University urges students to report ‘race-related stress’ — like not being called on in class

A California university is urging students of color to report incidents that cause “race-related stress” — such as not being called on by their professor in class.

California State University Monterey Bay’s Personal Growth and Counseling Center offers tips on how students can cope with the “burden of race-related stress” that can lead to psychological distress and even physiological health problems.

“It is important to understand that you can experience race-related stress even if you were mistaken that a racist act occurred. Race-related stress reactions only require that a person believes that they were the target of racism,” the center writes on its website.

To deal with such trauma, the university urges students to document “acts of racism or intolerance,” such as reporting teachers for not calling on them and for offering a “racially biased curriculum.”

“Don’t ignore or minimize your experiences, and think broadly about what could be an act of racism. It doesn’t have to be an overt act (e.g., professor consistently not calling on you or minimizing your contributions, curriculum racially biased, etc). Talk to someone you trust, and report it,” the school urges.

Race-related stress can cause psychological symptoms like anxiety, depression, paranoia and self-blame. It can also affect students’ physical health, potentially leading to heart disease, hypertension, and muscle tension, according to the center.

“Students of color who experience stereotype threat may begin to believe that their peers do not regard them as individuals, but as representatives of their racial/ethnic group,” the page reads.

Other ways the school urges students to deal with the stress is to build a support network of friends and family; positive affirmation and good self-care; embrace their spirituality; take classes or join campus groups to develop a positive cultural identity; and become involved in social action. 

The example of reporting teachers for not calling on students of color or offering racially inclusive courses was found under the “social action” section of the webpage.

The counseling center also urges students to “call people out when you witness acts of injustice and intolerance,” but not to ” [accuse] another person of being racist” which can shut “them down and end the conversation.” 

“Encourage thoughtfulness and dialogue by addressing racist behaviors and language, without escalating into hostility and name-calling,” the website says.

About 46% percent of students enrolled in the fall 2022 semester were Latino, followed by white students at 29%, Asian Americans at 9%, two or more mixed races at 8% and 3% were African Americans, according to school statistics. Just over 7,000 students are currently enrolled.