FALL TECHNOGRAPH SEE INSERT THURSDAY September 26, 2019
THE DAILY ILLINI
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Vol. 149 Issue 10
CU to host first black, UI task force creates recommendation for African arts festival procedures for cases of sexual misconduct going on.” Most of the food vendors will give their own twist on traditional African and Black foods like jerk chicken tacos and AfroItalian fusion cuisine. Local stores such as Art Coop and the Idea Store will sponsor some education activities, including a coloring booth where children can color and simultaneously learn about African countries as well as other countries around the world. Creating and motivating others to participate in events like these are important to the sistersin-law because many people are not knowledgeable about African history and culture, Susan said she encounters such people on a daily basis. Some even in her professional career as she has a PhD in Educational Policy from the University. “There are lots of people who still think that Africa is a country. I just got that question last week,” Susan said. “We are not people who just came out of slavery. We’re also people who invented more than half the technology that’s here today.” Exposing other people to different cultures is one thing but at the end of the CU Black and African Arts Festival, both Susan and Cindy had some other ideas of what they wanted people to retain about their experience. For one, they hope to give people the opportunity to listen to rising artists. “Lizzo came through here just a few years ago, and she wasn’t really well-known back then,” Susan Ogwal said. “The people you’re about to see and witness are going to be in the spotlight in the next year or two.” Overall, the goal of the C-U Black and African Arts Festival will be to unite the citizens and celebrate what it means to be proud of one’s heritage. “Us coming up with a festival like this will bridge the gap between people who come from different places,” Cindy said. “We want you to know that did something that was positive and healthy, and you also learned about different people in the process.” The C-U Black and African Arts Festival will be on Sept. 27 from 2-10 p.m. and Sept. 28 from 10 a.m.7 p.m. General admission is free.
BY JILLIAN LITTLE ASSISTANT BUZZ EDITOR
Sisters-in-laws Susan Ogwal and Cindy Ogwal are very proud of their African ancestry and immigration from Uganda but often had trouble finding any festivals that celebrated the diversity of African people in the Champaign-Urbana community. “I’ve lived here for over 20 years, and we’ve never had anything of this nature at all,” Susan said. “We moved to Champaign in the 90s and started middle school here.” As a response, they decided to make one of their own. “Susan and I spoke about coming up with a festival and got tired of going to Chicago festivals,” Cindy said. “Our planning really started in April.” Talks of a festival had been in the works for years, but the pair started thinking about it critically only a year ago. After applying and winning the Urbana Arts Grant (a program that encourages the display of any creative expression to the rest of the community), months of planning and getting in contact with vendors and musicians, the first annual C-U Black and African Arts Festival was born. “Our overall goal is to highlight the expression and creativity of African a r t ist s a nd ex pose them to the rest of the community,” Susan Ogwal said. “W hether you’re from Jamaica, England or anywhere else in the world, we want to celebrate you.” This coming weekend, the C-U Black and African Arts Festival will offer activities that are fun and enriching for guests of all ages. “We want this to be a safe space for everyone to feel like they belong,” Cindy Ogwal said. “We want people to go home at the end of the day and say, ‘Hey! I actually went somewhere where I felt at home.’” While there are going to be many items people can buy like art pieces, traditiona l children’s clothing and skincare products, but the thing that stands out is the diversity of talent in the entertainers that will perform throughout the weekend. “You’ll get everything from poetry to story-telling to live bands,” Susan said. “W henever you come, something’s going to be jel3@dailyillini.com
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54% of students report knowing where to get help following an incident of sexual misconduct.
30% report understanding the process that occurs following a report of misconduct.
Source: University CASSIDY BRANDT THE DAILY ILLINI
widespread harassment is or how individuals may choose to convey that information. Alison Wilkinson, attorney for McAllister Olivarius, has been working on the sexual harassment case against Gary Xu, former head of the East Asian Language and Culture Department, and has just filed a complaint on behalf
of his three former students. Wilkinson said in the case of Xu, the victims were all from China, where there is a stronger deference element to the professorial student relationship, which Xu knowingly used to his advantage. “Some sort of beginning, primer, intensive session with foreign students would be
really helpful to set the stage for what should and shouldn’t be allowed,” Wilkinson said. According to the Sexual Misconduct Perceived Campus Response Survey, about half of students reported knowing where to get help following an incident of sexSEE MISCONDUCT | 3A
The Un iver sit y welcomed the “most diverse” class in history, according to the Report on the Entering Class of 2019. The report included greater enrollment of African American and Latinx students, as well as women, transfer students and students from rural areas. The Illinois Commitment program played a large role in the increase of enrollment diversit y, according to Andy Borst, director of Undergraduate Admissions. “Historically, when we look back even back to 1968, when we’ve initiated major need-based aid financial programs, we’ve seen a corresponding increase
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ANDY BORST DIRECTOR OF UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSIONS
in overall diversity, but particularly in our African American diversity, and I think that is what we are seeing with the Illinois Commitment Program,” Borst said. Gr e t c hen Adams, a ssist a nt dea n for Undergraduate Student Affairs in the College of AHS, said she also believes Illinois Commitment was one possible factor in the
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“The way that Illinois commitment was marketed and advertised to students … encouraged a lot of students — and a diverse population of students — to apply across the state.” However, Adams said she will not be sure if Illinois Commitment was truly a factor until she gets the percentages of how many AHS students are part of the program from the Office of Admissions. Borst also said the University has various prog ra ms in place, particularly for recruiting African American students, as well as a large staff in the Chicago suburbs recruiting p o t e nt i a l s t u d e nt s throughout Chicago and downstate Illinois. “We’re looking for influx
“ I would say that we have a fairly robust recruitment commitment to improving campus diversity and particularly African American diversity.”
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Students report awareness of process following sexual misconduct
Class of 2023 shows historical diversity
CO-FOUNDER OF C-U BLACK AND AFRICAN ARTS FESTIVAL
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After recent reports and professor complaints, the University is looking to improve its sexual misconduct policy. Robin Kar, professor in Law, is chair of a task force developed by the Provost in January aimed to comprehensively review the policies, practices and procedures the University has that are used to handle sexual misconduct cases. The task force is made up of experts on sexual harassment, domestic violence and confidentiality, and transparency, Kar said. “Our charge was to focus on sexual misconduct by faculty,” Kar said. “The reason for that is just that faculty has a lot of additional procedural protections meant to protect tenure and academic freedom. So it’s kind of the hardest case to solve.” Leslie Wexler, professor in Law, said social and institutional change is most likely to occur when all parties see a need for progress. “Students, faculty, staff and community members should keep pressure on the University and other big institutions to address the #MeToo era,” Wexler said. “Decision-makers inside those institutions should be working for institutional reform and a more equitable culture.” Wexler said despite sexual harassment being a pervasive problem, many people do not believe victims, because there is unawareness of how
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SUSAN OGWAL
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Students sit in the Lincoln Hall Theater during a STAT 107: Data Science Discovery lecture taught by Karle Flanagan and Wade Fage-Ulmschneider. According to the Report on the Entering Class of 2019, the Class of 2023 is the “most diverse” class in history.
“Our overall goal is to highlight the expression and creativity of African artists and expose them to the rest of the community.”
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increase in diversity and enrollment. AHS recently posted on its Twitter that this year’s freshman class was one of the largest and most diverse groups of new students for the college. For the entire campus, 23.2% of the freshman class is considered underrepresented. “I do think Illinois Commitment made a difference,” Adams said.
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