David Jesse

Detroit Free Press

In a 5 ½ minute online video, members of Eastern Michigan University’s NAACP chapter vowed to increase the pressure on the university until student code violations issued against black student protesters are dropped and the university does more to find those responsible for a series of racial incidents last semester.

The stark video – featuring a series of voices reading a script over simple pictures of black Eastern students’ faces – was posted Tuesday on Facebook as a letter to the university administration. It had more than 2,500 views on it as of 10 a.m. Wednesday.

'We, the black students of Eastern Michigan University, are disgusted, angry and hurt by the way we are being dealt with for our justified public expressions," the voice over begins, before detailing the various incidents that occurred last semester, including racial slurs spray-painted on walls in several incidents and a series of phone calls to black students living on campus calling them monkeys.

This video contains language that some viewers may consider offensive.

"Since the first message was found in September, we have been waiting for a sign that Eastern Michigan University understands its diverse campus community and more than that understands the racial climate surrounding the campus. Instead, the only people who we have seen punished, criminalized, threatened and physically moved by police officers are black students. The very same students being targeted by these racists who are still at large are being reminded daily how far they are allowed to step before meeting the punishing hand of the EMU Code of Conduct."

EMU spokesman Geoff Larcom this morning said Eastern is respectful of those protesting.

Also on Freep.com:

He helped start 1967 Detroit riot, now his son struggles with the legacy

"Eastern Michigan University encourages our students to exercise the right to express their views on matters of public importance and matters that are important to them, including those expressed in the recent Facebook post," he said in an email to the Free Press. "EMU has always and will continue to support the rights of our students to peacefully demonstrate. This has been illustrated time and again on this campus, this year and in the past. This past fall, the university worked diligently with our students to manage the variety of protests peacefully, and with a great level of appreciation and respect for students’ anger and frustration over the incidents that have occurred."

Larcom also painted the university as a target of vandals and racial hatred because it "has embraced diversity and inclusiveness."

"These incidents didn't happen because we are against diversity or black students, but because we welcome, encourage and embrace this diversity as a core value. Viewed in that sense, EMU is likely a target because we have such a visible commitment to diversity and it threatens people who fear that.

"Racists are the real culprits here. It's not our students, faculty staff or administration – all of whom are dedicated professionals who commit themselves each and every day to making this campus a safe place for men and women of all backgrounds and orientations."

Related:

KKK, racial slurs painted on EMU building spark protest march

Reward doubled after more racist graffiti found at Eastern Michigan

Larcom said no students have been arrested or expelled for participating in demonstrations or protests, "nor has any action been taken that would delay or deny students’ progress toward their degrees."

Following an all-night sit-in at the Student Center, multiple students involved in the protest were issued code of conduct violations. Those students included Michael Wood, a senior secondary education student.

A Nov. 17 letter to Wood from Eastern's Office of Student Conduct, Community Standards and Wellness said he was originally charged with disruptive conduct, "failure to comply with a lawful order of a university official" and "violation of any policy or guidelines to pertaining to specific usage of a university facility."

The letter says the university found a "preponderance of the evidence" supports all the charges, but Wood was only found to have violated one charge — failure to comply with a university official.

"Additionally, there is evidence to substantiate other violations of the Student Conduct Code," the letter says. "However, due to the 20-minute period being given for people to leave without consequence, the failure to adhere to posted building hours and disruption of the closing of the building will be decided as not responsible."

Wood had a formal reprimand placed in his file. Wood is the only one of the four students that has publicly identified himself as being charged and the only one to share his letter with the Free Press.

"This issue has never been about the students' right to demonstrate or protest," Eastern spokesman Larcom said in his statement. "We have supported and encouraged those efforts throughout. We do not allow any group to occupy our closed buildings and, in turn, force our employees to work overtime to keep control of the work areas to and for which they are assigned. The issue at hand is violating a student conduct policy that specifically references occupying and refusing to leave a closed building. That is the only incident at issue in this situation."

The video letter also says the students have received no update on the search for vandal suspects. The university has announced a $10,000 reward in the case. Larcom disputed that and said university officials have given several updates over the fall semester.

The students vow to keep protesting.

"The protests will continue indefinitely," the students repeat several times towards the end of the video.

The students also reiterated they want Eastern Michigan to take action on a lit of 10 demands they have made - which include having the black faculty percentage match the black student percentage and having a course on black studies in every major.

Eastern Michigan has been working on the demands and has given several updates on it, Larcom said.

Contact David Jesse: 313-222-8851 or djesse@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: @reporterdavidj