Minority students issue 'demands,' set deadlines at MSU

Threatening protests, a group of mostly black students has delivered to Missouri State University officials seven pages of "demands."

The students — setting specific deadlines — are insisting the university make a series of immediate changes, starting with the "acknowledgement of systemic racism in higher education" and a "zero tolerance policy for hate crimes."

They also seek personnel changes, naming rights for the planned Diversity Center, an audit of multicultural services, revamped curriculum, more diverse faculty, and majors that reflect the "history, culture and perspective of underrepresented people in America."

President Clif Smart said the university considers the group of students to be representative of the school's minority population and is taking the list seriously. Pressed about the students' language expressing ultimatums, Smart said officials consider the letter "dialogue" not "demands."

Ravyn Brooks, who signed the list along with six other students, said: "We want to hold the administration accountable for its public affairs mission. ... They say 'cultural competency,' they say 'ethical leadership,' they say 'community engagement' — actually do those things."

The students contend Smart says the right things, especially in front of the media, but isn't getting things done.

Students delivered their demands during a Tuesday meeting with Smart, Dean of Students Thomas Lane and Vice President for Student Affairs Dee Siscoe. It was the latest in a string of meetings between the students and the administration in recent weeks.

"Students of color are placated with 'conversations' about our 'concerns' while the status quo for power and privilege remains unchanged," the students wrote at the top of the list. "For this reason, we, the students of color, present the following demands. If these demands go unmet, we are prepared to demonstrate, protest and exercise our right to press until they are."

Brooks is the primary spokeswoman. Asked if the group was calling for the resignation of Smart or other university officials, she said: "Not yet."

"It seems like there is a front of support but no action," Brooks said. "There needs to be action."

MSU officials responded in large part through Lane.

"We want a campus community where students feel empowered to voice their concerns, where they are engaged in the process of making positive institutional change," Lane told the News-Leader. "That is the same spirit I'd hope we'd see in our graduates as they get into their communities and engage with their communities."

Lane said the students he met with this week are "engaging in activism with the goal of creating a better campus for all students — especially students of color — and they deserve to have their voices heard, to have their ideas seriously reviewed and considered.

"And to know, most importantly, that they matter."

The News-Leader talked to students on Missouri State's campus and asked them about what they thought of the situation.

MSU student Rianna Jones: I agree with the demands MSU student Rianna Jones: I agree with the demands

Rianna Jones, an 18-year-old MSU student says she agrees with the demands made by the student group.

MSU student Derell DeRamus: I'm very happy that students are taking a stand MSU student Derell DeRamus: I'm very happy that students are taking a stand

Derell DeRamus, a 21-year-old MSU senior said the university can and should meet the student demands. "If they happen it will make campus seem more inclusive,” he said.

During his time on campus, DeRamus has seen an increased awareness of racial issues but that doesn’t mean the climate has improved, he said.

“I’ve seen a lot of change in conversation but not in action,” he said.

MSU Grad Student Taylor Juenger: It's important to recognize needs MSU grad student TaylorJuenger: I think it's important we recognize the needs of these students

Taylor Juenger, a graduate student at MSU said, "I think it's important we recognize the needs of these students." The demands are "civil and well put together," she said.

The first deadline set is Dec. 1. By then, the students want the university to issue a public statement the includes the following:

• Acknowledge systemic racism in higher education

• Commit to differentiating "hate speech" from "freedom of speech"

• Institute "zero tolerance policy" for hate crimes

• Explain the decision to move multicultural services under Student Affairs (It used be under Diversity and Inclusion)

MSU officials said they have already started working on the statement.

"We intend to be timely and transparent in our response," Lane said.

'Don't feel involved'

A campus study commissioned by MSU showed 45 percent of minority students and employees surveyed believed they have been treated differently because of their racial or ethnic identity. Leading up to the release of that report in March — and in the months since — the university has taken steps to become more diverse and inclusive.

