“Sharon, come over here, I want you to meet my sister,” Joanne1 said. Smiling, I crossed the room and extended my hand but was engulfed in a hug instead. Joanne laughed and introduced us, “Sharon, this is my sister, Carole.” Joanne spoke to Carole while gesturing at me, “This is one of my non-Jew friends, Sharon.” I smiled and made small talk with Carole and Joanne for a few minutes, but I felt as if I had been hit in the stomach. She had just called me a “non-Jew.” I've thought of myself as many things in my life: daughter, sister, wife, mother, nurse, professor, volunteer, Adventist, . . . but I’ve never classified myself as a “non-Jew.” But of course, I’m a non-Jew. . . .I’m not Jewish.
When I looked at Joanne; she looked the same. However, everything had changed for me. Did our friendship fit into a category with unspoken boundaries and limits? Was I less of a friend because I wasn't Jewish? Was my status of “not one of us” important to them? Why did getting called a "non-" feel so ugly? And why did I feel 13 years old again? Why didn’t she just introduce me as “Sharon, a mom from playschool”?
The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon
And then I heard a similar term . . . everywhere, from my own church family: Non-Adventist—from the pulpit, at church potlucks, to “them,” about “them,” in reference to “them” as potential “us,” in committee and board meetings, about how many of “them” we can have in Adventist education without reaching the “tipping point.” This horrible us/them polemic—how come I’d never noticed it before? The ugly, biased, culturally acceptable use of the term non-Adventist suddenly began to ring in my head. My Baader-Meinhof phenomenon (illusion of seeing and hearing something with sudden frequency)2 was profound. I was overcome with the realization that the prefix "non"--three little letters--was commonly used when describing others. Its use seemed all around me, hurtful and unconscious to most. And then, even worse, I heard it coming out of my own mouth.
Over the next few weeks, I asked myself some hard questions: Am I being exclusionary, biased, dismissive, or discriminatory? Am I using this prefix3 or other exclusionary terms to distance myself from others or to somehow put myself above others? Am I practicing incivility unintentionally in the way I label others? What underlying assumptions am I projecting on “them”? How does hearing these kinds of terms make “them” feel? Is this term more about preserving us than reaching “them” for Christ? Why is it acceptable among Adventists to apply "non-" words to other people?
As a child, a fundamental lesson I learned was the grave consequences of name-calling, making assumptions, or judging others. And yet, "non-" is all of those things. How can three letters pack such a punch? Is "non-" a projection of our own ignorance? Research reveals that “when we try to ‘read’ people, we are often reading from our own scripts and stereotypes. When we judge, we are often giving too much credit to the emotions and impulses that float through our minds.”4 And, “Our judgments of others’ character and state of mind sometimes say more about our own than about anyone else’s. Mis-readings are more common when we feel stressed, insecure, or threatened.”5 Am I practicing a fundamental attribution error (the insidious compulsion to assume the worst about others, while giving ourselves a break)?6 Is the use of this prefix more about me than “them”? Do I feel threatened by “them” somehow? Do I need to assure myself of my significance compared to “them”?
My encounter with Joanne occurred 25 years ago. I removed this prefix, when attached to terms relating to religious groups, from my vocabulary at that time. Yet, it lives among us as we continue to categorize and stereotype and potentially damage a sense of belonging in others while reinforcing the importance of “us.” Anything—prefixes and suffixes, words, methods, actions--that highlights or overly emphasizes differences or is used to distance individuals from each other requires the same level of reflection and action.
