Concerned Collective of Tulane Students Press Release
On this day of inauguration, celebrating Tulane’s long history, we want to recognize the 1968 African American Congress of Tulane, their unmet demands, and the unmet needs of generations of black students and all students of color at Tulane. We stand here on the shoulders of giants, part of a radical tradition of organizers who have fought to make this university a place where marginalized students are not just surviving, but thriving. As we look forward, to President Fitts’ future at Tulane and to our future as Tulane students, we demand respect and commitment to racial justice from our administration.
We recognize that the administration has taken some action by establishing The Commission on Race and Tulane Values which has begun generating plans to address racism on campus, but they are moving at a bureaucratic pace and these issues are affecting students’ lives now and we need more tangible changes. The Commission on Race and Tulane Values is not the rapid and necessary change we need to dismantle the violence of white supremacy on our campus. This protest and list of our needs are building on the organizing and specific demands that the Tulane Black Student Union and Students Organizing Against Racism brought to our campus last semester through the Call to Unity. This protest is a reminder that students of color at Tulane are still hurting.
As a collective of organizations and individuals on campus, we need the University to move quickly in the following ways:
ACCOUNTABILITY
A. At the Call for Unity and in the List of Demands, we stood in solidarity as students of colors, educators, and allies, all concerned about the detrimental effects of the racist climate on Tulane’s campus. “We are concerned that Tulane students are not held accountable for creating a racist and hostile climate. The Institution should support its Black students and Students of Color by condemning actions that are not conducive to the values that the University claims to stand for, i.e. ‘equality, diversity, and inclusion’” - tBSU and SOAR List of Demands.
B. On February 28th at approximately 3:47 AM, a hate crime was committed against four Tulane students 250 feet from Tulane’s campus. These 4 women of color were outside when 4-5 white men “around our age” pulled up near them. After a brief interaction, one of the white men shouted a racial slur at the group. Soon after, they drove off. However, they shortly returned and doused two of the women with alcohol while filming the assault. They proceeded to drive away. This incident was immediately reported to the Tulane University Police Department. The Tulane University administration has done nothing to publicly address this incident in any statement or View from Gibson. This horrific incident represents not one, but countless other acts of racial prejudice and discrimination in Tulane’s community. While we understand that the campus climate will not change immediately, we nevertheless demand that the Tulane administration remains accountable to the student body and enforces a zero-tolerance policy for hate crimes and hate speech.
C. A statement of apology for the administration’s inaction towards this issue must be issued to condemn this incident as a hate crime. The apology must be published publicly to the Tulane community.
TRANSPARENCY
A. Release the notes from each committee meeting to Tulane student leaders and publicly online within two weeks of the session.
B. Committee meetings may not meet unless at least two student leaders confirm that they can make the meeting. All meeting dates and times must be set at least five business days in advance.
C. The Commission committees are open to all interested Tulane affiliates, including students, faculty and staff.
ACCESS
A. The Tulane shuttles must be accessible to Sodexo and DTZ employees. By April 8th at the absolute latest, a meeting must happen to discuss immediate changes on this front. This meeting will be between all interested Tulane affiliates, Tulane administrators, Sodexo representatives, and a third-party legal observer, with minutes published and released to the Tulane community.
COMMITMENT
A. Meeting each semester between MCC, GSAC and all interested student leaders and the Tulane Admissions staff, including the Director of Admissions, to discuss current and future plans.
B. The Director of Enrollment needs to release a statement of commitment towards active and meaningful recruitment and retention of students of color in New Orleans and beyond.
C. In regards to Section B, a detailed plan of action will be released to the student body, faculty, and staff by the end of the Spring 2016 term (April 26th).
RESOURCES
A. Confirm, as well as set a date for an expansion of the O, with monthly updates of its specific progress published online by the development team and staff.
B. Establish a fundraising campaign in order to secure funds for these needs.
Signed,
A Collective of Concerned Tulane Students and Affiliates representing a multitude of identities
For reference, the list of demands presented by the Tulane Black Student Union and Students Organizing Against Racism can be accessed here: https://goo.gl/d9fUxK