Dear Haas Undergraduate Administration, Faculty, Haas Students, etc.

We the students, campus organizations, and alumni are writing to you because the Haas School of Business has failed greatly in its “unequivocal commitment” to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion, specific to the Black community. The school claims to seek to create an inclusive environment with diverse students and faculty; however, it is evident that there is a grave lack of action on the part of the Haas undergraduate administration in supporting these efforts. 

For too long the curation of the Black undergraduate experience at Haas has been the labor of the students themselves. Though the institution has implemented initiatives such as the Berkeley Haas Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategic Plan for 2021-2026, much of the labor has fallen on the backs of student-led organizations. It is the Haas Undergraduate Black Business Association (aka HUBBA) that has increased the Black population by approximately 58% according to our data over the past 4 years with no funding, support, or acknowledgment from the administration while they hide behind the excuse of Proposition 209. HUBBA works to recruit Black talent year-round and has created resources and opportunities such as an independent Black Haas Alumni network, independent corporate sponsorships, professional development, and support systems that have led to a 70% average acceptance into the business school over the past 7 years. The work that is done by these students that are meant to be served by the institution is a result of the lack of action that we see from the Haas undergraduate administration to make diversity and inclusion truly a part of its mission. The administration knows this information and requests free DEI consultation from the organization. This as well as the co-opting of recruitment and retention efforts from these student-led initiatives has allowed this institution to ride on the coattails of the students they claim to support.

Though the free labor and minimal resources of these students and grass-roots organizations have increased the diversity of the Haas community, inclusion is heavily influenced at the faculty level. Harvard Business School has 14 Black tenured faculty, Stanford has 12, Haas has 1. This issue is magnified with many Black alumni stating the biggest factor in their dissatisfaction and discrimination at the Haas School of Business has been the lack of diverse faculty who have committed these offensives themselves or unintentionally created environments for this behavior to thrive in the classroom. The impact of this does not only affect the Black community but all students with their curriculum being taught and centered around the same euro-centric business ideas, models, and leaders stifling any global thought. 

It is the faculty that has the influence and power to make many of the decisions that change the culture and make up of the institution, so with 1 Black faculty member, it is clear the Haas School of Business does not want any tangible change to be made. This inaction by the Haas Undergraduate Administration must be addressed.

Call to Action:

The work that is being done now quite frankly is simply not enough. The labor and burden of tangible DEI work, recruitment, and retention are falling onto the backs of student organizations that are not supported with the funding or recognition of our efforts. We, the students directly impacted by this lack of support, challenge Haas to not only be as competitive but a leader for their business school counterparts that are already taking the necessary steps in treating DEI as an urgent issue. Instead of the bureaucratic red tape that often stalls the wave of change, we call Haas to put their underrepresented minority students at the forefront and take action in questioning the status quo that forces DEI work to be a delayed process. 

Demands/Goals:

• Cluster Hire of at least 3 Black Faculty members before the end of the 2021-2022 academic school year.
• Implementation of a paid student task force to justly compensate the student labor of retention and recruitment of underrepresented talent (specifically Black) at Haas (see Appendix 1)
• Public update on the implementation of action items stated in the ‘Beyond Ourselves: A Call for a More Equitable, Sustainable UGBA Program  Petition’ by October 2021. 
• UG DEIBG will be a voting member of the faculty cluster hiring committee.

With the protests of Summer 2020 in the wake of the murder of George Floyd many institutions and corporations saw there is no longer time to be complacent. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are not buzzwords but a basic requirement for the survival of your Black students. The burden should not be on the students but the institution. The time is now. 

Sincerely, 

HUBBA Leadership

Berkeley Students and Alumni

Berkeley Administration Leaders

Members of the General Public