Belonging
Research on a sense of belonging is ongoing. In a post-COVID world, a sense of belonging is rising to the top of human needs, along with thriving and establishing positive human relationships, especially within the academic environment.7 The term belonging means, simply, a sense of being part of a group, of fitting in (see Boxes 1 and 2).8 It is vital to establishing trust in others. It is the heart language in identity construction and the art of becoming “us.”9 We often underestimate how important fitting in or belonging is. For example, in their postsecondary experiences on Adventist university campuses, I wonder how many young people have been sidelined by the term non-Adventist? How many of them have quietly left our campuses and churches? How many of them have felt as if they are permanent outsiders? When others don’t feel as if they belong, they may interpret this as discrimination, incivility, and shaming. They may have a sense of wanting to disappear: “Of all the threats to belonging, long-standing problems of discrimination are among the most powerful and pressing.”10
In his book Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides, Geoffrey Cohen states, “When people’s self-esteem is threatened, they become more rigid in enforcing their own self-serving standards for success, believing that success in various arenas of life is less likely for those who are dissimilar to them. We put others down in part to feel better about ourselves.”11 This suggests that everyone wants to belong, and when they don’t feel a sense of belonging, they may establish who doesn’t belong in order to affirm who does.12
Could it be that we have become so accustomed to the use of the term non-Adventist that we are blind to its impact? Normal life doesn’t often allow us to recognize that we’re wrong in our assumptions about others. According to Cohen, “Our mind’s biases not only cause errors but blind us to those errors.” He further surmises “that it’s these cognitive biases, more than any moral failing, that cause much misunderstanding and conflict.”13 Does our use of "non-" words create an atmosphere of distancing? Are we unintentionally creating increased anxiety, vulnerability, and disinterest in our denomination when we casually call someone non-Adventist? Does this matter enough to adopt less stereotypical language, to pivot, to stop using the term, to re-establish a new Adventist cultural norm that is void of the term?
In his article titled Words to Avoid at Church: They Might Not Be What You’d Expect, Peter Marty addresses the use of language in Christian communities. He says, “When it comes to the work of shaping Christian community, words and phrases matter. How people come together, stay together, and live expressively depends on language that inspires belonging and faith. Some words and phrases do this well; others miss the mark so considerably that I sometimes think they should be banished from a congregation’s vocabulary.”14 Nobody entering a church deserves to be labeled. Likewise, nobody entering a higher education institution needs to be labeled. As members of the kingdom of God, we are all first-class citizens. “They” shouldn’t ever feel like second-class citizens.15 Words matter.
There’s a children’s rhyme that goes like this, “‘sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.’”16 It’s not true. The language we use is tremendously powerful. It can alienate, exclude, humiliate, divide, and hurt deeply. Language can also build up, include, create a sense of accomplishment and celebration, and express empathy to fellow humans.17 Language is a living entity. It is fluid, changing, and interwoven with local and organizational nuances. Acceptable terminology for one, may be completely unacceptable to someone else.18
How can we as Adventist educators and administrators, change the narrative and reduce belonging uncertainty on our college and university campuses? What can we use instead of the pejorative "non-" word? What about their name, or the term we instead of us and them?
The pronoun we, in English, assumes inclusion (I + you), and it indicates a membership in a community, or an identity, or relationship. It is a powerful reflection of a sense of solidarity within a group.19 However, several studies have revealed that the term we can actually be used in several different ways, making it important for teachers in academic environments “to examine the ways students use language intentionally with one another to express their positionings, identities, and experiences”,20 which provides a view into students’ experiences in a relational learning environment.21 It may be prudent to say that the word we helps students define themselves, and their relationship to others within a specific community.
Higher Education and Belonging
Belonging is increasingly being recognized as a significant aspect of students’ school experiences, as well as the roles educators and educational administrators can play in supporting it: “The importance of a sense of belonging only grows as children enter adolescence, and it remains a key motive at every rung of the educational ladder, up to and including college and graduate school.”22 In fact, once students are in school, norms around culture, respect, and inclusion should be central to academic policies and procedures.23 The social climate on the postsecondary campus is critical in fostering a sense of belonging, and is co-created within the relationships of students, faculty, and administrators.24The campus culture is directly reflected in academic achievement, help-seeking, and students’ positive mental attitude.25Additionally, for emerging adults in higher education, belonging is closely tied to utility, involvement, and enjoyment of activities offered across campus.26If students feel like “outsiders” will they be motivated to academic success, to expressing a need for help, to be vulnerable to engage with faculty and peers in extra-curricular activities, and to maintain a positive mental attitude on campus?
