OPEN FORUM – UPDATE

Students, Faculty Rally Around the Cause of Justice, Equality and Tolerance

Calls Issued for an End to Acts of Bigotry and Hatred on Campus

​HARTFORD, CT, April 28, 2011 – Responding to three incidents of racial bias in the past six weeks, several speakers at a student-led rally Tuesday issued a call for action and urged the College’s senior administrators to issue stiff penalties for those who commit acts of bigotry.

More than 250 students, faculty and staff attended the rally in front of Mather Hall, many dressed in black and wearing green ribbons in a display of solidarity. Students waved signs saying “Zero Tolerance Policy Now,” a reference to their firm belief that there is no place at Trinity for hurtful speech and misconduct, and that those who commit such acts be severely dealt with.

“All of us are affected by this behavior,” said Ibrahim Diallo ’11, president of the Student Government Association (SGA). Diallo said it is not appropriate to call the acts of bigotry “isolated incidents,” as some have done, adding that, “one incident is far too many.”

“Enough is enough,” said Diallo. “We must adopt a zero tolerance policy.”

Candace Simpson ’12, one of the organizers of the demonstration, said its purpose was for students to be seen and to be heard, and to ensure that “concrete consequences” will be the end result for those guilty of committing prejudicial acts.

“The point of this rally was to unify the campus,” said Simpson. “I saw people wearing black and wearing ribbons. That was powerful in itself.”

The noontime rally came in the aftermath of global emails issued by Trinity President James F. Jones, Jr.; Rena Fraden, vice president for academic affairs; and Frederick Alford, dean of students; as well as a letter signed by more than 150 faculty. Each message condemned the recent flurry of misdeeds in the strongest possible language, and declared that Trinity cannot, and must not, be a place where people are targets of hatred because of their race, gender, sexual orientation or nationality.

“I do not for a moment believe that the vast majority of the members of our College think any differently than I do: when a member of our College is harmed by discrimination in any of its forms, we are all harmed. And we are all corporately lessened by the actions of a few,” Jones said in a community-wide email sent Monday.

After Tuesday’s rally, at which Jones was present, he said it’s apparent that the administration hasn’t done enough to make students and faculty cognizant of the punitive actions that have been meted out, and that many aren’t aware that students have, in fact, been expelled for their misbehavior.

However, Jones also noted that College officials have to walk a fine line in terms of what can be publicly disclosed. Disciplinary procedures are spelled out in the Student Handbook and if protocols are not followed, the College could be at risk, Jones said.

Like Jones, Alford was careful to say that the College must be circumspect about what information can be disseminated. In the latest incident – in which a student of color reported that he had a can of beer and a racial slur hurled at him – the alleged perpetrator has been identified. However, details about the case have been kept confidential because the school’s judicial process must run its course and the student is entitled to due process.

However, Alford said inaction is unacceptable. He said his office would work with the Campus Climate Committee and the SGA to draft an explicit policy on bias-related harassment that signals more clearly the institution’s commitment to seeing that acts of bigotry are eliminated.

In an email sent after Tuesday’ rally, the dean of students office, the Campus Climate Committee, and officers of the SGA jointly invited all members of the campus community to contact his office; the SGA; Leslie James, vice president of the Multicultural Affairs Council; or Allison Read, College chaplain and co-chair of the Campus Climate Committee; with ideas, policies from other institutions and other remedies or suggestions.

Students of color comprise about 23 percent of Trinity’s undergraduate enrollment.

In Fraden’s email on Monday, she said she’s “been truly heartened by the outpouring of faculty support on behalf of human dignity and inclusivity and the collective attempts to do more than testify but to think through remedies.” Fraden also noted that the faculty would examine Trinity’s curriculum with an eye toward developing a roster of possible courses that could educate students “about the strengths of a diverse society through first-year seminars, symposia, reading lists, first-year books, etc.”

The Campus Climate Committee has also been asked to assess its programming over the past few years and to determine what has been successful, what recommendations haven’t yet been tried and to suggest future steps.

The use of alcohol, the existence of social organizations, and the differences among students may be topics that need to be considered, said Fraden.

At the rally, Diallo was joined by several speakers who drew attention to the racially-motivated incidents – including two in which racial epithets were scrawled on message boards outside residence-hall rooms – and said those responsible must be held accountable for their actions.

Vijay Prashad, George and Martha Kellner Chair in South Asian History and professor of international studies, said it’s important that students treat each other with mutual respect, the hallmark of a civilized society.

Others said there needs to be systemic change, and that students must be encouraged to speak up when they see or hear about wrongdoing.

After the rally, Karla Spurlock-Evans, dean of multicultural affairs, said she was “heartened and greatly encouraged that students came together to stand up against intolerance and bigotry.”

Moreover, she said that she hopes Tuesday’s rally is the first in a series of conversations and actions that address not only individual incidents of bigotry but also create patterns of interaction to supplant outmoded patterns where some feel entitled and others feel deprived, where some feel empowered and others feel marginalized – and where all feel protected and respected.

“We need to refocus our energies and reinforce our common values so that each and every person can achieve their greatest potential,” Spurlock-Evans said.

Boil Water Advisory Lifted

A message from Campus Safety: 

The CT Department of Public Health has lifted the “boil water advisory” for all affected regions after recent tests have met water quality standards.

In the near future, officials will be conducting the seasonal flushing of the public water supply system.  As a result of these operations, the water may be cloudy or discolored, but this temporary condition does not pose a health hazard.

For more information, visit www.theMDC.com.

Rejoice! I hope this means ice cream in Mather again. 

 –Adam