Lydia serves as a receptionist at the university’s general information desk located in the central administration building. Lydia enjoys her job and prides herself on being able to connect students to information and resources quickly and efficiently. As such, Lydia attempts to intuit and anticipate students’ needs as quickly as possible. A consequence of her enthusiasm is that Lydia often asks questions or makes statements that are assuming of students’ identities and her assumptions are often grounded in stereotypes.
Lydia’s manager approaches her with several reports of students feeling uncomfortable or disrespected while seeking resources at the service desk. Reported concerns include Lydia asking a student who uses a wheelchair if they were looking for disability access services and asking a student of Middle Eastern descent if they were looking for the international programs office.
When receiving this feedback, Lydia asserts that she was trying to be helpful and wanted to communicate to the students that she supports them and that she understands them. Lydia’s supervisor offers her coaching on listening skills and interrupting implicit bias. Going forward, Lydia commits to letting students articulate their needs and trusts that the students who approach the information desk can self-advocate and ask for what they need.
- The Issue: Lydia’s passion for efficient and effective service has resulted in profiling behavior, which misattributes or stereotypes the needs of students approaching the service desk.
- The Deliberation: Through coaching with her supervisor, Lydia reflects on her impact, and finds a support strategy that centers agency and respect on the student.
- The Growth: Lydia better recognizes her implicit biases, and how they manifest as harmful stereotypes. She has committed to a process to let student patrons articulate their needs authentically and with more complexity.