diversity, rather than as accomplished scholars who have attained their candidacyÌýbecause ofÌýtheir superior merit.

Productive and inclusive ways unit affiliates can articulate their commitment to dismantling systems of structural inequity during the site visit include:

• AcknowledgingÌýindigenous ties to the place where the university and its surrounds areÌýlocatedÌý
• Expressing support ofÌýDACA recipientsÌýand their families
• Implementing principles of universal design (please see the followingÌýsection on this page)
• Asking interview questions thatÌýassessÌýcandidates' commitment to the principles of inclusive excellence
• Ensuring that the physical and social spaces where site-visit activities and events occur are inclusive to all attendees

As discussed elsewhere in theÌýStep-by-Step Guide to Inclusive Faculty Hiring,Ìýdecisionmakers and all unit affiliatesÌýmust approach the faculty-search process with a commitment to educating themselves about the nuanced dynamics of structural inequity. Ignorance ofÌýprivilege is key to the reproduction of privileged social identities. So white, patriarchal, and colonized environments need to be acknowledged as suchÌýby the veryÌýorganizations and individuals whoÌýembody whiteness, patriarchy, and institutions ofÌýsettler-colonialism. Ìý

Implementing Universal Design During Site Visits

As with the interview phase of the faculty-search process, the site visit should be conducted in such a way that all candidates have a positive and welcoming experience. Strategies for integrating universal design into the site visit include and are not limited to the following:

• ​Avoid scheduling interviews and/or site visitsÌýon religious and other holidays
• Schedule breaks during the day soÌýcandidates can rest/decompress
• Ask about dietary restrictions
• Unit affiliates who organize the site visit should ensure that all costsÌýare paid up front and that candidates are not expected to cover, even temporarily, any necessary expenses
• If a hotel stay is involved, the unit shouldÌýconsider providing some sort of welcome package
• Unit affiliates should take care to cultivate conversations that don’t implicitly value structural privileges
• Unit affiliates should take care to understand whatÌýmicroaggressions are and toÌýavoid committing them
• Unit affiliates who organize the site visit should work to ensure that interviews/events/activities occur in physical and social spaces that are congenialÌýand inclusive​

For more on the importanceÌýof conducting equitable and inclusive site visits, see theseÌýexternal resources.

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