Below you will find a letter that was sent to the university earlier on this day. It is being posted here so that the student stance is made clear on the universitya forum, so that it cannot be said that those students who chose not to attend did so from an unwillingness to engage, so that it cannot be said that those students who chose not to attend did so for a lack of passion or concern regarding these issues. Many parts of this letter are also contained in the letter to students posted previously, but some language has been changed/added to target the universitys admins, so please share and spread this so that the message gets out. To: Facilitators of the upcoming university forum on diversity (and, by extension, the administrative bodies on campus) Dean Lori Berquam, Interim Vice Provost Patrick Sims, and Chancellor Rebecca Blank From: Deshawn McKinney I am writing to you all today because, on this day, Tuesday, Jan 20, the university will be holding an event that “involves continuing dialogues for engagement” surrounding the Diversity Framework, and I cannot help but hold grievances. It is stated in an email from the university that UW-Madison was “catalyzed” by all of our (read: student) demonstrative actions last semester in response to “racially charged events in Ferguson, Mo., Staten Island and elsewhere.” Not only are racially charged events that occur on campus noticeably absent from this list, which effectively means you are not acknowledging the main message of last semester’s actions, but the university has not reached out to any students to be involved in shaping this dialogue despite saying you have been catalyzed by students; instead, it is you who will be facilitating the discussion. Chancellor Blank remarks that “We are most successful when each member of our campus community feels that their role in this exchange has value,” yet seemingly fails to recognize the irony in not including students in molding this event. We have passed the point of inviting students to campus events being enough; we, as students, do not feel that our roles are being valued. Now, I want you all to understand that as us students return to campus and prepare ourselves for the semester ahead (academically, socially, mentally, spiritually, and physically), we will continue our efforts to better this university and make it a truly inclusive, diverse, and safe (all of which have become buzzwords in need of defining) climate. In December, the student body was ignited, for some it was the first time they felt proud to call themselves a Badger, and we will work to ensure that it is not the last, and we must work so that the students of posterity can walk in as proud freshmen. As students who are affected, we had to move, we had to start the dialogue for our sustainability. University administration wants us to engage on their terms, on their time, but in order for true change to occur, students must be more than involved, we must be leaders of this dialogue, and acknowledged as such. It is for these reasons that there has been a call for “minimal student attendance (with the few attendees being only those who volunteer as note takers) and otherwise involvement with the university’s diversity forum as a show of solidarity, and as a means of taking ownership of the conversation.” If the people of color and ally student body show up still, do not take it as a victory, take it as us not getting the word out early enough. A college campus is for its student body first and foremost, all of it; no one knows life here better than students, and thus we need to have leadership where pertaining to dialogue surrounding it. These issues are not foreign to us, and these conversations are not new to campus, what has been missing is a strong, unified front. Last semester we, as students, began to stand together. This semester we will solidify our solidarity, and once we do, it will become clear just how much power we have to change this campus (and beyond). In this vein, members of the student body will gather as often and as many times as necessary to engage in its own dialogue as a means to discuss what we believe needs to be changed and how and why; here we will solidify our demands to the university so it leaves no room for confusion as to what we want, so that it becomes clear what we are fighting for and against. Here we will make our foundation. Last semester post demonstration, certain students, including myself, blasted administration for not giving proper respect to the movement; we wanted it to be put up as a feature story on the homepage, but we were met with endless reasons as to why it would not happen. You all waited us out until winter break. Well done. There was outreach from Dean Berquam, wishing to meet with those same students who fought so hard to get the story up, which is respectable, but such meetings would have been unproductive, for at that time our goals were to raise awareness and get on the radar (which we did) and get the story up as a feature (which we did not). Beyond those goals, the conversations would not have resulted in much because the ideas for change must come from the larger affected student body, not simply from the experiences of individuals. I hope, however, that you did not expect us to disappear. A new day is upon us, one of hope and empowerment, one that challenges what is to become what it needs to be, one that reminds students that they are leaders and their voice, their pens, their intellect, their self, matters. We rise and fall like the sun, always moving, never staying away. We will be in touch when the time is right. Well wishes, Deshawn McKinney About Race UW
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 22:38:26 +0000
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