Over 350 students, faculty and staff were present during the “Whee Matter” forum on race and diversity. Photo by WCJ, Feb. 20, 2018.
Race and diversity forum “Whee Matter” was used for students to voice their opinion and for administration to take action.
WCU’s Intercultural Affairs, led by student leaders Antonio Oakley and Tenae Turner, with help from the students in attendance, raised some expectations from the upper administration to better promote diversity and inclusion for minorities on campus.
The UC Grand Room was full with over 350 students, faculty and staff on Feb. 20, where diversity and inclusive excellence actions were the focus of discussion by the upper administration panel in response to the recent racial incidents on campus over the past couple of months.
NAACP student leaders Tenae Turner and Antonio Oakley discuss what the students expect from upper administration. Photo by WCJ. Feb. 20, 2018.
The representatives of the administration read some of the initiatives they have started or are planning, but the students demanded action and fast.
“That whole entire forum was to call out and say ‘you know what, we’re sick and tired of sitting around’,” said SAGA president Max Ringenbach. “While I understand that the school is trying to change, that change is coming too slowly…These changes need to happen or else the retention rate will get lower and lower.”
Some of the demands presented on behalf of the students by Tenae Turner to be completed within the next month include:
- A statement condemning bigotry on campus to be posted to the WCU website, all WCU social media accounts, and sent to the students by March 16
- A mandatory course in cultural awareness to be created by March 16
- Kevin Koett to stop acting as the face of the Intercultural Affairs department immediately
- The SGA president to be required to have two meetings per semester with the presidents of underrepresented groups on campus to be put into action by March 16
- The student who yelled out the N-word at the President of the Black Student Union and members of the Inspirational Gospel Choir on Feb. 17 should be disciplined by March 16
“We’re putting pressure on the administration, so they have no other choice but to get them done,” said Turner.
At the forum, several initiatives by the administration were addressed to try and resolve the racial and diversity issues. Below are just a few of the initiatives currently underway:
1. Enhancing communication with the students through improved incident communication and a commitment to timely, on-going engagement with students, faculty and staff on diversity and inclusion issues
2. A racism task force follow up in which the newly appointed Inclusive Excellence Council will continue working to address the recommendations of the 2017 Task Force on Racism
3. Drafting a protocol to guide the appointment and development of a Bias Incident Team
4. A revision of the WCU Community Creed by adding a bullet point focusing on diversity and inclusion to be adopted in May or June 2018
5. Proposition to SGA that elected and appointed student members participate in training around diversity and inclusive excellence
6. Exploring the possibility of creating new academic minors in African-American studies and Latino studies…
The panel consisted of Carol Burton (acting provost,) Kevin Koett (dean of students,) Sam Miller (Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs,) Ron Shidemantle (director of Greek student engagement,) Katherine Spalding (SGA president,) Melissa Wargo (chief of staff to the chancellor,) and Ricardo Nazario-Colon (chief diversity officer).
WCU’s Acting Provost Carol Burton explaining what changes are to be implemented by the administration. Also pictured are Kevin Koett (middle) and Ron Shidemantle (right). Photo by WCJ. Feb. 20, 2018.
Prior to the forum, the most recent racial incident happened on Saturday night, Feb. 17, in which it was reported that a racial slur was shouted at a group of black students from a window at Harrill Hall. An email was sent campus wide on Monday, Feb. 19, from Carol Burton addressing the matter as being currently under investigation.
The first reported racial incident happened on Jan. 15 during the MLK Unity March on campus in which two anonymous shouts of a racial slur toward the students marching came from nearby residence halls. It took until Jan. 22 for an email to be sent out over this incident.
“No one is going to call our board that is majority white and majority male the N-word. They do not know what that experience is…Being in that higher level, they don’t understand the fact that we are the targets,” said Ringenbach.
As a member of the trans community, Ringenbach spoke up at the forum about his concerns with residential living due to the fact that he has gone through three female roommates with no real resolve.
“We have these problems. We are bringing forth solutions, but those are solutions that will not better the funding and that’s where it feels like that we are just seen as a statistical number,” said Ringenbach.
Some of the the students at the forum showed their concern that emails seem to be the only thing the administration is doing, and not direct action or consequences for the perpetrator. The administration panel assured students that action was being done even though it may seem like it’s not because of current privacy laws.
“I think as far as definite answers go, they definitely could have done better…Regarding a lot of the students, they just want to see like more comfortability,” said WCU sophomore Terrell Chandler. “One thing I know for me that I wanted to personally see was just more familiar faces, even more diversity between blacks, Latinos, Cherokee Nation.”
Turner and Oakley don’t see these demands as unreasonable, and that they should and will be implemented by the administration. Oakley said that if these changes don’t take place then it would feel like the administration failed them.
The full list of the student expectations is below:
The Response to Western Carolina University’s Racial Insensitivity
2018_02_20_Racism_Followup on what WCU is doing as of Feb. 20, 2018, presented by the panelist at the forum.
