Support Black, Indigenous, Students of Color in their efforts to hold St. Scholastica administration accountable, push for reparations, and make meaningful change in the workings of the college. By signing this petition, you can put pressure on all entities of the college to publicly acknowledge and meet our list of 31 demands which address the historic and prevalent racial disparities, the mistreatment of marginalized/minority groups, and the dismantling of white supremacy.

Students of color are tired. We are always the teachers, the healers, the advocates, the changemakers, the organizers, and the innovators. We’re always on the frontlines. The first to receive the criticism, but rarely the praise. We never get to rest. We never get to just be. We are in white classes, taught by white professors, learning white history and theory, at a white institution, in a white city, in a white state, under white systems. We’re paying thousands of dollars, to endure systemic racism and trauma and continue to have our emotions, concerns, questions, and complaints dismissed, gaslighted, or placated. We’re told we need to “wait” for change. Wait for a new president, new professors, a new “diversity” plan, new funding, well, Scholastica, your time is up. We’re no longer waiting for change, change is happening now.

Find CSS Ain't Saints on Facebook and Instagram to further support Black, Indigenous, students of color, and LGBTQ+ students at the College of Saint Scholastica.  

https://www.facebook.com/CSS-Aint-Saints-104355701358503/?modal=admin_todo_tour​

https://www.instagram.com/cssaintsaints/

 

List of Demands

-  Student Life

1.   We demand a public apology from President Barbra McDonald and Megan Perry Spears for the mistreatment of student discrimination cases and the mishandling of the cases after their removal.  

•    The public apology from the President and Dean of students must be presented in person and on all online platforms which include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, the CSS website, etc. This apology must take full accountability for the harm imposed on the Black, Indigenious, and Students of Color (BISOC) community at CSS with clear next steps to ensure this harm is not going to continue. The apology must address the lack of transparency, accountability and professionalism noted by BISOC.

2. We demand improved campus services that cater to the unique and diverse needs of BISOC by January 2021.

•    All of CSS’ campus services must cater to the unique and diverse needs of students of color. We demand the hiring of permanent mental health professionals of color who are equipped to help with the daily lives of students of color. The counselors hired must have a specific experience working with Black, Indigenious, and People of Color (BIPOC) and be accessible to graduate students. 

•    Other campus services that require an increase in faculty of color include career services, financial aid, academic support services, the center for equal access, and the Health and Wellness Center. 

•   We ask for full transparency regarding which students are involved in interview and hiring processes.

•    All services available to students on campus need to be reevaluated and assessed on how their programming and outreach is impacting traditionally underrepresented students. 

3.  We demand that CSS increase funding, resources, and personnel for the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion on campus to hire additional professionals, particularly those of color, boosting outreach and programming across campus, and increasing campus-wide awareness and visibility.

•    The Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion provides much-needed support as well as safe spaces on campus for historically underrepresented students. By increasing funding, resources, and personnel, the college will provide a more inclusive and educated campus for BISOC. This includes moving the EDI offices to career services, increasing funding to EDI and MLO, greater outreach to incoming students of color, the hiring of a provost, implementing an EDI for graduate students, and giving EDI it's own funding for revamping its spaces every other year. 

4.   We demand CSS double the number of BISOC over the next 2 years starting Fall 2020.

•    The CSS student population is comprised of 18% of BISOC including international students and 82% of white students. We demand that CSS recruits more BISOC with a clear focus on retention. The college must double the number of BISOC within all schools of study and in both undergraduate and graduate levels. 

•    We demand the release of recruitment and retention plans.

5.   We demand that Residential Life prioritize BISOC housing/roommate requests.

•    In order to create a safe and culturally comfortable environment for BISOC it is imperative that they are given the opportunity to choose who they live with. BISOC have historically endured hostile living environments within residence halls and individual households on campus. •    It should be noted that unforeseen circumstances that impact housing placements, including those regarding student attendance, must be considered. In instances that due dates have passed, we emphasize that allowing BISOC a safe space to live is to be the responsibility and priority of Residential Life and the college as a whole. In that, we demand that in such situations requests are not hindered by prior deadlines. 

