University of Phoenix
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University of Phoenix — A Call for Accountability and Safety for African American Students
University of Phoenix — A Call for Accountability and Safety for African American Students My experience with the University of Phoenix has been deeply disappointing and painful. While the institution promotes itself as inclusive, supportive, and committed to student success, my personal encounter reveals a strikingly different reality for African American learners; especially when faculty behavior goes unchecked. In my time as a student, I have faced ongoing hostile interactions with Professor Claude Toland that raise serious concerns about racial bias in teaching, grading, and communication. These patterns have created unnecessarily challenging and unjust learning conditions for me and other Black students. Critically, the grading processes used have felt arbitrary and punitive, contributing to stress, confusion, and a sense of being unsupported. When issues were documented thoroughly, often with detailed evidence, it became clear that the concern was not merely about misunderstanding, but about how feedback and evaluation were delivered in a way that felt discriminatory. What has been most disheartening is not only the behavior itself, but the University’s response. Despite extensive documentation and clear examples, University of Phoenix leadership has not acted in a way that protects the academic integrity and well-being of its African American students. Instead, the message communicated has been closer to “this is how the professor is”, an expectation that students must simply accept hostile or racially insensitive conduct as normal or unchangeable. This response silences students who raise concerns, minimizes the real emotional and educational harm caused, and protects faculty at the expense of learners who are already navigating systemic inequities. Racism in education, whether explicit or implicit, has deep, lasting effects. When an institution fails to address it meaningfully, it undermines its own mission to deliver equitable education to all students. I am sharing this review not to attack individuals, but to advocate for accountability, fairness, and true inclusion. Every student deserves a learning environment where they are judged on their work without bias, where concerns are taken seriously, and where cultural competency and respect are not optional. The University of Phoenix must do better to protect its African American students and uphold academic integrity when harmful behavior is brought to light.