November 2015

 

President Wildes and members of the Loyola administration:

 

In recent weeks, our country has witnessed the mistreatment of students of color at the University of Missouri.  Initially, we were quick to say “this couldn’t be us,” and yet after these events occurred, we found ourselves holding a town hall where members of our community stated otherwise. We stood in solidarity with Mizzou and were forced to hold a mirror to our own institution of higher learning, only to come to the realization that we too, students of color, experience instances of racial insensitivity, stereotypes and marginalizations, microagressions, and a lack of cultural competence and acceptance. The aforementioned take place in our lecture halls, where we learn; in our residence halls, where we live; amongst our administrators and faculty, who should be advocating for us; and in the departments and offices which should be improving our collegiate experiences. The students of Mizzou ignited a call to action, and as such, we are answering with demands to improve the student experience and correct years of wrongdoing, underrepresentation, and other deep-rooted problems of racism and social injustice at our university.

 

Although we are not the first students of color admitted to Loyola during the 1960s, we are still facing the same adversity. To name one of several: the lack of services aimed at minority students upon enrolling in our institution.  We attend college for academic success and increased opportunities, but it is difficult to be a scholar while you are combating subtle racism.  It is difficult to be a scholar when you cannot afford to attend an institution that was built on the very backs of your ancestors. When you ask for assistance in filling out your financial aid and you’re told “figure it out yourself,” what exactly are you to do? When a great percentage of the black people who started school with you do not persist to graduation, how are you to cope? How can an institution which prides itself on caring for the individual person and teaching behaviors that reflect critical thought and responsible action on moral and ethical issues, accept us but not retain us?

 

Students of color and students from marginalized populations make up a significant percentage of students at our university. The University prides itself on celebrating multiculturalism and having a diverse student body, yet we are served by faculty and administrators that do not reflect us. And when asked about the lack of diversity among faculty, there is no action plan for improvement nor an explanation about why hiring practices have been so limited. The faculty and administration must begin to reflect our student body. We cannot continue to simply see black and brown faces only in the staff which cook and clean for the university.

 

Our commitment to diversity must now be shown through actions. It is incomprehensible how all of our Jesuit sister schools who share our name have multicultural offices and promote intentional learning around diversity and inclusion while we barely offer programs and services to educate our student body around these issues. Loyola University New Orleans, we are calling on you to do better. We are now holding you accountable to make permanent decisions that affect our education and daily lives. As we have learned from the great organizer Saul Alinsky, it’s time to end the status quo and break through the accepted pattern. We are past the point of asking because we have learned that asking gets you underfunded programs and services that do not tackle the issues, insincere letters and actions, and a plethora of problems we are left to resolve on our own. It is time to level our playing field. It is time to revision Loyola as an institution which is inclusive, supportive, understanding, and accepting of students from all backgrounds for years to come.

 

Father Wildes, it is time for Loyola to actively exemplify our Jesuit values and cultivate a community which shows concern for the poor and oppressed. It is time for our University to show care for students from vulnerable and underserved populations. It is time for transformational change to deal with systemic and institutional issues that continue to cause discontent within the student body. That being said, the following are our demands for change. We would like to work together and in a transparent manner to create ways in which to address these issues.

 

We advise you to take heed to these demands. If they are not met, there will be student unrest. We deserve better, and we will not rest until we see change.

 

I.               Diversity & Inclusion Strategic Action Plans

·      We demand the urgent development of a strategic action plan concerning diversity and inclusiveness. The plan should begin to be implemented by the beginning of fall 2016 academic semester. Provisions in this plan must include:

o   Establishment of a taskforce focused on multiculturalism and inclusion made up of administration, student leaders, staff, and faculty, especially those of color and of marginalized identities. The committee should complete a campus climate survey and a thorough analysis of intercultural affairs on campus.

o   Hiring of a Chief Diversity Officer to oversee institutional equity initiatives and fairness in faculty hiring practices by May 2016 based on the recommendation of said diversity committee.

o   Hiring of at least two (2) full-time staff members in the Department of Student Involvement to work specifically with minority students and diversity and inclusion programs.

o   Implementation of a required sensitivity and inclusivity training for all new hires including administrators, faculty, staff, and student employees.

o   Appointment of students of color to university-wide committees to represent the interests of multicultural student groups.

