Latter Day Struggles 69: BYU-Idaho Faculty Member & the Current University Climate
Following the recent Salt Lake Tribune article titled "BYU-I Instructors fired for failing 'ecclesiastical clearance.' They can't find out why", and on the heels of this podcast's last episode coincidentally on a similar topic, Valerie was connected with a BYU-I faculty member who was willing--anonymously--to share their experience as a current faculty member and one who clearly sees many deeply troubling dynamics surrounding culture, messaging, and practices at BYU-I, not the least of which is the very troubling issue around the recent confidentiality lost for new and adjunct faculty members.
Other topics discussed in this episode:
- Initial benefits for working at this university
- Evolving and heightened struggles with issues of professionalism due to changes of administration where it has become less and less acceptable to have open and honest conversations about legitimate concerns had among faculty members on their own and their students behalf
- A culture of silence around very relevant issues involving race, gender, sexuality, and mental health concerns within the university community
- Heightened fear of the risk that some faculty members feel in simply being "themselves" in even benign ways while in connection with students and others
- The noticing that some hurting students have formed an "underground network" where they seek to find safe people with whom to talk about their struggles with issues deeply important to their spiritual and psychological development and
- A growing trend or "wave" of students leaving the church as soon as they graduate.
This professor offers deep love for their students and fellow faculty members and expresses both grief and some frustration at the valuable losses they are seeing in the waves of wonderful and good students and other faculty leaving the university and church due to issues of fear, the mandate for silence, and the community's inability to hear the legitimate concerns of so many earnest people seeking a place, safety, and a voice in their home religion.
This podcast is intended to help shine a light on issues that perhaps are invisible to those too close to the situation and offer a loving but direct first hand perspective that might be valuable in healing some of the wounds of the CES and the church that many of us care so much about.
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