Module 2 Writing Assignment: When Leadership Fails: Article Analysis

Holly Ngo

Arizona State University

OGL 350 - Diversity and Organizations

Dr. Kermit Brown

January 23, 2023

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Part I

After reading the news article going over the event of the University of Missouri

President and Chancellor stepping down, I found myself with mixed feelings about the speech

provided by former university president Tim Wolfe. I also questioned the motive of Chancellor

Richard Bowen Loftin for his decision to step down.

In Wolfe's speech on the day he announced his resignation, he took full responsibility

for the inactions that occurred but also said the events that led to his resignation were not the

way to see change. Wolfe instead suggests change should come from listening, learning, caring,

and conversation. (McLaughlin,2015). While that would have been the most optimal choice for

seeking change, it appears that the campus community has already spoken before. Still, no one

ever listened, which led Jonathan Butler to go on a hunger strike until Tim Wolfe stepped down.

I wonder how long the university staff has turned a blind eye to injustice. My next question

leads me to why Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin decided to step down. When Loftin announced his

change of position, he praised Butler for his courage and leadership. Butler’s condition to end

his hunger strike was for Wolfe to be fired or leave office. What prompted Loftin to decide to

step down as well? Did he find himself guilty of not taking action, or was it something else?

If Wolfe wanted to see the change in what he mentioned in his speech via conversation

and listening, he needed to take action when reports came in. Choosing to do nothing leads the

students to take action in their own hands. When Jonathan Butler decided that change needed

to happen, he put himself at risk to back his message to Wolfe, and it inspired others to support

him as it showed everyone his resolve. The football team followed Butler’s message by deciding

not to step on the field, and the coaches displayed outstanding leadership in supporting the
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team’s decision, even if it could have risked their jobs. Coach Gary Pinkel said that his support

of his players had nothing to do with anyone losing their job, but something like this football

became secondary (McLaughlin,2015). I find the solidarity shown by Coach Pinkel to be

admirable. A strong leader should strive to provide a positive environment for their followers.
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Part II

As an Asian-American, I chose to respond to the video A Conversation with Asian-

Americans on Race. A few issues resonated with me, such as struggling for acceptance and the

curse of being a model minority. Many of the people featured shared stories where they grew

up feeling that they needed to be accepted as American or maintain the appearance of being

the model minority.

It was heartbreaking to hear how a participant went through training with her father to

sound not Korean over the phone. The father felt that it was important that people thought his

daughter was American instead of Korean when speaking with her on the phone. Even though,

at the time, his daughter embraced the fact that she was Korean and didn’t understand why

she needed to sound American. He must have experience racism himself, where people might

have treated him differently because he was Korean. So he wanted to have his daughter sound

American so she wouldn’t experience the same issue. I have also experienced the need to be

accepted myself growing up. I was bullied in the past for speaking my native language when

communicating with my mother in public, which led me only to want to communicate in English

even though it was hard for my mother to understand. In the video, a male participant wanted

to be invisible to avoid stereotypes and decided to take off his turban and cut his hair. He was

willing to let go of his culture to prevent comments on his appearance. In my own experience,

needing to blend in the background was not bringing lunch to school. My lunches from home

tend to be leftovers from dinner the previous day, and Vietnamese cuisine is focused on

aromatics. I was bullied on how my food smelt fishy and rotten. Kids would ask me how I could
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eat something that smelled awful. It resulted in me eating my lunch in the bathroom stalls

instead of at the lunch table.

The last issue is expecting Asian Americans to be the model minority. In the instance of a

participant’s father who had people come into his private business and tell him that he needed

to return to his own country. Even though he didn’t fully understand the English language, he

knew that the comments were malicious, but he could not defend himself, and all he could do

was say, “Okay, thank you. Come back soon”. If he could communicate, he might have

expressed his feelings through those words, but with his response of welcoming them back,

they may think he is docile and submissive. My experience of living the stereotype of the model

minority was being raised to listen to authority and to stay out of trouble. The act of docile and

submissive was more of a survival strategy. I was taught to keep my head down, blend with the

background and work hard for my future. I was never strong in academics, especially math, and

felt that if I needed to ask for help in school, I would be a failure as an Asian American. Some

kids pressure me into allowing them to copy my homework, and I would say, “I wouldn’t copy

my work because I think most of these answers are wrong,” and they would always tease me

and say, “Asians are supposed to be good at math.” Why do Asians have to be good at

mathematics? Why wasn’t I allowed to be good at something else? The idea of race has been

pressured on Asian Americans as early as childhood. The idea was that Asian Americans needed

to fit into American society and that they needed to be the model minority.
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Works Cited

McLaughlin, E. C. (2015, November 10). University of Missouri president and chancellor

step down amid race row. CNN. Retrieved January 23, 2023, from

https://www.cnn.com/2015/11/09/us/missouri-football-players-protest-president-

resigns/index.html

The New York Times. (2016). A Conversation With Asians On Race. The New York Times.

Retrieved January 23, 2023, from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/05/opinion/a-

conversation-with-asians-on-race.html.