On June 5th, Chancellor Sheri Everts sent out the first email ever stating "Black Lives Matter." This happened in response to an email sent out a few days earlier that did not address student concerns. Her actions here are performative and what she said is not enough. Nowhere near. That email is not worth praise. She should have done this from the start. She should have publicly denounced white supremacists when that banner was hung and properly dealt with the chalking issue a few years ago. She has only done the bare minimum, and we need to continue to apply pressure to keep her and the rest of Appalachian State accountable.

In her email, she states that, "When racism is institutionalized, change — to be real and effective — must be implemented across the entire institution."

She's right about that. Which is why she needs to step down and have someone else take her place. Someone who won't turn a blind eye when given evidence of injustice on our campus and country. Someone who will do more than write a performative email that does nothing to enact change on our campus. Someone who will actually follow up on the demands of black students. If change has to be implemented across the entire institution, we should start with the person who has ignored the problem for years.