If social justice training was popular, wouldn’t students sign up without being forced?

Gabriella Morrongiello of Campus Reform reports.

Bard students demand mandatory social justice training and seminars

For some, being a “college graduate” isn’t enough.

Students at Bard College in New York’s Hudson Valley are hoping to turn their peers and faculty into ‘social justice warriors’ through mandatory seminars and adjustments to the school’s curriculum.

Flyers depicting a raised fist accompanied by information about a petition to “expand social justice education” at the private liberal arts college were hung across campus earlier this week, according to a post by user postmodern_cereal on Reddit.

A Bard administrator confirmed the flyer’s authenticity in an email to Campus Reform. The petition’s origins are unclear; the Google Doc does not list any contact information, nor does its poster. It is also uncertain how many students have signed the petition as signatories have to login with a Bard e-mail username and password.

According to the student-led petition, Bard should instill “cultural competency” in its student body. The petitioners define cultural competency as “an interdisciplinary understanding of social justice issues and the analytical lenses through which to critically view them.”

The petition outlines five proposed institutional changes that include adding a mandatory social justice orientation to Bard’s introductory “Language & Thinking Program,” requiring that faculty attend social justice training, changing first-year students’ curriculum to incorporate “literatures of the broader world,” and creating a sophomore social justice seminar.