What follows are 25 unusual demands made by these
student groups as posted at demands.org.
1. University of Missouri protesters demanded (ex-)
President Tim Wolfe acknowledge his white privilege in a press conference:
We demand that University of Missouri System
President, Tim Wolfe, writes a hand-written apology to Concerned Student 1-9-5-0
demonstrators and holds a press conference in the Mizzou Student Center reading
the letter. In the letter and at the press conference, Tim Wolfe must
acknowledge his white privilege, recognize that systems of oppression exits,
and provide a verbal commitment to fulfilling Concerned Student 1-9-5-0
demands.
2. At Amherst, protesters demanded President
Carolyn Martin issue a written apology for a litany of sins:
President Martin must issue a statement of apology
to students, alumni and former students, faculty, administration and staff who
have been victims of several injustices including but not limited to our
institutional legacy of white supremacy, colonialism, anti-black racism,
anti-Latin@ racism, anti-Native American racism, anti-Native/ indigenous
racism, anti-Asian racism, anti-Middle Eastern racism, heterosexism,
cis-sexism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, ableism, mental health stigma, and
classism.
3. Also at Amherst, protesters demanded President
Martin denounce some signs put up by “free speech” advocates and also threaten
the students who did it with disciplinary action and mandatory “training for
racial and cultural competency.”
President Martin must issue a statement to the
Amherst College community at large that states we do not tolerate the actions
of student(s) who posted the “All Lives Matter” posters, and the “Free Speech”
posters that stated that “in memoriam of the true victim of the Missouri
Protests: Free Speech.” Also let the student body know that it was racially
insensitive to the students of color on our college campus and beyond who are
victim to racial harassment and death threats; alert them that Student Affairs
may require them to go through the Disciplinary Process if a formal complaint
is filed, and that they will be required to attend extensive training for
racial and cultural competency.
4. Guillford College protesters demanded forced
apologies from everyone:
We demand that school administrators, professors,
staff, and student leaders acknowledge their racism, be it overt covert or
passive.
5. Eastern Michigan University protesters demanded
black financial-advisers:
We demand several black financial advisors whose
sole purpose is to find and distribute scholarships and financial aid to and
for black students specifically.
6. At Emory, students demanded raises and
promotions for black faculty:
Black staff and administrators should receive an
increase in their financial compensation or salaries. Changes should be made to
the hierarchical structure of Campus Life which puts primarily white males at
the top of the structure. More Black staff and staff of color should be in
higher positions of power so that they can implement the changes that black
students wish to see in the university.
7. At Johns Hopkins students demanded a mandatory
semester-long class in “cultural competency.”
We demand that The Johns Hopkins University creates
and enforces mandatory cultural competency in the form of a semester long class
requirement for undergraduate students as well as training for faculty and
administration.
8. Princeton protesters also demanded mandatory
cultural competency training and a new, better understanding of free speech to
go with it:
WE DEMAND cultural competency training for all
staff and faculty. It was voted down on the grounds of trespassing freedom of
speech last spring semester. We demand a public conversation, which will be
student led and administration supported, on the true role of freedom of speech
and freedom of intellectual thought in a way that does not reinforce
anti-Blackness and xenophobia.
9. Purdue protesters demanded a mandatory “racial
awareness” curriculum:
We demand that Purdue create and enforce a required
comprehensive racial awareness curriculum for all students, staff, faculty,
administration, and police. This curriculum must be vetted and overseen by a
board of diverse students, faculty, and staff.
10. University of Cincinnati protesters also
demanded a mandatory racial awareness curriculum:
We demand that the University of Cincinnati
enforces a fully funded comprehensive racial awareness curriculum that is
mandatory for all students, faculty, staff, and police structured by a caucus
comprised of students, community members, and administrators of diverse
backgrounds to be put in place by the start of the 2017-¬2018 academic year.
