Microaggressions are everyday verbal or nonverbal snubs or insults. They can be intentional or unintentional, and communicate hostile or negative messages to a targeted individual or marginalized group. The three types of microaggressions are: microassault, microinsult, and micro-invalidation. Microaggression is commonly around thethemes of race, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic status, gender, environment, academics, and religion.

Examples include:

1. failing to learn to pronounce or continuing to mispronounce the names of others after they have corrected you,
2. using inappropriate humor in class that degrades students from different groups and identities,
3. continuing to misuse pronouns even after a student, transgender or not, indicates their preferred gender pronoun,
4. asking people with hidden disabilities to identify themselves in class,
5. assuming that students of particular ethnicities must speak another language or must not speak English.

For more information and support, please reach out to your personal support systems or the university resources and supports available to assist you. Below are a few of the campus resources that may be able to assist, no matter the challenge or concern: 

• Student Care and Assistance
• Center for Inclusive Academic Excellence
• Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Multicultural and International Student Support and Engagement
• Office of Graduate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• University Counseling Service
• Women's Resource and Action Center