University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, AR

F
Score: 347/1400
24,001
Undergraduate students
86%
Retention rate
$9,656
Annual tuition
0.28
Diversity Index
Data submitted by: jms098
Large Campus
Large Campus
public
Public University
Urban Campus
Urban Campus
Four-Year College
Four-Year College
South Region
Conservative Campus
Conservative Campus
Sports Culture
Sports Culture
Noisy Campus
Noisy Campus
Graduate Students Unionized
Graduate Students Unionized

Description

UA has multiple reporting mechanisms for different types of issues. It appears to have separate reporting systems for “non-emergency safety concerns and threatening behavior” and “non-emergency student concerns,” but both actually link to the same CARE Report form, which covers situations such as “mental health issue” and “disability concern.” These reports are then submitted to the Behavioral Intervention and Threat Assessment Team (BIT-TAT). Detailed guidance is provided for both categories of concern. Examples of “threatening behavior” include “Notable change in academic performance – poor or inconsistent preparation,” “Impairment of thoughts,” “Inappropriate or strange behavior,” “Lack of resiliency,” “Lack of empathy and concern for others; inability to care,” “Appearance of being overly nervous, tense or tearful,” and “Withdrawal and isolation.” For students who are not performatively prosocial, these red flags can promote a campus culture in which neurodivergent students are viewed with suspicion and fear, while also placing an excessive burden on neurodivergent students to conform, or mask.

In 2017, UA was ranked #15 in the Advocate’s list of “The 20 Colleges Most Hostile to LGBT Students.”

Are all campus buildings physically accessible to students who use wheelchairs or other mobility aids?

NO

The Arkansas Traveler reports that, "Pidgeon [a first-year graduate student with limited mobility] said that finding Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) parking in central locations on campus is a challenge. Despite leaving for campus early, she usually spends an hour or more circling through Lot 71, Lot 4 and the Graduate Education Building lot trying to find an open ADA space. When she can not find a spot, she usually must park on Arkansas Ave, which forces her to walk up stairs."

The Arkansas Traveler also reports that the library lacks accessible desks and print stations, and parts of Adohi Hall, the new dorm, are inaccessible.

Are class session recordings readily available for lecture courses?

YES

Classes can be attended remotely as part of a student's disability accommodations.

Are students required to provide documentation of disability to qualify for receiving initial accommodations?

YES

The Arkansas Traveler reports, "To register for academic accommodations to meet their respective needs, students must fill out a request for services form, schedule an Access Plan Meeting, attend an Access Plan Meeting, provide documentation of disability of medical condition, wait for CEA’s approval of registration and apply for academic accommodations."

Is there required diversity and inclusivity training for faculty/staff/and students, and does training include recognition of neurodivergence and disability?

NO

What types of student-run peer support groups exist on campus?

Disability Cultural Center

NO

Mutual Aid Networks

NO

Peer Support Groups

NO

Other

NO

Have you experienced ableism, discrimination, or witnessed stigmatizing language?

YES

A student tells us, "A professor of mine who is also the head of the department denied my CEA-approved accommodations. When I filed a complaint with CEA, they said he was a “nice man” and didn’t understand why I had problems with him— despite the clear power imbalance."

Are police involved in responding to student mental health crises?

YES

Does your college have a Student of Concern reporting page?

Yes (Allows anonymous reporting)

https://uofacares.uark.edu/

Clery Report data: Number of sexual assaults reported on campus per thousand students.

1

*2021 data

Has the college published an official statement in support of racial justice movements?
Black Lives Matter Logo

Support for Black Lives Matter

YES

Support for Land Back

NO

Chancellor Joe Steinmetz issued a statement in 2020, in which he said, "And thank you to the students, faculty and staff who shared their stories at #BlackAtUARK. Black lives matter. Your voices matter and are being heard."

Does your college offer a Disability Studies curriculum?

NO

Does your college offer a course on Critical Theory?

YES

PHIL 4063. Twentieth Century Continental Philosophy

Does the college engage in morally questionable research?

Animal Experimentation

YES

Cure Autism

NO

Other

YES

NAGPRA: The University of Arkansas still holds the remains of 130 Native Americans.

News
Submitted by:
admin
2021-10-28

Graduate student Gordon Xiong, who has cerebral palsy, uses a wheelchair and is immunocompromised, is in his seventh year at the university and has no interest in returning after finishing his master’s degree. He is troubled by what he sees as poor treatment from the university.

...

In another incident, staff of the Equal Employment Opportunity Center suggested outfitting his wheelchair with a sort of battering ram to open bathroom doors in the Graduate Education Building, despite the potential damage that could cause to the wheelchair, Xiong said.

...

“All I want is an environment I can feel safe in, and I don’t feel safe,” Xiong said. “I have to fight for (safety and inclusion).”

Source:Link

News
Submitted by:
admin
2021-09-07

Three days before the start of the fall semester, an assistant professor in the UofA’s Counselor Education and Supervision Program sent an email to students enrolled in her fall courses notifying them she would be unable to teach the classes. Since then, outrage has been building among CESP students and faculty members who say Tameeka Hunter’s rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act were violated when she was denied a request to teach remotely.

“It is with grave disappointment that I share that I will be unable to teach this course Fall Semester 2021,” Hunter said in her Aug. 20 email. “I have a life-long disability, and I am not permitted to teach this course remotely as an ADA Accommodation.”

Hunter, who teaches in the rehabilitation counseling track, told students and colleagues she could not safely teach in person during the COVID-19 pandemic, so she withdrew from instructing after university administrators denied her request to teach remotely.

Source:Link