·      We demand a 3 – 5 year strategic plan to be implemented beginning in fall of 2017. The plan must include:

o   Plans for funding and supporting an Office of Institutional Equity, led by the Chief Diversity Officer and advised by the committee on diversity

o   Plans for establishing and funding a Department of Multicultural Affairs housed within the Office of Student Affairs with a dual-reporting relationship to the Chief Diversity Officer. Staff members working on diversity issues in Student Involvement must move into the Department of Multicultural Affairs upon establishment.

o   Plans for intentional and inclusive academic advising.

 

II.             Professional Staff and Faculty

·      We demand that the University and Human Resources make intentional efforts to employ a diverse professional staff. Staff members should reflect the make-up of the student body and students whom are being recruited.

o   Upon hire, all employees must be take part in mandated inclusivity training.

·      We demand that all current staff and faculty receive diversity and inclusive training focused on social issues concerning gender, race, power, privilege, ethnicity, religious diversity, sexual orientation, and working with marginalized students and students of color.

·      We demand that the Chief Diversity Officer and committee on diversity be consulted by all Deans and Vice Presidents during the hiring process to ensure intentional, fair, and equitable practices are followed.

·      We demand that minority faculty members make up 10% - 15% of the overall faculty by 2020.

o   There is particularly a need for more black professors in the STEM programs.

·      We demand to have more tenured professors of color and for the creation of a pipeline tenure-track program for faculty of color.

·      We demand to see diverse and faculty of color in every department on campus.

·      We demand more a staff of more inclusive academic advisors, reflective of the student body by the fall 2016 semester.

 

III.           Student Life and Curriculum

 

·      We demand for a shift of our campus culture to better reflect the Jesuit ideals of the university through the following:

o   Offering of mandatory and voluntary on-going programming to engage students in meaningful discussions and experiences that emphasize diversity and inclusion. The required programming should take place during orientation and continue throughout the fall semester. Failure to complete mandatory programs should result in revocation of online access for students.

o   Creation of a University 101 course for all students that discusses myriad of important issues that help students transition and persist successfully. Topics include but are not limited to the following:

§  Diversity and Inclusion

§  Reading and Understanding Financial Aid

§  Being Engaged on Campus

§  Small group discussion on campus climate and multicultural affairs

o   Updating the common curriculum to include a requirement of at least 2 courses focused on the experience racial and ethnic minorities, women and gender studies, intersectionalities, or race, power, and privilege.

o   More intentional hiring of student of color and marginalized students in student leadership positions, especially Krewe Leaders and Resident Assistants.

·      We demand more funding for student organizations and programs which empower students of color and those from marginalized groups including the Black Student Union, National Association of Colored Women’s Groups Inc., Commuter Student Association, and Brothers for Progress.

·      We demand the development of a multicultural leadership group that cooperates and collaborates with SGA in order to ensure that the financial and administrative needs of the marginalized. students including commuters are met.

o   This group should meet with the President and high level administrators on a regular basis.

 

 

IV.           Enrollment & Retention

·      We demand that a minority outreach counselor be hired in the Offices of Admissions and Financial Aid to recruit students of color from underserved regions and within the inner-city of New Orleans. The counselor should:

o   Recruit students of color from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

o   Host special workshops during New Student Orientation to ensure that parents and students have full understanding of financial aid package.

o   Assist students with finding additional and outside scholarships to support academic pursuits.

·      We demand that the Office of Enrollment Management show their commitment to recruitment and retention of minority students through the establishment of an emergency fund for students color and marginalized students experiencing financial hardships.

·      We demand an increase the amount of institutional aid provided to minority and marginalized students in order to enhance the retention of said students.

·      We demand that 10 – 15% of philanthropic dollars raised to be used to establish scholarships for students of color and low-income students.

·      We demand that all financial aid officers receive customer service  training, specifically for working with and supporting marginalized students and students of color

·      We demand that a position be hired within the Student Success Center to ensure retention of students from marginalized backgrounds. The incumbent should:

o   Develop substantial programs to promote a 4-year graduation rate for students of color.

o   Develop more success programs aimed specifically at students of color and other minority students.

 

Signed on behalf of concerned students of all backgrounds by the Black Student Union, the L.O.V.E. Chapter of the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs, and Brothers for Progress.