6.  We demand an increase in the current student employment wages from minimum wage ($9.86 plus 60 cents more for foodservice and facility workers) to $11 with an increase each semester gradually reaching $15 in 2.5 years beginning in November 2020.

•    Many CSS students support themselves as well as pay tuition with an on-campus job. However, students shouldn’t need two or three jobs, due to low pay, to do so. We demand that this increase is for all student workers and all current and future student employment opportunities.

7.  We demand a ‘Black, Indigenous, and Students of Color only’ on-campus housing on the CSS Duluth main campus. We demand the residency be functional within the next year.

•    Separate housing for BISOC gives students a safe, culturally comfortable environment as well as reinforces the environment to live and learn in. This will not only get more BISOC on the campus but keep them there to help them get their degrees. 

•    Placement in BISOC only on-campus housing must only be done by request.

•    BISOC only on-campus housing must not receive inappropriate heavy policing. 

•    The residency must take place in one of the back apartments (Cedar/Scanlon/Kerst) and have a RA of color. It is to be funded by either the housing department or give EDI the funds to fully fund it. It is to be cleaned weekly and if any work orders are made, they are to be made a priority.

8. We demand that CSS make work orders submitted for the CJL a top priority starting at the beginning of the 2020-2021 academic year.

•    Students who utilize the CJLs resources daily should not have to put in multiple work orders for the problem to be fixed. The problem on the work order should be prioritized and fixed within five days of submission.

9. We demand that the Health and Wellness Center have greater access for people with disabilities and upperclassmen by the end of the 2020 fall semester.

•    Getting to the Health and Wellness center is a lot harder for students with disabilities and upperclassmen. This is because there is a lack of accessibility to this part of the school. Upperclassmen should not have to wait until a freshman walks by to get to the Health and Wellness center, especially when it is advertised that it is an on-campus service for everyone.

10. We demand that the school cut ties with Aramark within the next year. 

•    This needs to be done immediately. By continuing to work with Aramark, CSS is requiring Black and Brown students to fund an institution that greatly incarcerates their own people. 

 

- Policies 

11. We demand that CSS Ain’t Saints receives credit for plans, changes, or acknowledgments that are or have been implemented due to our demands.

•    As a group, CSS Ain’t Saints has noticed clear use of our first set of demands by the college. Despite claims that certain goals have been priorities for the college, we demand that CSS Ain’t Saints is recognized for both calling administration to action and providing steps to do so. Especially considering the implementation of specific projects, policies, or revisions mentioned in this list of demands, we demand a public statement via email, social media, and staff/faculty meetings acknowledging the contribution of CSS Ain’t Saints to changes in the college. 

12. We demand a resigning of the colleges’ photographic consent and release form annually so that BISOC can authorize the use of their names, pictures, and likeness for marketing and press beginning with the 2020-2021 academic school year.

•    CSS marginalizes BISOC and then proceeds to use student’s likeness for marketing and press. Resigning the consent and release form should be done annually and be on cor for students to find. This must be available for all undergraduate and graduate students for all events/marketing opportunities.

13.  We demand an accurate percentage of the BISOC that attend CSS displayed on the school’s website by September 14th, 2020.

•    If you refer back to the percentage of students who attend CSS in demand eight, those numbers are on the CSS website. However, we demand an accurate percentage of those students and whether they are undergraduate, graduate, extended, or online students and for all CSS locations. 

