Student meeting with ISU President on 18 April 2024

ThisIsTheMovement Statement 

28, April 2024

Addressing Systemic Racism at Indiana State University

For information on current status, organizing initiatives, and direct contact with organizers, please visit us on Instagram @This.IsTheMovement

On Thursday, 18 April 2024, at 1:30pm EST, Students had a meeting with President Deborah Curtis, Provost Christoper Olsen, Executive Director of Legal Services Joyce Thompson-Mills, and Assistant to President for Human Relations Sumalayo Jackson. Students presented their demands and were met with dismissal and lack of commitment. The President stated that university departments had not been told to stay silent about this issue, however, we still face a broader campus environment where staff and faculty feel afraid to speak out. Despite this, the President did not commit to allowing departments to freely express their concerns for students and fully support anybody who may be impacted by this situation. The University President refused to apologize for a lack of response and the lack of community care in the face of such a violent display of racism. The President refused to cooperate with students.

We attended the meeting wanting to emphasize that it is not about the singular video, nor are students asking for any FERPA protected information to be shared about the offending student, but about the environment that allowed the video to happen, and highlight that this is one instance out of the many that happen on a daily basis. We asked for tangible action that would show that the university is dedicated to an inclusive learning environment. We, The Students, want Indiana State University to succeed. It is important to understand the outcomes of unchecked behaviors and the impact that it has on students, staff and faculty. These are Sycamores. Sycamores who give back, Sycamores who create the culture, Sycamores that build up Indiana State University.

Silence is violence. Staying silent is to foster university environments that do not enrich students' experience by not allowing students to feel safe and included regardless of the color of their skin, their background, and any other identities they may carry. Students should be encouraged to speak out when injustice is present. With the promise of the Indiana State University Mission Statement, this silence shows a lack of commitment to keeping students, staff, and faculty safe, seen, and heard. Inclusiveness, being one of the core values of the ISU Mission Statement, has continued to be under-delivered. It should be a goal to ensure students have ways to speak about any injustices directly or indirectly affecting them. The students who attended the meeting with the President were provided with good information that all students should have available to them. For this reason, we are asking the university to commit to what was discussed during the meeting on Thursday, 18 April 2024, by making a public statement that includes the following:

• Issue an immediate apology from President, Deborah Curtis, and Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Christopher Olsen acknowledging the harm done by their inaction and an explanation for why it took so long to respond to the situation.
• A written clarification that all departments are allowed/encouraged to make their own statements highlighting their goals and values of diversity and inclusivity, as well as adequately support students during this time.
• A commitment to implement campus-wide training initiatives to ensure ISU remains a welcoming and inclusive campus that students and alumni will continue to return to, engage with, and foster community around.
• A description and timeline of the plans to update the Student Code of Conduct and commitment to follow up on those plans; ensuring proof of commitment from Indiana State University of the updated Student Code of Conduct.
• A commitment to greater transparency in relation to the processes and procedures associated with Title IX and Bias Reporting.