'We are here, and we demand change' say IC protesters

The chant: "Tom Rochon. No confidence" echoed across campus Wednesday, shouted by at least a thousand students who took part in a "Solidarity Walk Out" at Ithaca College.

The demonstration was a response to ongoing concerns of racial injustice on the campus of 6,723 students.

"We stand here in solidarity," a woman standing with POC at IC, People of Color at IC, said into a microphone Wednesday in front of hundreds. "Our hearts are heavy with the pain of Mizzou and Yale and Smith and every person of color on a college campus simply because of the color of their skin, the texture of their hair or their ancestry. This a problem of the nation. However, how can a campus dedicated to preparing us for the real world not actively foster growth to our consciousness of oppression and privilege?"

Many on campus — students and faculty included — have called for a vote of no confidence for the college's president, Tom Rochon.

Members of the campus community walked out Wednesday "for all the injustices students of color face on this campus and other colleges nationally. With University of Missouri's president stepping down, we demand Rochon to do the same as it is vital to fight against both covert and overt racism in all places of education and empowerment," according to the event Facebook page.

In a statement issued after the protest, POC at IC said they want to make one thing loud and clear: "We are here, and we demand change."

Starting at 1:30 p.m., students and some faculty gathered by Free Speech Rock, located outside Campus Center. Hundreds gathered to hear members of POC at IC speak. The organizers then conducted a "die-in." From Campus Center to the fountains, students sprawled out on the wet pavement walkways.

While on the ground, students continued to chant, "Tom Rochon. No confidence." Other students carried signs that said the same, or "I Stand With POC at IC" or "Black Lives Matter."

At 2 p.m., everyone went silent for 20 minutes.

"Diversity and inclusion here at Ithaca College is nothing more than an image," one protester said into a microphone. Many in the crowd responded with cheers and clapping.

Student Government Association president and senior Dominick Recckio said at the protest, "I think that students, faculty and staff as well as the administrators have seen a true lack of quality leadership from President Rochon over a long period of time and it's all coming to a head right now, in the fall of 2015 because ... the issues surrounding diversity and inclusion on this campus have not been addressed in equitable ways or ways that students of color, allies, in the campus community believe are good for us."

Those sentiments were echoed by a woman who stood with POC at IC, shouting from Free Speech Rock: "We desire his resignation, not his input." She went on to list some goals, including Rochon to resign or be removed from his position, a "radical transformative change in government and structure at Ithaca College" and "we want to bring a sense of safety, emotional stability and dignity to the experiences of POC at IC, other marginalized groups and the intersection between us as well as the entire Ithaca College community."

Rochon was seen standing by Campus Center at the beginning of the demonstration.

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Across the nation, students, faculty and staff at universities are protesting racism on campuses. Weeks of protest at the University of Missouri led to the president, Tim Wolfe, and chancellor, R. Bowen Loftin, stepping down this week. Ithaca College's student newspaper, The Ithacan, has drawn parallels to the movement on its campus and the University of Missouri movement.

Student Government Association has asked students to cast a vote of "confidence" or "no confidence" in Rochon. Those votes are due Nov. 30, according to USA Today. Faculty Council will also make a confidence vote.

A vote of no confidence does not have power to remove Rochon from his post, but it would send a strong message to the board of trustees.

The chair of Ithaca College's board of trustees, Tom Grape, issued a statement Wednesday. In it, he said he respects that many students and faculty are expressing their concerns about the campus climate and direction through public discussions and votes. He said the board is listening and that he is "certain that Ithaca College will emerge from this chapter stronger and more resolute in its direction forward, and the board and I are actively partnering with Tom Rochon and other campus leaders to make sure that happens."

Full statement from Grape:

It is not easy to see the IC community that I love going through such a difficult time—to see so many of our students recounting experiences that leave them feeling fear, pain, and alienation at a time in their lives when they should instead be feeling welcomed, supported, and inspired.



I respect that many of our students and faculty are choosing to express their concerns about Ithaca College’s climate and direction though their public discussions and their votes. The board members and I remain committed, as always, to making decisions that take into consideration the input we receive from the college’s executive leadership, as well as the voices of faculty, students, staff, parents, and alumni.



Tough times bring out the true character of a community. I hope that we will continue to see these conversations maintain the standard of mutual respect, a commitment to truth, and an assumption that human beings must seek connection and common ground in order to make a difference.