14.  We demand a better in-depth understanding of bias report procedures by the end of September 2020.

•    The school's bias report form is only accessible from the EDI webpage on the school’s website and not from the ‘Power Based Violence Policies’ webpage. The procedures and policies are very vague with repeating language insinuating that every incident is the same. The page states that reporting anonymously “greatly limits the ability of the college to address the issue.” This is unacceptable. CSS needs understandable, concrete bias report procedures so that the incidents that are reported don’t fall through the cracks. The outcomes of this policy as well as others need to be fully transparent. The follow-ups of the bias reports also need to not retraumatize students who choose to state their names when reporting an incident. 

15. We demand that all policies and committees be transparent, detailed, and accessible by being displayed on the college’s website by September 2020. 

•    All of CSS’s policies need to be made public and easily accessible by being displayed on cor and the school’s website. No one should have to endlessly search for any of the school’s past, present, or future policies that are in place. 

•    We ask that all CSS committees have a tab available on cor listing committee members, a designated contact, how to get involved, and updates, similar to that of the Policy Committee tab.

16. We demand that all of the college’s financial information be transparent and available on cor for students to have access to by the end of September 2020.

•    All of the college’s financial information should be accessible to all current students. The information needs to be detailed and transparent, specifically in the allocation of tuition. Students must know where their tuition is going.

17. We demand the suspension of firing staff/faculty from the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion during a pandemic or financial emergency starting at the beginning of the 2020-2021 academic school year.

•    During a pandemic, among other national crises or emergencies, BIPOC are hit the hardest. Historically underrepresented students should not fear that their main support system in a predominantly white institution will no longer be there for them during hard times. The EDI staff provide crucial support for students and should be the last people the college fires during a time of crisis. 

18. We demand the on campus food shelf remain open during a pandemic or crisis with updated safety and health procedures or offer students an alternative source.

•    During the COVID-19 pandemic the college has cut student employee hours meaning that they are making less money. This means that buying food gets harder. Shutting down the food shelf during a time of crisis is inhumane for all students, especially those who already utilize the food shelf. 

•    If the college chooses to shut down the food shelf during a pandemic, it needs to offer students an alternative source so that they can eat. The college must not rely solely on entities such as SGA or other programs for financial relief. 

19. We demand that Campus Safety honor the accessibility of the Center for Just Living and Intercultural Center.

•    The CJL and IC are open to BISOC 24/7 with the exception of designated cleaning hours. However, students have been heavily policed by Campus Safety after dark and kicked out of the spaces after a certain time. We demand that this accessibility be upheld by Campus Safety.

•    We demand that instances of students being wrongfully asked to leave the CJL or IC by Campus Safety be taken seriously, produce an apology, and result in disciplinary action.

20. We demand that when hiring for any position, the pool of candidates must contain at least 50% of BIPOC starting at the beginning of the 2020-2021 academic school year.

•    This includes both phone and in-person interviews along with heavily advertising positions to BIPOC. 

21.   We demand that CSS comply with all of the ADA guidelines and beyond to ensure the complete accessibility for all students, staff, faculty with disabilities by the end of the fall 2020 semester. 

•    The lack of accessibility on campus for students, staff, and faculty with disabilities is unacceptable and needs to be updated as soon as possible. If CSS is advertised as a place for everyone then the college needs to follow through on that.

22.  We demand that information about the tuition increase(s) be made public knowledge by being on the school’s website starting with the 2020-2021 school year.

•    Tuition increase greatly affects both incoming and current students. This information needs to be made public on the school’s website so that students can know right away how much CSS is going to cost them. 

 

- Academics

23.   We demand more diverse course offerings for critical race theory, community engagement, and social justice issues.

•    These diverse classes are to be taught by professors of color with intense backgrounds in said subjects. They are to be offered for both undergraduate and graduate-level as well as an option for all students regardless of their major. This includes Native American studies, Chicanx & Latinx studies, Asian American studies, African American studies, and African studies.

24.  We demand an increase in staff and faculty of color in all departments prioritizing majors such as Peace and Justice Studies, Global, Culture, and Language Studies, Social Work, ASL, and Spanish Language studies by the 2021 spring semester.

