APPENDIX C: STATEMENTS FROM STAKEHOLDER GROUPS

APPENDIX C: STATEMENTS FROM STAKEHOLDER GROUPS

Black Student Union (BSU), African Student Association (ASA) and Trinity Diversity Connection (TDC) statement:

To the Trinity community, President Anderson, the Vice President of Student Life, and the Board of Trustees,

We, students and members of the Black Student Union (BSU), African Student Association (ASA) and Trinity Diversity Connection (TDC), have come together to respond to the statements made by various administrators at Trinity. Following this narrative, we provide action items in response to calls for our input on ways to improve the experience of Black Trinity students.

Trinity University’s statement on May 30, reacting to the murder of George Floyd and the increased attention towards the Black Lives Matter movement, was insufficient and disappointing. It was riddled with empty words and absent of action. For example, the statement calls for “the beginning of a conversation” without stating exactly what Trinity as an institution intends to change. Instead of making a commitment to becoming more representative, the university misspelled Breonna Taylor’s name. Instead of providing support to the members of BSU and ASA, the university refused to acknowledge the structural problem of police brutality that disproportionately affects the Black community. Instead of publicly committing funds and additional staff to the Diversity and Inclusion Office, the university called for “conversations” about diversity on campus. Instead of owning up and apologizing for the university’s perpetuation of its own structural racism, the university offered an MLK quote and refused to say Black Lives Matter. We are tired—tired of the continued refusal to listen to our voices and experiences, and tired of Trinity’s continuous refusal to acknowledge and account for its actions.

Trinity's initial empty statement, made on May 30, left us frustrated and disappointed. These feelings were exacerbated after viewing Dean Tuttle's subsequent statement sent on May 31. In an attempt to write words of encouragement to the Black community and its allies, Dean Tuttle’s experience took priority; not ours. Once again, white people are making OUR experience about them. Currently, there are protests around the world about police brutality and the violence it has inflicted upon the Black community. Dean Tuttle is aware of this fact, yet he chose an anecdote about an officer —one of “the good ones.” This sidestep/deflection is extremely disrespectful to the community that has undergone severe trauma from the police institution. Further, in the following sentence, Dean Tuttle even refused to acknowledge that a policeman killed Floyd by broadening the statement, saying, “a man killed him.” We are tired of this pattern of downplaying our issues, making them about anyone other than us, and simplifying police brutality to a case-by-case problem, rather than an institutional issue.

Additionally, in the next paragraph of the May 30 statement, Dean Tuttle stated he had nothing "new or insightful to offer." However, he could have. This would have been a perfect opportunity for Dean Tuttle to reassure Black students via a promise to commit to specific actions aimed at mitigating our stress. Dean Tuttle acknowledged that we have experienced generations of trauma.

Acknowledging our trauma is the first step, and acknowledging ways in which he and Trinity have contributed to that is the second. Now, you must remedy it, and give us your full support.

We were met with more dismay as Breonna Taylor's name was misspelled AGAIN as “ Breanna Taylor.” Even as students and alumni criticized the error in the comment section of the initial post, Dean Tuttle’s email repeated the mistake. Although we do appreciate him writing Black Lives Matter, we find it difficult to believe him. In our collective memory in recent years, we have communicated our problems to him, and he has not ACTED on them. In fact, Dean Tuttle refused to listen or help us. Instead, he chose to reassure us with words and no follow-through. At dinners and talks scheduled to include Black voices, we have been stifled. For example, during New Student Orientation of 2019, the BSU president and vice president were invited to give a speech at a dinner welcoming Black freshmen. However, the vice president was restricted from giving her speech because the dean failed to schedule enough time for the speech. Dean Tuttle has done nothing to commit to our physical and emotional safety, or support Black affiliated student groups. In fact, we and our organizations have struggled with funding and support, unlike the greek life organizations Dean Tuttle openly bolsters. Another biting line in Dean Tuttle’s response read, "I do not pity you, but I am sorry for you." These words bring no comfort to us. They do not mean anything to us. Pity and sorry are synonymous, and again, this leads to no change. Lastly, Dean Tuttle mentioned that the institution will do better. We have heard this before, as this statement has demonstrated. As such, we would rather hear what Dean Tuttle personally will do better. An institution has no direction - it has no meaning - without people. Thus, institutional change starts with every person. Be the change.

Another issue with Trinity’s response was introduced on June 3, as President Anderson announced he would create a task force composed of diversity-oriented organizations on campus. First, we feel as though this task force is a direct result of the university’s delay in replacing Alli Roman, the most recent Director of the Diversity and Inclusion Office (DIO), whose position has been vacant since January 31st, 2020 Because the university has failed to support their Black students on a structural level, the onus of this work has apparently fallen to students. Finding campus-wide solutions and creating action plans for Trinity is not our job––and should never be our job. We carry our own burdens. We should not have to carry the burdens of an institution rooted in structural racism as well. Trinity has a history of ignoring the experiences of its Black students and alumni, and this task force is no different. President Anderson invited BSU to lend their voices to this task force. He did not, however, reach out to ASA or TDC. If the desire to make change was intentional, we feel as though President Anderson would have been thoughtful enough to view the list of Black-affiliated student organizations––or better yet, paid some attention to these organizations when on campus.