How do we address the diverse backgrounds of students on campus? A significant component of diversity is religious affiliation. Using limiting language can create a sense of us and them, leading to hurt and distrust. Trust and belonging go hand in hand, and once trust is lost, it is difficult to regain. Distrust interferes with learning and creates an atmosphere where students feel more judged and see themselves as “other” and not a part of “us.”27
It’s important to understand that the ways students engage, interact, and identify influence their higher education experience to a great degree. Relationships with teachers matter. Beyond graduation, a sense of belonging continues to have a powerful impact on the emerging professional: “One of the strongest predictors of whether graduates reported feeling engaged at their job and thriving in their lives wasn’t whether their college was public or private, small or large, selective or not, but whether, while in college, they had found a mentor who had supported them and who encouraged them to pursue their dreams.28 In addition to other positive factors, the use of inclusive language may literally change the trajectory of a student’s life.
Removing the Pejorative "Non-" From Adventist Lingo
What can Adventist higher education do to foster a greater sense of belonging on our college and university campuses when it comes to the language we use? We can craft better situations, avoid what sounds like judgments in our choice of words, our speech, and labels. We can prioritize community building and wholistic development within the academic setting. We can foster a sense of belonging through consistent connections between faculty and staff, and through academic and pastoral support. We can put classroom norms in place to reinforce a sense of belonging. We must remove offensive "non-" prefixed words from our vocabulary.
The best teachers share several attributes when creating a sense of belonging in their classrooms, for their students, and on their campuses. They avoid the fundamental attribution error. They seek to empower students. They are intentional. They nurture a sense of belonging. They understand that every encounter is accumulating as the story of their students’ higher education journey. They invite students to journey with them. They have faith in their students and communicate this to them regularly.29 One study “suggests that the quality of teacher-student relationships has a strong impact on student belonging, often more than students' relationships with peers.”30
As students navigate the academic ladder, they need to know that they belong: “The ‘belonging effect’ surpasses the effects of academic performance, self-esteem, religiosity, being held back a grade, parental absence, and household access to guns.”31 Belonging has a bigger impact than grades or social and family dynamics. “As students engage with others, they learn about themselves and develop feelings of connectedness and being a valued member of the community. A welcoming social environment plays an important role in the development of a sense of belonging for post-secondary students, which, in turn, is predictive of academic persistence and achievement.”32
Conclusion
Adventist colleges and universities have it in their power to help craft environments that allow students’ best selves to emerge. In 2024, we mitigate bias and polarization in society by being intentional about the environments we foster on our campuses. We can make efforts “to enhance the social climate and promote the sense of belonging in higher education.”33 At all levels of education, we can reduce stereotypical language and increase empathy toward we instead of us and them. We can intentionally ask others to share their experiences, which fosters bonding, richer relationships, and genuine interest in our values and beliefs.34 In fact, just “one act of support at the right moment is like knocking over the first domino in a line of dominoes, with the dominoes getting bigger over time.”35The power of “I value you, I believe in you” is tremendous.
Campuses that are less alienating spaces and promote a positive atmosphere can become havens for self-affirming experiences and strong connections. In fact, there are many “points of vulnerability, and windows of opportunity,”36 where giving support to students goes a long way. “No intervention works for everyone, everywhere, all the time. What matters is whether an intervention resonates in peoples’ minds and connects with their lives – and in turn depends on whether it provides the right support to the right people at the right place and time.”37 When considering the use of pejorative "non-" words, we may need to unlearn harmful cultural conditioning and recognize cognitive biases in order to eliminate the term from our vocabulary.
It is time for us to personally and corporately strike the three letters "non-" from uses that hurt and alienate people. I do know this: My identity as a Jesus follower is not based on my belonging or not belonging to the Adventist denomination; rather, it is only by the grace of God that I am given the opportunity to live a life in Christ. As such, I am obliged to provide an environment in my relationships that maximizes the potential of a life in Christ for my students, too.
“Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel. Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper” (Philippians 4:7, 8, CEV).38
This article has been peer reviewed.
Recommended citation:
Sharon Aka, “The Implications of "Non-": Building Inclusive Communities in Higher Education,” The Journal of Adventist Education 86:2 (2024): 23-27. https://doi.org/10.55668/jae0072
NOTES AND REFERENCES
- Except for the author, the names used in this article are pseudonyms.
- In the English language, "non-" is used as a prefix signifying not. Not all words with the prefix "non-" have a negative connotation. Throughout this article, when attached to a proper noun, it is treated as part of a word and italicized.