The most vital role of the Board of Trustees is to ensure that Ithaca College has the best possible leadership and the strongest possible resources to ensure its short-term and long-term health. Board members and I are in contact on a daily basis with the president and other campus leaders about the issues that are taking place, and I am committed to helping the institution address its problems so that we may become the Ithaca College that we all know we can be.



We understand that the issues are serious and significant, and we are listening. I am certain that Ithaca College will emerge from this chapter stronger and more resolute in its direction forward, and the board and I are actively partnering with Tom Rochon and other campus leaders to make sure that happens.

There have been several controversial incidents this semester, including a Blue Sky Reimagining Kick Off event in October that was meant to "formulate ideas about the evolution of Ithaca College." During the event, an alumna on the panel, Tatiana Sy, a woman of color, said she had a "savage hunger" to succeed. However, two other alumni on the panel then referred to Sy as a "savage" throughout the event. Future Blue Sky Reimagining events have been put on hold.

After the Blue Sky event, Rochon issued a statement that he had apologized to Sy and regrets that the event was diminished by "insensitive comments." He went on to say, "In general, the college cannot prevent the use of hurtful language on campus. Such language, intentional or unintentional, exists in the world and will seep into our community. We can’t promise that the college will never host a speaker who could say something racist, homophobic, misogynistic, or otherwise disrespectful. Even so, we reaffirm our commitment to making our campus an inclusive and respectful community."

On Oct. 27, Ithaca College administration held an event with plans drawn up to address cultural bias on campus. The event was closed to media, but in a statement, the college said "several incidents this fall have served as fresh and painful reminders of a longstanding problem on Ithaca College's campus surrounding issues of racism and cultural bias." During the meeting, about half of the attendees walked out, led by members of POC at IC.

College leadership on Tuesday announced the creation of a new chief diversity officer position at the college, a role which, in the interim, will be held by Roger "Doc" Richardson, the current associate provost for diversity, inclusion and engagement at the school. He has worked at the college since 2002. A national search will be conducted to fill the new position.

Richardson will report directly to the president and manage the implementation of the college’s various diversity programs and continue the “ongoing work to improve the racial climate on campus and build a culture that lives up to its values of civility, mutual respect, and justice,” according to the college.

On Wednesday afternoon, as hundreds of students started coming together outside of Campus Center, Student Government Association president Recckio said it felt great to see the support.

"I think seeing the support shows that we have confidence that this college should move forward, but we don't have confidence that President Rochon will be the one to move it forward. And that's what these people are out here today to express and that's what I'm out here to express as well," Recckio said.

Following the protest, POC at IC issued a statement to the media:

POC at IC today stands in solidarity with students of color on this campus and other campuses in the United States, faculty and staff of color, and every individual who has been marginalized, oppressed, and made to believe that their voices do not matter. We are here today to make one statement loud and clear: We are here, and we demand change. In the past couple of weeks, the racial tension and degradation of human dignity that have existed on this campus have heightened. Despite numerous protests, rallies, and stories that have been shared with the president and the administration, these testimonials have fallen on deaf ears. We will no longer consent to empty dialogue. We will no longer be ignored. We are aware that this times of tension bring to light the same culture of fear that people of color face every day. With this in mind, our purpose here is not to demonstrate violently, and we have collectively committed ourselves to furthering this movement in non-violent ways. We ask that the participants also commit themselves to this struggle non-violently as well. The removal of a college president is possible and the reason why this should be considered for IC is very clear: The grassroots removal of an administrator brings influence back into the hands of the people. This push is not reactionary, but strategic because now it brings the campus community directly into administrative affairs. It also opens the door for the complete restructuring of top-down administration on college campuses. Is the president just a figurehead? Of course. But the point is that the campus body moved that figurehead and has in turn opened the door for achieving real sources of power. We realize that it’s Veterans Day, a day to celebrate people who made this country free, but as we stand here today we are not free. The fight that veterans, including veterans of color, fought many years ago in this fight for solidarity, for liberation, for freedom are not mutually exclusive. Today, the college added a chief diversity officer, this was something that SGA suggested last year and instead an associate provost position was created. A chief diversity officer is needed at this institution but the fact that it comes today shows that in turmoil. President Rochon is first to step forward and pass responsibility and accountability off to someone else. President Rochon is the person who needs to be held accountable, not a new person brought in. Rochon is supposed to be the person who understands the community most, but he in fact is the person who understands it the least.

Follow Kelsey O'Connor on Twitter at @ijkoconnor.

Staff writer Nick Reynolds contributed to this report.