In my last position, where I was classified as staff, I was bullied by a faculty member to the point of dissociating due to a PTSD reaction. I wrote a formal letter but was discouraged from filing a grievance. A staff member had never filed a grievance against a faculty member. https://twitter.com/bethanygthomas/status/1381680616413003781

I described the situation to the provost, including talking frankly about my mental health concerns, and she didn't even follow up. I later found out that the provost had told the faculty member to be "hard on me." And I was retaliated against for even raising the issue.

Incessant micro-aggressions can be just as damaging, especially for staff from already marginalized populations -- women, people of color, disabled people, queer people, etc. -- even small acts of cruelty can create a hostile work environment.

The problem is systemic. Ultimately, the defunding and devaluing of education, how administrators treat faculty, how faculty treats staff -- all set the tone for the culture at our educational institutions. Students are often on the receiving end of the worst kinds of bullying.