- The phenomenon of becoming hyper-aware of a word, concept, or product after first learning about it and then seeing or hearing about it everywhere. Often referred to as a “frequency illusion.” See “Baader-Meinhof phenomenon” (2022): https://www.dictionary.com/e/tech-science/baader-meinhof-phenomenon/.
- Geoffrey L. Cohen, Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides (New York: W. W. Norton & Company Ltd., 2022), 322.
- Ibid., 194.
- Patrick Healy, “The Fundamental Attribution Error: What It Is and How to Avoid It,” Harvard Business School Online (2017): https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/the-fundamental-attribution-error.
- Cohen, ibid.; Basia Nikiforova, “Derridean ‘Zone Without Belonging’ and Literary Ambience,” LOGOS 109:10 (2021), 78-88. https://doi.org/10.24101/logos.2021.78; Kailey Penner et al., “Sense of Belonging and Social Climate in an Official Language Minority Post-Secondary Setting,” Canadian Journal of Higher Education 51:4 (2021): 26-39: https://www.proquest.com/openview/813de6df4e9df368ff0820dcbb5aa0a0/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=48158; Mi Young Ahn and Howard H. Davis, “Are Local Students Disadvantaged: Understanding Institutional, Local and National Sense of Belonging in Higher Education,” British Educational Research Journal 49 (2022): 19-34. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3826.
- Oxford English Dictionary, s.v., “Belonging” (2024): https://www.oed.com/dictionary/belonging_adj?tl=true.
- Nikiforova, “Derridean ‘Zone Without Belonging’ and Literary Ambience.”
- Cohen, Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides, 243.
- Ibid., 194.
- Ibid.
- Ibid., 206.
- Peter W. Marty, “Words to Avoid at Church: They Might Not Be What You’d Expect,” The Christian Century 140:9 (2023): 1: https://www.christiancentury.org/column/first-words/words-avoid-church.
- Ibid.
- G. F. Northall, Folk-phrases of Four Countries (London: The English Dialect Society by Henry Frowde, 1894).
- Susanne E. Craig and Eeshan Bhatt, “A Short Glossary of Inclusive Language,” NASA Center for Aerospace Information (CASI) (2021): https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20220000412.
- Ibid.
- Allison Zengilowski et al., “The Collective Classroom ‘We’: The Role of Students’ Sense of Belonging on Their Affective, Cognitive, and Discourse Experiences of Online and Face-to-face Discussions,” Linguistics and Education 73 (February 2023): 101142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2022.101142.
- Ibid., 2.
- Ibid.
- Cohen, Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides, 215.
- Ibid.
- Penner et al., “Sense of Belonging and Social Climate in an Official Language Minority Post-Secondary Setting.”
- Ibid.
- Zengilowski et al., “The Collective Classroom ‘We’: The Role of Students’ Sense of Belonging on Their Affective, Cognitive, and Discourse Experiences of Online and Face-to-face Discussions.”
- Cohen, Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides; Zengilowski et al., “The Collective Classroom ‘We’: The Role of Students’ Sense of Belonging on Their Affective, Cognitive, and Discourse Experiences of Online and Face-to-face Discussions; April Edwards and Hyejeong Ahn, “Rethinking English in Education: The Paradoxes of Labelling the ‘Other,’” Changing English: Studies in Culture & Education 31:1 (2024): 28-42. https://doi.org/10.1080/1358684X.2023.2270918.
- Cohen, Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides, 216.
- Ibid.; Penner et al., “Sense of Belonging and Social Climate in an Official Language Minority Post-Secondary Setting.”
- Cohen, Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides, 219.
- Ibid., 232.
- Penner et al., “Sense of Belonging and Social Climate in an Official Language Minority Post-Secondary Setting,” 26.
- Ibid.
- Shainis, “How We Can Shift the Power Imbalance in Adult Education to Deepen a Sense of Belonging, Improve Program Outcomes, and Create a More Equitable Society”; Cohen, Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides, 216.
- Cohen, Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides, 225.
- Ibid., 231.
- Ibid., 182.
- Contemporary English Version (CEV). Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society. For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.