Trinity must apologize for its ignorance. We have still not heard anyone simply say, “I’m/We are sorry for hurting you.” Simply acknowledging that the university “is not immune from acts of racism” is not enough. Those words drip of avoidance and impunity. Trinity harbors ignorance and an open lack of concern for its Black students, faculty, and staff. Research, as many of us have encountered while at Trinity, asserts that effective leaders are accountable. Effective leaders acknowledge when they are wrong and when they make mistakes. The time for insincere––and hollow––words is over and will no longer be tolerated. Action leads to change; not “radical empathy.” WE did not create an environment that traumatizes us. WE should not be the ones

charged with fixing it. We would like to invoke Trinity’s own mantra of “Discover. Grow. Become.” WE encourage members of the Trinity community to DISCOVER their own racist (conscious or unconscious) tendencies, GROW by acknowledging and confronting them, and BECOME allies through self-education, action, and allyship.

Per the introduction, the following document contains our action items.

BLACK LIVES MATTER. BSU, ASA, TDC 2020-2021

BSU, ASA, TDC Action Items

The following are explicit actions the university could and should take to acknowledge and serve Black students.

Representation: ❏ Reach Black faculty and staff representation of 15% by Fall 2023 ❏ Pay explicit attention to STEM disciplines ❏ Hire assistant director for DIO by Spring 2021 ❏ Reach Black student representation of at least 10% by Fall 2024 ❏ Document progress and agendas aimed at these representation goals

Support for the Diversity & Inclusion Office: ❏ Hire Director of DIO as a VP by Fall 2020 ❏ Indicates organizational priority of diversity & inclusion ❏ Such authority will help address systemic issues plaguing Trinity ❏ Hire assistant director for DIO by Spring 2021 ❏ Increase funding for DIO (lack of current info to provide quantitative measure) ❏ Funding should reflect increase campus initiatives related to student life, student wellness, faculty and staff education, and greater San Antonio outreach

Diversity & Inclusion as Part of the Curriculum ❏ Integrate diversity & inclusion objectives into the FYE curriculum ❏ Incorporate mandatory, ongoing diversity & inclusion education for faculty and staff members, including those in athletics ❏ Incorporate mandatory diversity & inclusion education during student orientation ❏ Reserve space in Understanding Diversity and similar courses for first year students who identify as being in a minority group ❏ Create table talk discussions with incoming freshmen to hear their concerns and experiences

Support for Black Students, Faculty, and Staff: ❏ Conduct surveys following each semester that document the Black experience at Trinity ❏ Use results to sustain efforts and improvements for Black students, faculty, and staff ❏ Give class credit or financial compensation to students participating in the Diversity and Inclusion Task Force ❏ Account for the burdens being placed on these students

Conduct table talks to educate students on campus and within the community ❏ Discussions should include but are not limited to: Voting, Privilege, Black Lives

Matter, Police Brutality, Racism, Changing Disparity at Trinity, etc. Create a channel to an autonomous office or body for faculty and staff to file grievances and communicate concerns Implement a professionalism course for historically marginalized student populations Create student support groups for lower and upper classmen Increase funding for Counseling Services Hire one Black therapist in Counseling Services Continue the For Us By Us meetings (Black practicum student is brought to Trinity to help discuss Black issues) Have Trinity athletics issue a statement acknowledging Black Lives Matter

Changes to be made to Residential Life: ❏ Acknowledge the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement in a public statement ❏ Publicly apologize to the Black RAs who were fired last year ❏ Fill the two open positions in Residential Life with people of color ❏ Add Afro-Affinity Hall to the First Year Area, North Residence Hall or City Vista ❏ Expand the roommate matching survey to ask more questions about cultures and allyship ❏ Add diversity metrics when hiring new RA’s to the campus master plan ❏ Half of the RA’s should identify as a minority ❏ These statistics should be collected during RA hiring and the students should be placing themselves within these categories, not Residential Life staff identifying students as members of certain communities ❏ These diverse RA’s should be spread out strategically throughout all of the buildings (especially in lowerclassmen areas)

Support for Alumni: ❏ Apologize publicly for the treatment they faced as students at the university ❏ Increase funding for reunions and programs ❏ More specific recommendations will follow upon communication with alumni

From SGA President Jaelen Harris, notes from phone call June 6, 2020:

1. 1. 1. 1. Mandatory required or strongly encouraged for faculty and staff to participate in diversity training (like the trainings that student leaders take before leading). a. Very important for the University to pick up on this activity b. Biggest thing that students want

c. [Side bar--if/when the Office of D&I take over] Students from the class of 2024--two girls who didn’t see themselves in the university, even during the visits. Then current students repeated this. Majoring in STEM but no one in the department who looks like them. They don’t feel as comfortable approaching certain professors--a safe space where they feel like an equal learner. a. More Black faculty and staff b. DJA noted that it is faster to recruit staff c. DJA noted it is slower for faculty i. DJA brainstormed about how students could participate in a faculty

interview to show genuine interest Interest in the search for Director of Student Diversity and Inclusion a. Interest in participating in the search b. Desire to see the office of the director grow so that it could run more programs

Students still thinking about how to create a permanent foothold in East Side San Antonio