11. Santa Clara University protesters demanded
mandatory, quarterly cultural events focused on “marginalized” students:
We advocate adding a multicultural event
requirement once a quarter to all C&I classes. This requirement would
mandate students to attend an event that amplifies the voices of marginalized
students on campus. Examples include: Difficult Dialogues, MCC Culture Shows,
Markkula Center for Applied Ethics sponsored events, etc.
12. Yale protesters demanded financial aid
consultants for illegal immigrant students:
Eight financial aid consultants who are trained to
deal specifically with financial aid application processes of international and
undocumented students
13. Claremont McKenna protesters demand students be
educated about micro-aggressions:
Expose students to systemic oppression through FWS
and FHS-this includes but is not limited to issues on race, sexuality, gender,
class and ability. The need for such programs to educate the student body is
evidenced by numerous microaggressions felt by students of color. The cultural
insensitivity on campus is further highlighted by race themed party proposals,
such as an Indian Wedding Party and Colonial Bros, Pilgrims, and Navajos themed
TNC
14. Michigan State protesters demanded the
construction of a “free-standing” multicultural center:
We demand the construction of a free-standing
Multicultural Center with its own budget from the University to support social
and academic programming by Spring 2017.
15. Occidental college protesters demanded the
police leave campus:
Immediate removal of LAPD’s presence on campus.
16. Simmons College protesters demanded a staff
civil rights lawyer for students of color:
We demand a practicing professional civil rights
lawyer to represent students of color. This lawyer will be paid by the college
to inform students of their rights with no financial burden to students or
student activity fees.
17. St. Louis University protesters demanded art:
Mutually agreed upon commissioned artwork.
18. Students at Brown demanded a day of remembrance
for the school’s role in the slave trade:
Integrating the history of Brown’s role in the
slave trade into orientation for both graduate and undergraduate students;
Designating an annual day of remembrance and a
series of sponsored events;
19. Towson University protesters demanded white
women in the Diversity Focus Forum stop speaking for black students:
Require the Diverse Focus Forum and other top-level
diversity institutions to have at minimum one person of color on their board.
White women should not be given positions to speak on behalf of what it is
black students want from their university.
20. Not to be outdone, Berkeley protesters demanded
a building be renamed for a convicted terrorist fugitive on the FBI’s 10 Most
Wanted list:
WE DEMAND that the name of Barrows Hall be changed
to Assata Shakur
21. UCLA protesters demanded an “Afro-house”:
The creation and support of a UCLA Afro-house. Many
Black students cannot afford to live in westwood with the high prices of rent.
An Afro-house would provide a cheaper alternative housing solution for Black
students, that would also serve as a safe space for Black Bruins to congregate
and learn from each other.
22. Kansas University protesters demanded a new and
separate student government:
Establish Multicultural Student Government
independent of current University of Kansas Student Senate
23. Several of the demands included more mental
health services, but only University of Ottawa protesters specified a
“therapist of color”:
Therapist of Color to be hired at the human Right
Centre.
24. I know what you’re thinking. Where are the show
trials? At the University of South Carolina protesters demanded investigations
into three administrators. There was no explanation given for this, but the
Charlotte Observer spoke to a protester who said the three administrators had
failed to foster diversity on campus:
We demand that a transparent and independent
investigation be launched into the following university administrators: the
Executive Assistant to the President for Equal Opportunity Programs; the
Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Academic Support, Student Life
and Development; and the Vice President for Student Affairs, Vice Provost and
Dean of Students.
25. And the University of Toronto protesters went
all out and demanded a free education for “black and indigenous students”:
Implement free education for Black and Indigenous
students. As a result of years of colonization of Black and Indigenous people,
the University of Toronto is a beneficiary of the twin project of:
a. Dispossessing Indigenous people of their land;
and
b. The slave labor of the Americas, responsible for
enriching Britain and its colonies.
c. In recognition of this history and in its
resultant responsibility, the University of Toronto should ensure free
admission to Black and Indigenous students.