HSOC Demands

The Front Article on HSOC experiences in the Honors Program

Honors Students of Color (HSOC) was created in 2019 by Silvia Leija. We have been an active student body and representative voice for students of color. However, many of our efforts have ultimately been unsuccessful due to a lack of support from the Honors Program. Thus, we released 10 demands on February 1st, 2022.

 

A few of our experiences:

- The usage of the N word by white students and professors

- Backlash when reporting the usage of the N word

- Studying Eurocentric and racist curriculum that excludes the BIPOC perspective and emphasizes BIPOC trauma from the white colonialist’s perspective

- Being continuously diluted through having our concerns lumped in with other marginalized groups

 

Updates:

Honors still hasn’t publicly addressed our demands. In general, there has been very little communication with HSOC from the Honors staff including Honors excluding certain members of HSOC in emails. Our demands have been put on the back burner. HSOC members have been doing work that will improve Honors unpaid. Not only is this time consuming, but it also takes an immense amount of emotional labor.

Demands that have not been addressed:

2- Hiring another staff member that HSOC can go to who deals specifically with DEI and student of color retention in the program with a paid student assistant (who has experience in DEI). The hiring committee must include HSOC members and mentors.

 3- More faculty and staff of color (who teach classes about race, not white professors). The hiring and/or selection committee must include HSOC members and mentors

7- Public access to retention and dropout rates for students of color in the program.

9-Designated permanent student of color positions on Honors Board (at least 2)

10- Immediate demand: A reporting system in Honors for students of color experiencing microaggression and racism. There must be ways in place for them to not take a certain professor, move out of a roommate situation, change an advisor, or any other actions they need immediately if something does happen (while working on longer term goals).

Demands that have been denied:

1- Ending the usage of the N word by non-Black students, staff, faculty, and administration in the Honors Program. There must be repercussions for those who violate this.

4- Financial reparations: Annual scholarships for Honors students of color, more HSOC funding, and DEI development and community building retreats akin to Honors Prologue.

Demands that have been pushed back/deprioritized:

5- Honors student of color affinity housing in Edens Hall

8- Curriculum reform: An analysis of the first-year sequence’s efficacy in terms of cultural sensitivity and student satisfaction with an emphasis on Black and Indigenous student of color experiences. In addition, updating the Honors curriculum (with BIPOC authors) from less racist/Eurocentric to more anti-racist content that challenges white narratives.

6- A racial and accessibility Honors Program climate survey in consultation with HSOC.

 

What you can do:

- Read our demands

- Sign this petition

- Follow and repost on instagram @hsoc.wwu

- Help us hold Scott Linneman accountable, make sure Honors communicates with us

- Reflect on your own practices, what affirms students of color and what doesn’t?

- Listen to students of color and your colleagues of color

- Make sure students feel protected and don’t fear retaliation