Cecil student Blake Griffith interviewed Dr. Clarence Orsi for “The Squawk.” Dr. Orsi is the newest English Department faculty member, and is currently the academic advisor for Allies, an LGBTQ+ support and social networking group.

Q: Hi, Dr. Orsi. Let’s just jump right in with a question that has always been on my mind regarding your qualifications: How do you feel about being called “doctor?”

A: I feel great about it. I do have a Ph.D. and I worked hard for it, God damn it, er, darn it. And on the other hand it is not super important to me and I usually call myself “professor.” I think it’s more important for women academics to own the title of “Doctor” if they have it because they are often mistitled as Ms. or Mrs. I know my partner who’s a math Ph.D. gets Mrs. Brackins a lot, and I think it’s more important for her to insist on ‘Doctor.” I do not mind doctor but I do not insist on it.

Q: If a professor does not specify what they prefer to be addressed as, what would you think?

A: Professor is good. It’s a respectful title. They’re there in front of you. You don’t need to know their rank or their gender or whether they’ve completed a certain degree or not, but they’re your professor.

Q: So what classes are you teaching at Cecil?

A: I’m teaching Freshman Composition, English 101, and Composition and Literature, English 102. I have also taught Creative Writing, English 215, which I very much enjoyed.

Q: Which of these classes are your favorite?

A: Each of my classes offers unique opportunities. I like Freshman Composition, the 101, because I have students write about “Real World” things that are of interest to them. I really like when students can write about their lives because then they can get more invested in what they’re doing. This leads to better writing. In all my 101 classes students choose a community that they’re a part of and then they write about that community throughout semester. I’ve learned a lot about people’s lives here Cecil even though I’ve only been here for two years. It allows me to really learn about what makes people “tick” here.  In English 102, I just love literature and that allows us to read some of my favorite short stories and poems. We also read “Othello” which is an awesome play which also gets a lot of real world issues. But we approach those issues with a little bit more distance. Instead of writing about your life, you write about about literature but that allows you to think about style. I love thinking about literary style too. So there’s really something for everyone in both of those classes.

Q: It looks like you’re at a good place with teaching the classes you’d like to teach. You mentioned learning about different communities around campus and you yourself are pretty involved in the LGBT scene on campus as the advisor of Allies. How has that experience been for you and what does that mean to you?

A: When I first came to Cecil I did not necessarily see myself as the resident LGBT faculty member. Probably because I thought there’d be more. You know it’s not my “job” to, in terms of I’m not officially trained to do things like LGBT sensitivity/Ally training, or student services with LGBT students. That said – it has been one of the more rewarding parts of my job to take up that mantle because I could see that it was needed. Cathy Skelley, Cecil’s Student Life Director, came to me early on and asked if I would advise the student group. I am really happy that I made the decision to do that because it has been a really amazing experience to get to know some of the LGBT identified students at Cecil, who I think are really the coolest students. In that room on Mondays, it’s not just where we talk about queer stuff; it’s where all the good stuff on campus happens. Maybe that’s selfish of me but I really love getting to know students.

I’m also really excited because we have just had the first LGBT/Ally training for faculty and staff, put on by Harford Community College. It went really well and we got great feedback. I think there’s a lot of people with good intentions here and I think we need to turn those good intentions into concrete actions in terms of how can you can best support LGBT students in your classes.

So I would say that as a transgender man I feel that there are not not a lot of me out here. Which is, you know, maybe a little bit lonely but at the same time I feel honored that I get to have this role at Cecil college because I saw when I got here that it was needed.

Q: So the goal is to make more of a safe space and educate more of the community about of the issues that the queer folk face?

A: Yes, That’s exactly the idea. Things like using the pronouns that students prefer in a classroom setting, not making heteronormative assumptions. These are all things that well-meaning people sometimes do. Like many of us are on journeys related to other aspects of being better people and supporting those around us. I know I am. And so I think people are, again, looking for concrete solutions and are willing to implement the suggestions they get. They just may not know what exactly to do. It is a good thing to give people that practical approach and also to get them thinking philosophically about privilege because sometimes that’s tough to do as well. But you know, obviously privileged people don’t always think about their privilege. These trainings are good to get those wheels turning in people’s minds.