Over 500 students, alumni, and community members have signed a petition to grant assistant professor of sociology Dr. Karen Powell Sears tenure after she was recently denied.

TAYLOR TRIMBLE, Staff Writer—

Black women in academia have long been underrepresented. Whether it takes the form of being the only Black woman in the classroom to the only Black female professor in a field of study, it is an indisputable reality that continues to plague higher education. And unfortunately, Denison is no exception. 

Just recently, Dr. Karen Powell Sears, an assistant professor of sociology, was denied tenure. Despite her numerous publications, scholarly works, and contributions to the Denison community, she was denied.  

Dr. Sears unjust denial to tenure is not only reflective of the flawed tenure system within higher education but of Denison’s commitment to condemn the progression of both its BIPOC students and faculty. 

Denison proudly carries this facade of being “diverse and inclusive” with its recruitment efforts and other initiatives. Yet once students and faculty of underrepresented backgrounds are here, they feel as if their work is done. Simply recruiting us, admitting us, and hiring us isn’t enough. To truly commit to having a diverse, all-inclusive community, Denison needs to commit to actions that truly cultivate an equitable environment that allows for the development and progression of its BIPOC students and professors. 

Dr. Sears being denied tenure is nothing more than a glaring illustration of Denison’s surface level commitment to BIPOC students and their perpetuation of inequities within higher education.  And if you think the process of tenure, specifically the process of tenure at Denison isn’t biased, I urge you to look at Dr. Sears’ accomplishments: 

To better understand the qualifications and competencies one must hold to become tenured, I invite you to look at Denison’s personnel policies outlining the skills necessary for tenure, here.

To paraphrase, Denison requires professors to have effective, successful teaching, scholarship, and contributions to other purposes of the school beyond teaching such as diversity, civic engagement, and so on. 

Dr. Sears has succeeded in all. 

Dr. Sears has taught at Denison University for a total of 9 years teaching a multitude of anthropology, sociology, and global health courses including, but not limited to the following: “People, Culture, Society,” “Sex and Gender,” “Sex and Gender in the Caribbean,” “Field Research Methods,” “Senior Research Seminar,” and “Disparities in Health.” Many of these courses do not just fulfill the major and minor graduation requirements of sociology and anthropology students, but the general education requirements of all Denison students proving to be a necessity to the Denison community. 

In addition to the numerous courses Dr. Sears teaches, she has over 15 publications and around 45 research presentations. Her contributions can be seen in the Columbus Dispatch, Journal of Interpersonal Violence, and Medical Education. 

Dr. Sears teaching and scholarship is not up for debate. How could it be? Combing through Dr. Sears’ qualifications only leads to one conclusion: she and her work is nothing short of impressive.

In addition to her teaching and scholarship, Dr. Sears has gone beyond the classroom as she acts as one of the co-leaders of Sisters in Dialogue, a mentorship program for women of color. Sisters in Dialogue provides a variety of resources to women of color on campus whether that be for professional development, self-advocacy, or more. It seeks to provide a unifying, resourceful environment for an underrepresented demographic in Denison’s community.

To truly commit to having a diverse, all-inclusive community, Denison needs to commit to actions that truly cultivate an equitable environment that allows for the development and progression of its BIPOC students and professors. 

Taylor Trimble ’24

Along with her scholarship and teaching, her organizational work has been just as successful, which can be seen with the consistently growing attendance to Sisters in Dialogue and the many testimonials posted on the Instagram page: @sears4tenure.

Rather than trying to cast doubt on work that has proven to be both credible and intellectually stimulating, we should direct our skepticism towards Denison and many other higher institutions’ tenure processes.

Something is wrong, and believe me, it is it not Dr. Sears.

 The withholding of professional development opportunities from Black women isn’t new. According to USA Today, Black women make up 2% of tenured professors. Such underrepresentation has ripple effects. It discourages other Black women in academia from pursuing higher positions and other opportunities. In addition, it limits the resources Black women can use to guide their journey throughout academia.

If most tenured professors at universities and colleges happen to be white, who are professors of color supposed to seek advice from? White professors are not the ones facing microaggressions, or the pressure that comes from having an intersectional minority identity such as being both Black and a woman. Therefore, they are not able to give advice on how to “work hard” or “work against all odds,” when their odds will never come from something as unchangeable as the color of their skin. 

Let’s stop acting as if the tenure system that is currently in place does not have its flaws and limitations. More importantly, let us stop acting as if these limitations do not harm BIPOC communities, specifically Black women. It is evident that the biases embedded in this process have yet again stripped another capable, outstanding Black woman professor from a well-deserved opportunity. Except this time, it is happening in our very own backyard.

I implore you all, specifically those who have benefitted from Dr. Sears’ teaching and mentorship, to fight for her. This includes both white and BIPOC students. Dr. Sears has not solely helped students of color, despite her outstanding work with Sisters in Dialogue. Her classes and mentorship have helped white students as well. As a predominantly white college, many of Denison’s classes are mostly white. And similar to students of color, white students have expressed how Dr. Sears has helped influence their way of thinking and seeing the world. 

This isn’t simply a BIPOC issue or racial disparity, but an issue that impacts the entirety of Denison’s community. 

Do not let another Black woman fall prey to an inherently prejudiced system. It’s not fair to her and it’s not fair to the countless students that she has positively impacted throughout her years here at Denison. Doing right by her is doing right by Denison. 

If you would like to help, please sign the petition started by Denison alumni: https://chng.it/TGGJPknpxY! It has received almost 500 signatures, so please help us get there and even beyond that!