The Red Door Manifesto
St. Edward’s University was sold to us. We were told, “Take on your world!” with numerous study abroad programs and a quality, holistic education that promotes a global perspective and tolerance of differences. We were told, as a Holy Cross institution, that “the mind will not be cultivated at the expense of the heart.” We were told that we’d be encouraged to “confront the critical issues of society and to seek justice and peace.” The social justice warrior trains here. But what happens when the institution fails to follow through with those commitments?
In the past year, members of the African Student Organization, Black Student Alliance, League of United Latin American Citizens, Monarchs on the Hilltop, and Peers Recognized In Delivering Equality, have felt the impact of multiple institutional changes. They have witnessed a lack of transparency, accountability and action from the higher administration. Due to the recent campus wide reorganization and downsizing in student affairs, faculty, and curriculum, there are tangible reasons as to why we voice this claim. As members of the organizations listed we have been compelled to speak up against the university’s lack of consideration and acknowledgement of our needs. We have worked with President Ben Griffith and Senator Josue Damian-Martinez of the Student Government Association, to discuss if the university had created any actionable steps toward addressing these issues. After learning that there is no plan to follow up the university’s initiatives, we realized this was out of the hands of the student body and now a matter of upper administration. Therefore, we feel that our university has a responsibility to hear us as well as see us, and we have a responsibility to stand up and say something.
Our African Student Organization has faced negligence from the administration in regards to curriculum as well as protocol that addresses acts of discrimination on campus. Recently, an article was published in Hilltop Views in regards to an accusation of a blatant act of racism from Bon Appetit manager Jack Norman, who another Bon Appetite employee has accused of locking a storage room because “there’s a Negro event going on upstairs, and [he didn’t] want any of them stealing from us.” While Hilltop Views made this alleged incident public, the administration has failed to address the situation head on. How does this instance reflect the campus’s mission for equality and inclusion of all? It is absurd for this campus to claim that it champions social justice and allow a circumstance like this to go virtually unaddressed. In addition, members of ASO acknowledge a lack of representation in regards to curriculum. There is no course dedicated to creating dialogue around the African Diaspora nor is there a faculty member proficient enough to teach on this matter. We cannot expect our students to gain a global perspective if we are unwilling to expand our courses, especially in global studies, beyond the western world. For these reasons, ASO wants inclusivity of African culture in our curriculum and steadfast, tangible responses to any acts of discrimination on campus from the higher administration.
It has been articulated that cultural competence relevant to Blackness is the most salient issue among members of the Black Student Alliance. The current “diverse” education of this university is surface level, backed by an administration that fails to provide staff and faculty that offer substantive understandings of Black history. The curriculum that cultivates conversation around Black issues has been eliminated, courses and professors. In this case, the one professor, Amy Nathan Wright, Ph.D., an integral component of cultural competence at this university regarding civil rights, American and Black studies, will no longer have a position at St. Edward’s. This is a catastrophic blow to the members of BSA and the initiative for diversity and inclusion that this university holds so dear. It also illuminates the fact that these curriculum changes are going to alter the social consciousness of the student body. Having Black diasporic curriculum is important to the self-development and safety of Black students on this campus and to the Holy Cross Mission. BSA wants the administration to hire more faculty and staff that have a keen understanding of Black and minority issues.
After the Trump administration announced its plan to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals in September of 2017, President Martin released a statement that claimed “leaders at St. Edward’s have already signed several statements of support regarding DACA” and would “continue to assess our campus climate and make recommendations about how the university can better serve our diverse community.” However, since then, there has been a lack of reciprocity and resources by the university for undocumented students. There is no clarity as to why the university has been averse in proclaiming itself as a sanctuary campus. The university's efforts to address these issues have been coded with indirect language that contradicts our goal to “[serve] a culturally diverse student body.” Because of this, there has been an absence of support for two St. Edward’s students whose families have faced deportation. LULAC and Monarchs on Hilltop want to urge the administration to provide tangible, actionable plans to assure the protection of DACA students.
Members of PRIDE have had experiences that exemplify a lack of training and resources adequate to their specific needs. For example, the Health and Counseling Center is not equipped to handle medical and mental health concerns specific to trans-identifying individuals. In addition, academically, there is only one course cultivating dialogue around the past, present and future of this wide ranging community. As a result, our campus should be more equipped to appropriately incorporating dialogue around sexuality and gender in more courses. Members of PRIDE feel that they are simply tolerated but not respected. Therefore, PRIDE wants mandatory ally trainings for current faculty and staff in addition to an increased effort to recruit potential staff members that not only reflect this community but specialize in queer studies.
Furthermore, eliminating CULF classes like American Experience and American Dilemmas means dissolving the integrity of the Holy Cross mission. It means stunting the growth of the entire student population in their social and cultural competency. For the coalition of organizations listed, it is not our job to carry the weight of diversity and inclusion solely on our backs. St. Edward’s University has an obligation to fulfill its duties to all students and affirm its pledge to inclusivity.
The school we have been sold is not the school we attend. We demand to be seen and we demand to be heard. Moving forward, we anticipate the administration's response to our grievances by establishing a meeting to address the systemic problems of our campus. We are dedicated to fulfilling the mission of St. Edward’s University. Let us take immediate action to right these wrongs. We want a timely meeting with the upper administration and board of trustees to create more transparency. Let us embark upon the chapter in this university’s history where we begin to take on our world, the world that we all share together. Let us open the red doors for a better future for all.