•    Most BISOC take classes in these departments or declare them as majors. They need to be taught by professors who understand and have very detailed backgrounds in these subjects for students to be fully immersed culturally. By spring 2021, 2/3rd of the directors of the majors listed in the demand must be BIPOC.

25. We demand a mandatory program be developed and implemented over the next 2 years that requires every student, regardless of major, to take a class asking the questions “Do you know how your career is upholding white supremacy? How will you choose to fight against it?”. 

•    The program should be in a Dignitas fashion that is mandatory for graduation. Classes should be taught by professors of color and should be seminar-style. This program should be living and growing with a level of accountability. 

 

- Staff & Faculty 

26.  We demand an increase in faculty/staff of color hires and retention starting at the beginning of the 2020/2021 school year. 

•    The College of Saint Scholastica must do better when it comes to hiring staff and faculty who are BIPOC. We demand an increase to in part ensure the increased success of traditionally underrepresented students on campus. All faculty who are BIPOC must be made a priority for tenure with competitive and equal pay that is comparable to their white coworkers. 

•    We demand the release of recruitment and retention plans.

27.  We demand that the salary of the current and past president(s) of CSS be made accessible by including this on the school’s website. This includes information on why they are being paid the amount that they are and if that money is coming from our tuition.

•    We demand full transparency regarding presidential salary, especially when the school continues to pay the past two presidents. We specifically ask that the salaries of President McDonald, Geary, and Goodwin displayed on the school’s website. We acknowledge that this information is released at the end of each fiscal year, and ask that the display be updated in a timely manner.

28.   We demand that all staff/faculty of color, current and future hires, receive free and accessible counseling starting at the beginning of the spring semester of 2021.

•    Being staff/faculty of color at a predominantly white institution can be overwhelming. In order to properly support staff and faculty of color, the college must provide services that care for the mental health and well-being of their employees. The free counseling services should be continuous as long as they work at the college. 

29. We demand complete protection for all staff/faculty if they choose to speak out against discrimination within the institution starting at the beginning of the 2020-2021 academic school year. 

•    This includes BIPOC staff/faculty , LGBTQIA+ staff/faculty, staff/faculty with disabilities and genetic information, and staff/faculty with a certain religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy), and age. If they choose to speak out, there will be no retaliation from the institution against them. Professors and staff should not have to choose between helping or supporting students and their jobs. 

30.   We demand that staff and faculty hold themselves and others accountable for any discriminatory and racist incidents that happen on the CSS campus. 

•    The staff and faculty need to take full responsibility for their discriminatory actions as well as others. There needs to be full transparency on the issue(s) and they are taken seriously.

31. We demand the removal of the ‘Chief’ title from all CSS positions and for alternative titles be selected from a survey sent to students by September 18th, 2020.

 •   The use of the word chief has derogatory implications and does not belong in any titles belonging to CSS staff or faculty. 

•   We have attached a story from MPR describing the City of Duluth’s decision to do the same. https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/06/17/city-of-duluth-moves-to-remove-the-word-chief-from-key-job-titles

 

We Expect a response to these Demands by September 23rd 2020

The Top 5

Subject to change as demands are met.

1.      We demand a public apology from President Barbra McDonald and the current dean of students Megan Perry Spears. (Demand #1)

 

2.     We demand improved campus services that cater to the unique and diverse needs of BISOC starting at the beginning of the 2021 spring semester. (Demand #2)

3.      We demand a resigning of the colleges’ photographic consent and release form annually so that BISOC can authorize the use of their names, pictures, and likeness for marketing and press beginning with the 2020-2021 academic school year. (Demand #12) 

4.       We demand complete protection for all staff/faculty if they choose to speak out against discrimination within the intuition starting at the beginning of the 2020-2021 academic school year. (Demand #29)

5.      We demand the removal of the ‘Chief’ title from all CSS positions. (Demand #31)

We demand that at least 50% of these demands be met by the end of the 2020-2021 school year.