Those steps include diversity training, numerous panel discussions on race issues, inviting speakers from diverse backgrounds to address students on campus and the creation of three task forces — set up by the administration, students and the faculty — to recommend changes.

"It is a top priority for me that we continue to improve our climate so every student of every background feels more included," Smart told the News-Leader. "This is meaningful to me. It's probably the most important issue I'll deal with."

MSU officials want to recruit more diversity on campus, reduce turnover among diverse employees, help more students from "underrepresented" groups, and reduce the number of reports — while rare — of discrimination, harassment, hostility or retaliation.

Xavier Torres-Ghoston, who also signed the list of demands, said diverse students don't always feel welcome on campus.

"A lot of people don't feel a sense of community on this campus and they don't feel involved so they leave," he said. "In the classroom, sometimes you are the only black person in a room of 100."

At scheduled "tough talks" on campus in the past week, Smart said he has listened as minority students described feeling isolated, unwanted and "under a microscope."

"That breaks my heart," he said. "We, as a university, are going to have to do a better job."

Monica Villa Meza, a student who signed the list of demands, grew up in Monett, but because she is Hispanic, she is frequently asked "Where are you from? What language do you speak?"

"I'm involved (in the list) because I don't believe we have a voice here. We don't belong here," said Villa Meza, a junior in sociology. "If we don't feel comfortable in an environment, how are we going to stay here?"

Six years ago, there were roughly 1,500 minority students and 1,000 international students. Combined, that was 12 percent of the students.

This fall, there are nearly 2,800 minority students and 1,560 international students for a total of 19 percent, or roughly 1 out of every 5 students.

"In six years, we've almost doubled our underrepresented population. I'm proud of that. It didn't happen by accident," Smart said. "It happened because we were intentional about wanting to increase that population and serve that population.

A breakdown of the 2,796 minority students this fall shows 906 black, 728 Hispanic, 687 multiple race, 332 Asian and 114 American Indian and 29 Pacific Islander.

Smart said even though there are signs of progress, he understands much more work is needed. "We are doing good things but there is still work to be done."

He said his calendar this semester has been filled with dozens of diversity-related events, including a Black Lives Matter presentation, and he has rerouted himself from other plans to stop by protests and other events that were unplanned.

"I have tried to attend — and not just five minutes or 10 minutes — major events that engage our students, staff and faculty of color," he said.

Plans for Diversity Center

Students, in the letter, demand the university publish all plans for the new Diversity Center in the campus newspaper, The Standard, and post the details in the Plaster Student Union and other designated places on campus.

They also want the naming rights.

"The official name of the office should be Mary Jean Price-Walls Center of Diversity," they wrote.

Price-Walls, a graduate of Springfield's all-black Lincoln High, which closed decades ago, was among the first black students to seek admission to what is now MSU. She was denied and, a few years ago, returned to campus.

Lane said the new Diversity Center is planned on the lower level of Freudenberger Hall. He said there is enough room to have space for offices and for students to gather. But, he didn't immediately know an estimated budget or timeline for the center to open.

"It will be a welcoming and inviting space," he said. "I hope the students will be excited once they see the plans together."

He said the Diversity Center represents additional space and will not replace the Multicultural Resource Center, which will continue to be located in the Plaster Student Union.

He described the MRC as a "really busy, really well used, popular" place in a highly visible location. "It serves as not only a programming center but a space where students can hang out and study."

Torres-Ghoston, a senior in communications, said students noticed an immediate difference at the Multicultural Resource Center as soon as Francine Pratt, who had been the executive director, resigned in October to care for an ailing family member. They said hours were cut.

The students are demanding an audit of the multicultural services and the appointment of Dominiece Hoelyfield, assistant director of multicultural programs and coordinator of LGBT student services, as the interim director.

They believe the university should devote resources to educate incoming students on diversity issues and sponsor more events to celebrate diversity and education the campus community about cultural, racial and ethnic issues.

In January, the university restructured the job of its top diversity official — Ken Coopwood, vice president of diversity and inclusion. MSU officials said they took away some supervisory duties to free up more time for community outreach.

