Can you be kicked out of college for a ‘microaggression’? You know, those manifestations of privilege, racism or sexism that supposedly cause cumulative harm?
In most of life, these sorts of small, annoying incidents go undiscussed and, for the most part, ignored. But at universities across the United States, they’ve surpassed trendiness, becoming a sort of campus national obsession.
Accusations of microaggressions have become commonplace, and many universities have begun urging students and staff to report them. University of California Santa Cruz even created an app for reporting and tracking microaggressions.
A few examples from the past year: It’s now a microaggression to ask for a tanning salon recommendation; for a librarian to request lowered voices in the library; to use the words “lame,” “crazy,” and “politically correct,” among others; or to compliment a colleague’s shoes or schedule a golf outing.
Now, let’s say you commit one of these supposed slights. You may indeed find yourself targeted by administrators, investigated by bias response teams, subjected to sensitivity or inclusivity training, or otherwise censured.
There’s definitely huge room for error, overreaction, and abuse—especially given the high sensitivity and low maturity level of many students in their late teens and early 20s. Consider, too, how subjective the idea of microaggressions are: They can be unintentional, and you don’t have the final say about whether something was offensive and/or harmful.
Add to that the pressure on administrators. Students at many universities have pushed for “zero-tolerance policies” on acts of bias, racism, sexism and discrimination. Though it’s up for debate whether microaggressions should fall into those categories, they can easily be treated as one and the same.
College administrators typically respond to minor or first offenses with warnings and guidance. If you’re collared for a microaggression, administrators are almost bound to give you a path for avoiding repeats via counseling, lectures, and the like.
While we’re aware of students being subjected to PC re-education or shamed for microaggressions, we don’t know of any examples of students being suspended or expelled for them. In a few cases, students faced strict punishment—but only after a whole host of negative behaviors, which include not just microaggressions but overt aggression and sometimes even physical violence.
So you probably can’t get kicked out of college for a microaggression. But if you want to play it safe, be kind and polite while you exercise your right to free speech.