African Student Organization
Black Student Alliance
League of United Latin American Citizens
Monarchs on the Hilltop
Peers Recognized In Delivering Equality
In the past year, members of the African Student Organization, Black Student Alliance, League of United Latin American Citizens, Monarchs on the Hilltop, and Peers Recognized In Delivering Equality, have felt the impact of multiple institutional changes. They have witnessed a lack of transparency, accountability and action from the higher administration. Due to the recent campus wide reorganization and downsizing in student affairs, faculty, and curriculum, there are tangible reasons as to why we voice this claim. As members of the organizations listed we have been compelled to speak up against the university’s lack of consideration and acknowledgement of our needs. We have worked with President Ben Griffith and Senator Josue Damian-Martinez of the Student Government Association, to discuss if the university had created any actionable steps toward addressing these issues. After learning that there is no plan to follow up the university’s initiatives, we realized this was out of the hands of the student body and now a matter of upper administration. Therefore, we feel that our university has a responsibility to hear us as well as see us, and we have a responsibility to stand up and say something.
Our African Student Organization has faced negligence from the administration in regards to curriculum as well as protocol that addresses acts of discrimination on campus. Recently, an article was published in Hilltop Views in regards to an accusation of a blatant act of racism from Bon Appetit manager Jack Norman, who another Bon Appetite employee has accused of locking a storage room because “there’s a Negro event going on upstairs, and [he didn’t] want any of them stealing from us.” While Hilltop Views made this alleged incident public, the administration has failed to address the situation head on. How does this instance reflect the campus’s mission for equality and inclusion of all? It is absurd for this campus to claim that it champions social justice and allow a circumstance like this to go virtually unaddressed. In addition, members of ASO acknowledge a lack of representation in regards to curriculum. There is no course dedicated to creating dialogue around the African Diaspora nor is there a faculty member proficient enough to teach on this matter. We cannot expect our students to gain a global perspective if we are unwilling to expand our courses, especially in global studies, beyond the western world. For these reasons, ASO wants inclusivity of African culture in our curriculum and steadfast, tangible responses to any acts of discrimination on campus from the higher administration.
It has been articulated that cultural competence relevant to Blackness is the most salient issue among members of the Black Student Alliance. The current “diverse” education of this university is surface level, backed by an administration that fails to provide staff and faculty that offer substantive understandings of Black history. The curriculum that cultivates conversation around Black issues has been eliminated, courses and professors. In this case, the one professor, Amy Nathan Wright, Ph.D., an integral component of cultural competence at this university regarding civil rights, American and Black studies, will no longer have a position at St. Edward’s. This is a catastrophic blow to the members of BSA and the initiative for diversity and inclusion that this university holds so dear. It also illuminates the fact that these curriculum changes are going to alter the social consciousness of the student body. Having Black diasporic curriculum is important to the self-development and safety of Black students on this campus and to the Holy Cross Mission. BSA wants the administration to hire more faculty and staff that have a keen understanding of Black and minority issues.
After the Trump administration announced its plan to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals in September of 2017, President Martin released a statement that claimed “leaders at St. Edward’s have already signed several statements of support regarding DACA” and would “continue to assess our campus climate and make recommendations about how the university can better serve our diverse community.” However, since then, there has been a lack of reciprocity and resources by the university for undocumented students. There is no clarity as to why the university has been averse in proclaiming itself as a sanctuary campus. The university's efforts to address these issues have been coded with indirect language that contradicts our goal to “[serve] a culturally diverse student body.” Because of this, there has been an absence of support for two St. Edward’s students whose families have faced deportation. LULAC and Monarchs on Hilltop want to urge the administration to provide tangible, actionable plans to assure the protection of DACA students.
Members of PRIDE have had experiences that exemplify a lack of training and resources adequate to their specific needs. For example, the Health and Counseling Center is not equipped to handle medical and mental health concerns specific to trans-identifying individuals. In addition, academically, there is only one course cultivating dialogue around the past, present and future of this wide ranging community. As a result, our campus should be more equipped to appropriately incorporating dialogue around sexuality and gender in more courses. Members of PRIDE feel that they are simply tolerated but not respected. Therefore, PRIDE wants mandatory ally trainings for current faculty and staff in addition to an increased effort to recruit potential staff members that not only reflect this community but specialize in queer studies.
Furthermore, eliminating CULF classes like American Experience and American Dilemmas means dissolving the integrity of the Holy Cross mission. It means stunting the growth of the entire student population in their social and cultural competency. For the coalition of organizations listed, it is not our job to carry the weight of diversity and inclusion solely on our backs. St. Edward’s University has an obligation to fulfill its duties to all students and affirm its pledge to inclusivity.
The school we have been sold is not the school we attend. We demand to be seen and we demand to be heard. Moving forward, we anticipate the administration's response to our grievances by establishing a meeting to address the systemic problems of our campus. We are dedicated to fulfilling the mission of St. Edward’s University. Let us take immediate action to right these wrongs. We want a timely meeting with the upper administration and board of trustees to create more transparency. Let us embark upon the chapter in this university’s history where we begin to take on our world, the world that we all share together. Let us open the red doors for a better future for all.
African Student Organization
Black Student Alliance
League of United Latin American Citizens
Monarchs on the Hilltop
Peers Recognized In Delivering Equality