“People just don’t know what happened,” said Marquishon Storay-Allen, a senior. “I just found out through the grapevine. No one actually sent an email to the people who actually use the multicultural services center that they were moving it.”

The change meant the university's multicultural services were placed under the oversight of Student Affairs.

"This move has been marketed to students as 'beneficial' however, it has only allowed for negligence toward the concerns and needs of minority students by ill-equipped faculty," the students wrote.

They also believe it has contributed to a "lack of communication" regarding the creation of the new Diversity Center and finding a new executive director of the Multicultural Resource Center.

In the letter, the students demand multicultural services be placed under the oversight of Diversity and Inclusion. They wrote it should be "governed by an administrative cabinet member of an ethnic minority."

Other students who signed the letter include Adekemi Omoloja, Riana Clark, Nomachot Adiang and Churena White.

Torres-Ghoston said the demands aim to benefit the entire campus, not just the group and not just minorities. He told the News-Leader on Thursday that reaction to the list has been largely positive.

“I want to reiterate it’s not just a black issue, it’s not just a brown issue. It’s not just a minority issue," he said. "It’s a higher education issue. This is something that can benefit all of us."

He and Brooks said people who don't understand "systemic oppression, privilege and power" portray students who speak out as attention-seekers but the students who have brought forward the demands believe the issues need to be brought to light.

"We, as a people, just look like we are angry, like we are shouting for no reason," Brooks said.

Taylor Juenger, a graduate student at MSU said, "It's important we recognize the needs of these students." She said the demands are "civil and well put together."

Lane, the Dean of Students, said it's too early to know what changes will result from the list of demands.

"We are going to take what the students presented to us and review it very seriously," Lane said. "But we operate in a system of shared governance so we are going to involve our Faculty Senate, we are going to involve other administrators, we are going to involve our Board of Governors, in decisions are intended to create meaningful institutional change."

Reporter Jon Swedien contributed to this story.

The demands:

Specific deadlines are included in the seven-page list of demands that Missouri State University's "students of color" delivered this week to the administration. They say if the demands go unmet, they will take further action, including protests.

Here is the breakdown:

By Dec. 1

►Issue a public statement that includes the following:

• Acknowledge systemic racism in higher education.

• Commit to differentiating "hate speech" from "freedom of speech"

• Institute "zero tolerance policy" for hate crimes.

• Explain the decision to move multicultural services under Student Affairs. (It used be under Diversity and Inclusion).

►Publish plans for the new Diversity Center

• Name the center the Mary Jean Price-Walls Center of Diversity. (She was the among first black student to apply, and be denied access, to what is now MSU).

• Name Dominiece Hoelyfield the interim director of the Multicultural Resource Center until the position is permanently filled. (The position was vacated in October when Francine Pratt stepped down to relocate to California for family reasons).

• Recruit a new cultural coordinator — from outside MSU — to work in the Diversity Center.

• Publish plans for the construction of any new buildings associated with, or dedicated to, diversity in the university's 10-year plan.

Spring semester

►Place multicultural services under the "complete jurisdiction" of Diversity and Inclusion

►Conduct audit, by an outside firm, of the budget for multicultural services.

• Audit must include the multicultural assistant grant and spending for the past five years

• Publish audit and budget for multicultural services "in layman's terms" on university website.

►Place list of demands in university's long-range plan.

Start of 2016-17 year

►Establish mandatory diversity curriculum for administration, faculty, staff and incoming students

Gradual

►Ensure Student Diversity Task Force be mostly racial, ethnic and sexual minorities

►Develop majors of "sufficient substance" that reflect the "history, culture and perspective of underrepresented people in America"

►Redistribute "power" in multicultural services to improve recruitment of diverse staff

Within five years

►Increase ethnically diverse staff and students that "accurately reflects our nation's demographics."

• Ensure number of MSU staff and students are "congruent with one another"

• Conduct employment interviews with a panel of ethnically diverse individuals

News-Leader reporter Jon Swedien contributed to this report.