By MEHNAZ LADHA
The rise of race related violence across the nation’s campuses sparked concern among student leaders of color at Ramapo College who called upon the administration to develop new policies aimed at improving the racial climate.
Students presented their list of demands to President Peter Mercer and Katherine McGee, director of Affirmative Action and Workplace Committee, on Feb 3 asking for policies that foster a more supportive atmosphere for students of color. The purpose of these demands is to sustain the conversation that began during last semester’s town hall meeting, which concentrated on race and inclusion on campus.
“Students, faculty, and staff have been working toward making Ramapo a more inclusive place for a long time. I think what we are seeing is that a lot of the efforts we try to implement get pushed aside. We wanted to make it clear that this has to be a priority and that this has to be something the college takes seriously,” said Misha Choudry, senior and president of Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority.
According to the Fall 2015 Enrollment Report, 61.4 percent of the student body is white, 12.9 percent is Hispanic, 7 percent is Asian, and 5.4 percent is black. Students agree that the administration should make additional efforts to support individuals of marginalized groups by establishing policies and institutions.
“On paper, the college is doing well and is making efforts to increase diversity and [improve] the racial climate on campus. In a practical sense, for students experiencing different discriminations and microaggressions by the administration, by professors, and by other white peers, more efforts can be made,” said Vanna Garcia, senior and concerned student of color.
Some of the recommended policy changes include improving the existing hiring policies by adding a statement that would encourage women and minority individuals to apply. Students expressed interest in having the administration encourage faculty and staff at Ramapo to attend training sessions that would help promote overall diversity on campus.
Last semester, the president’s office sent an email to the Ramapo community encouraging them to support their Muslim peers during the holiday season on Dec. 21. However, student leaders do not think that message was effective and expect the administration to develop a more carefully crafted statement in support of Muslim students in the wake of the recent issues of Islamophobia nationwide.
“I didn’t think [the initial statement] was adequate because it created an ‘us vs. them’ dynamic with the language it used. We added that on the list last semester before the email was actually sent out, but we chose to keep it on the list during the meeting so that we would have a chance to talk to President Mercer about why we didn’t feel his email was enough,” said Choudry.
Establishing Permanent Infrastructure
Ramapo College in recent years has developed several initiatives designed to support students of color on campus. The Diversity Action Committee (DAC) is one of the organizations that support issues of diversity, equality, and inclusion. However, students believe that this voluntary committee is not fully equipped to serve students due to limited time and resources.
“These are people taking time out of their lives and their busy schedules, classes, publications, jobs, and everything else to do a job that is really not meant for volunteers,” said Choudry. “It’s unfair to ask whether DAC is doing all that it can. The actual question is if the president’s office doing all that it can to ensure that students of color and marginalized groups are feeling safe and welcome on campus.”
AUDIO: Listen to Taylor Gilson, global communications major at Ramapo College, share her thoughts about improving the campus’ racial climate.
Although not stated in the list of demands presented the administration, the Ramapo College community stands behind the development of a multicultural center that would ensure that students of color feel supported. The Multicultural Committee, comprised of students and staff, are currently working on a proposal to present to the administration at the end of the semester. This proposal will detail the reason behind the establishment of the center and the role it would play on campus.
“With the recent protests and community forums, we feel that we have the campus’ attention and think that this is a great time to propose the multicultural center,” said Tamika Quick, assistant director for equity and diversity programs.
Planning for the multicultural center is still in its initial stages of research, yet the committee has determined some of the critical functions the space will serve. Paul Reck, an associate professor of sociology, explained that the center would serve as a space for students to informally raise issues of concern and will also hold records of reported incidents.
Encouraging Underclassmen to Continue the Conversation
While the student leaders demand the president’s office to provide institutional support and funding for more inclusive programs on campus, they also urge underclassmen to join them as they voice their concerns to the administration. Conversations such as this one disappear once its leaders graduate, leaving the administration unaccountable for its actions, according to Garcia. Ramapo students must continue the conversation to demonstrate that the problem will not vanish from their minds until a solution is reached.
“Students are disempowered by the community and structures set in place that prevent them from utilizing their voice,” said Garcia. “But the demonstrations and the forums and conversations with the president help amplify the mission of providing a voice to students of color.”
Administrators also recommend other community members to speak openly about issues of concern. McGee, a former student leader and activist at Ramapo College, explained that the college strives to work with students and faculty to nurture a better campus environment.
“I am especially appreciative when students get involved in issues of great importance to our campus. At Ramapo, we believe in empowering student voices and working together towards positive change,” said McGee.
President Mercer will meet with the student leaders in a few weeks to follow up on their conversation. Additionally, all students are encouraged to attend the first of a series of community forums focusing on cultivating diversity and inclusion on campus on March 9th at 3:30 PM in the Alumni Lounges.
I definitely learned a lot about the racial disparity here on campus and why its an important topic. I think this article is about a relevant issue and could be told better if you could get a concrete example of a racial problem that happened here at Ramapo. Overall, the article was well written and greatly informed the reader through the opinions of students.