Pandemic Privilege

Many felt that the challenges related to COVID-19 were more difficult for students than for faculty and expressed concern for students struggling to manage the impacts of the pandemic. Pandemic privilege is illustrated several ways. First, faculty appreciated the privilege in the fact that, generally, their employment was not at risk. This was stronger for tenure-line faculty than for contract, clinical, and adjunct faculty. However, across the board, faculty expressed that they were privileged in their ability to continue working in meaningful employment and to do so from home. Second, faculty whose children were grown and more independent felt privilege related to the extra burden on colleagues with younger children at home. Additionally, many of the White faculty recognized a racial privilege, both in terms of the virus and more generally as a result of the racial justice movements across the country. And, faculty who were relatively healthy acknowledged the different impact of the virus for those with health-related complications or risk factors. Finally, faculty talked about their privilege in comparison to students. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)