UMich hiring admin for 'cultural appropriation prevention'

The full-time job, which pays between $46,000 and $57,000, oversees handling of "bias incidents" reported on campus, as well as various "social justice initiatives."

The University of Michigan is looking to hire a new "Bias Incident Prevention and Response Coordinator" to clamp down on “students of concern” and “enact cultural appropriation prevention initiatives.”

The role also has crisis-management components, such as providing “a safe listening space in which to offer compassion, support, and guidance to students" after especially severe "bias incidents."

The University of Michigan is looking for someone to clamp down on “students of concern” and “enact cultural appropriation prevention initiatives.”

A job posting on the school’s website seeks candidates to fill the role of “Bias Incident Prevention and Response Coordinator,” a full-time position within the Dean of Students Office that comes with a starting salary range of $46,000 - $57,000.

UMich estimates that about 40 percent of the job will involve coordinating “bias incident response efforts,” which entails coordinating “appropriate and effective intervention and communication between multiple campus offices...and the provision of support to individuals and groups targeted by bias behaviors.”

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The Coordinator will also be tasked with managing the school’s “bias prevention initiatives and Expect Respect initiatives” by partnering with other departments to “ensure annual Expect Respect messaging begins in orientation programs,” assisting with various “divisional social justice initiatives,” enacting “cultural appropriation prevention initiatives,” and developing “strong working relationships with identity-based student organizations.”

In addition, the job comes with “critical incident case management” responsibilities when issues of concern arise within the school community.

When such incidents occur, the Coordinator is tasked with providing “a safe listening space in which to offer compassion, support, and guidance to students,” and in some cases is also expected to assist students “in locating and obtaining emergency funding in crisis situations.”

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In order to qualify for the position, candidates are expected to possess either a Master’s Degree in a relevant field, such as Higher Education Administration or Social Work, or else have one to three years of experience in a similar role.

Given the nature of the position, UMich notes that applicants should be prepared to “work unpredictable early morning, evening, and weekend hours in response to the emergent needs of students and the campus community.”

Campus Reform reached out to the university for comment, but did not receive a response.

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