MC Sociology department faces change as Dr. Streeter bids farewell
Associate Professor of Sociology Dr. Rayanne Streeter is set to leave Maryville College at the end of the Fall 2025 semester, leaving Sociology students riddled with questions and in anticipation of a replacement.
With some shocked at the news of her departure, Streeter’s advisees feel a mix of emotions towards the news.
Marvin Overholt (‘26) found out about her departure while in a class with Dr. Gunnoe.
“He came in and told us weeks before Streeter made her announcement,” Overholt said. “I was sad and confused, as I knew she had just received tenure this semester.”
Emma Mulligan (‘27) expressed a sense of uneasiness and interest in how her schedule will change in the wake of Dr. Streeter’s absence.
“Dr. Streeter was not only my advisor, but also the professor I have had the most sociology classes with,” Mulligan stated. “I am excited at the prospect of having more classes with Dr. Gunnoe and getting a new perspective from an adjunct professor, but I am also very nervous as to how my schedule is going to change with her gone.”
Mulligan also found the announcement to be unsurprising, stating, “There seemed to be a clear disconnect between the professor I knew from freshman year and the one from now. I could tell that something was going on, so the news wasn’t all that surprising, especially coupled with the success of her small business.”
Katie Parnell (‘27) echoes this sentiment, believing that much of Streeter’s time and energy has been focused on managing her new bookstore business. “She has openly said since last semester that she no longer likes teaching, so I figured it was only a matter of time before she quit,” she said.
Streeter’s bookstore, Good Girl Books, which started as a mobile, pop-up bookstore, has experienced an increase in success over the past year, with a brick-and-mortar storefront opening in Knoxville.
Streeter said about her bookstore: “it is the endeavor that brings me most joy at this time, and I want to focus on that.”
With Streeter’s exit, the Sociology department is left to find a replacement, something that has imbued a sense of anxiety among students, worried that this will affect their future schedules.
This is especially prevalent among students with a Gender & Women’s Studies (GWS) minor, as Dr. Streeter has acted as the primary, sole coordinator for it. Due to this, the classes are already offered on a limited basis, and Dr. Streeter’s absence only adds an extra barrier to meeting all of the requirements.
“I know of students who are graduating without taking some of the classes on the paradigm, having to replace them with alternative credits,” Mulligan said. “The classes promised, even with the main professor here, are already on the back burner, so if the department cannot find a replacement for GWS, I am very worried for the future of the program and my ability to complete it.”
As the uneasy political climate of the United States echoes its influence into the depths of higher education, some students worry that this may provide a basis for the minor to fade away.
“I think this is a very important topic that needs more people studying it, especially in predominantly red states such as ours,” Overholt stated. “I worry that the minor may be dissolved before people can complete it, and not be offered again in the future. This minor has led me to take classes I otherwise would not have, which have helped me become more aware of the gender bias that has seeped into every aspect of life.”
Chair of the Division of the Social Sciences, Dr. Sharon May, assured students within the division that the GWS minor will continue. “We’ve weathered a change in GWS minor leadership before,” May said in an email sent out to all GWS minors on November 18, “this is a change, but it is not the end of GWS!”
Another concern raised by students is that the workload may become overbearing for the other Associate Professor of Sociology, Dr. Andrew Gunnoe, especially during this adjustment period of finding a new adjunct professor as well as handling a plethora of added-on advisees.
“If they do not hire anyone, I am worried that they will not have the courses that she was supposed to teach, or that they will ask Dr. Gunnoe to teach them, and he will not have time to give each class his full attention,” Parnell said.
However, both Dr. May and Dr. Gunnoe reiterated that the workload will remain the same, with added confidence that the adjunct professor will perform their services to the students very well. “For Spring 2026, we are in the process of finalizing the hire of an adjunct instructor who will teach the courses formerly assigned to Dr. Streeter, two sections of SOC101 and the SOC215 class,” Dr. May said. “Students should expect those classes to be offered as planned. I will announce that name as soon as things are finalized.”
When asked about any advice Dr. Streeter would like to leave for the students at Maryville College as she bids farewell, she said: “Lead with empathy. My departure is a tough transition for many, including myself, but remember that everyone is trying their best given the situation.”
“Kindness and understanding are never overrated,” she said. “Stand up for yourself. Have boundaries. And have joy! You are a person first. And as any good sociologist would say, always make the familiar strange.”
Dr. Rayanne Streeter outside the Good Girl Books pop-up truck with the mascot of the company, her dog Poppy. (Photo Courtesy of Sydney Morris via Good Girl Books’ website)