UR students issue demands to Seligman

Chanting "if we don't get it, shut it down," about 100 UR students marched Friday from the Frederick Douglass Leadership House to college president Joel Seligman's office to deliver a list of demands.

A three-page document, signed by the leaders of four student organizations, demands immediate blocking and removal of anonymous social media applications, such as Yik Yak, from the UR server.

The demands also include creation of a comprehensive racial awareness and inclusion curriculum.

Many of their demands seek to give minorities a greater voice and attention to their concerns

"We and our allies come together to demand that President Joel Seligman and the University of Rochester's administration implement immediate and lasting changes that will reduce intolerable acts of racism that students of color endure at our university," says the document. It was signed by presidents of the Douglass Leadership House, the Spanish and Latino Students' Association, the Black Students' Union and the Minority Student Advisory Board.

The demands were read aloud by the leaders as the protesters gathered outside the Douglass House for a demonstration to show their support for University of Missouri students protesting racial injustice and to urge UR to better address the needs and concerns of minority students on campus.

After the leadership of the groups briefly met with Seligman to give him their demands, the protesters marched through Rush Rhees Library, taping fliers with some of the demands on doors and walls as well as fliers with some of the objectionable statements posted on Yik Yak last semester.

The protest ended in Wilson Commons, where students continued their chants of solidarity and insisted they won't back down.

UR's Public Safety officers were present but didn't interfere with the protest, which was the most visible sign that UR students have joined a growing number of colleges demonstrating to show their concern about race relations.

The students' statement says they intend to discuss their demands with Seligman over the next two weeks and expect a commitment to specific and mutually agreed-upon next steps by Dec. 4.

After the protest, UR spokeswoman Sara Miller issued a statement saying that Seligman looks forward to a careful review of the petition setting forth the students' demands.

"Seligman emphasized that there is no place for racism at the University of Rochester, which must be a campus that is welcoming, respectful and safe for all," said Miller. He will issue a statement early next week.

Some of the other specific student demands include:

UR should create a campaign to combat racial injustice at the university similar to the national campaign to combat sexual misconduct.

Seligman and other UR officials should issue a statement to many current and former students of color recognizing the hostile and exclusionary climate.

Seligman should hold a town hall meeting focusing on issues of race.

Transparency in the recruitment process used by the Office of Faculty Development and Diversity to increase the number of faculty members from underrepresented minority backgrounds.

Revisions of the Student Code of Conduct's discrimination and harassment policy to further protect students.

Creation of a fund to support cultural groups served by the Minority Student Advisory Board.

UR's Frederick Douglass Institute should be made into a department at the university by 2018.

Establishment of the Douglass Leadership House as a permanent part of the UR community with funding.

Nationally, concerns about race relations on college campuses came to a head earlier this month when University of Missouri President Tim Wolfe and the chancellor of the flagship Columbia, Missouri campus, R. Bowen Loftin, resigned after protesters said that the administration had not responded aggressively enough to racist incidents.

At UR, racial tensions surfaced last semester after UR announced that the Douglass Leadership House was renewed as one of the Academic Living Centers to be housed on Fraternity Quadrangle on the River Campus.

The Leadership House was named after Frederick Douglass, who escaped slavery and became a voice for freedom publishing his anti-slavery newspaper in Rochester prior to the Civil War.

The renewal was part of a competitive process, which entailed five student groups seeking use of three houses on the quad.

But the decision sparked racist statements on Yik Yak against African-American students at the Douglass House.

That's when UR, saying the threats were not protected by free speech guarantees, contacted the Monroe County District Attorney's Office, urging the issuance of a subpoena to identify those making the postings in question.

Although UR had no way to know for sure know who made the postings, UR Dean of Students Matthew Burns said that some of what was said seems to contain information that only students were aware of.

In June, DA Sandra Doorley said, "We have a pending investigation." Her spokeswoman, Mary Wilmot, said Friday that the matter was still under investigation, so she couldn't make any further comment about it.

Miller said: "The university's investigations into whether certain postings on Yik Yak broke aggravated harassment laws or felony hate crime statutes is still active and ongoing."

The Campus Times, UR's student newspaper, reported Thursday that at a student meeting on Sunday, Douglass Leadership students expressed concerns that UR has not done enough to have the offending students in the Yik Yak incident prosecuted and had not done enough to protect the safety of minority students.

Members of the UR Minority Student Advisory Board were meeting with Seligman on Monday and wanted to hear student concerns at Sunday's gathering.

Douglass House President Charlisa Goodlet said her student group had not been kept informed about the results of the UR investigation. According to the Campus Times, she also said that it was possible for UR officials to access the accounts and postings of Yik Yak users through the university network but that UR would not take this action because of the risk of revealing other students' private posts.

Students also discussed the underrepresentation of minorities among students, teaching assistants and faculty.

Seligman, according to the Campus Times, said that the Monday meeting was "the beginning of an important dialogue."

Minority students at Friday's protests told of a climate of not feeling accepted and respected by white students.

"I should not have to deal with aggression," said Daniel Southwell, 19, a UR student and graduate of West Irondequoit High School.

Other students told of "micro-aggressions" — insensitive statements made to them.

Jaylene Rivera, 18, of New York City, said that when a non-Hispanic student overheard her talking to her mother in Spanish on the phone, she criticized Rivera for not speaking the language fluently enough.

"You should not be judging a person based on ethnicity," Rivera said.

Carrying a sign that said "Mizzou is everywhere," student Michael Emanuel, 18, was dismayed by the dismissive comments about the protest posted on Yik Yak after Friday's demonstration.

"What we need to do is to educate the uneducated," he said.

JGOODMAN@Gannett.com