Gov. board issues apology

Faculty members packed the Governing Board’s Oct. 16 town hall meeting to voice their disappointment in the board’s lack of action following a scathing report on the race relations at Southwestern College.

A team led by Dr. Shaun Harper, the executive director of USC’s Race and Equity Center, reported in September that SWC suffers from some of the worst anti-black racism they had ever seen. Employees and students have looked to administration for results and said they have not seen the board take steps to fix racism on campus.

A joint apology was mass-emailed on behalf of the Governing Board on Oct. 24. The statement said Governing Board trustees would seek ways to connect with faculty and employees to find more impactful ways to bring the community together. It also said they want to work to build a more inclusive campus.

“As a college, we are not immune from the prejudice and bias that exist in our nation,” the statement read. “However, we can commit to work together to make this college a place where they are not tolerated.”

The board also said they acknowledge the community’s pain.

“We apologize to all those who have been hurt, discriminated against, bullied and/or made to feel devalued at the college,” the board wrote.

Employees have reacted to the board’s response.

Tenured and tenure-track faculty members from the English, humanities and philosophy departments composed a statement to lend their support to those who have “suffered from the anti-blackness identified in the report.” They also thanked the Governing Board for hosting a town hall and listening to the community’s concerns.

“We feel grateful for the pro-faculty position that the board has worked from, and we know you are often placed in difficult positions,” the faculty reply said. “We ourselves recognize and experience the challenges involved in dismantling racist systems and attitudes. To profess equity-minded practices is hard; it’s harder to live them.”

The faculty members also wrote that it is not enough for institutions to act color-blind. Their fields of study, they said, have been used to strengthen white power structures and they are working to deconstruct this. Transfer-level courses have been inaccessible for years, which resulted in racial inequities. In comments to The Sun, the group said the statement was signed by faculty who are protected by tenure. They also said they want to see administrators continue to work towards a more equitable campus.

“We encourage all groups on campus to call for racial justice and to demonstrate their commitment to a safe, equitable campus community for black and other historically marginalized groups,” they said. “We look forward to working with the board, administration, and other groups on campus to address some of the recommendations made by the Campus Climate Assessment. We know many are already working on these goals and more, and we hope more will join in that effort.”

Numerous employees who attended the Oct. 16 meeting asked what the Governing Board and Murillo are doing specifically to improve the climate. Murillo told The Sun “she was trying” and that institutional change takes up to seven years, although she is aiming for five. She added that the college is working to improve its hiring committees and diversify its workforce.

She also said she has been working to improve the investigation process by making sure each discrimination or Title IX complaint the college receives is addressed in less than 72 hours. Almost 50 investigations have been filed during her tenure as president.

“This is my midnight to six a.m. project right now,” she said. “I’m serious. This is hard work.”

Murillo said in Spring 2017, 18,933 students were emailed a student “diverse learning environment” survey. 1,233 responded. The survey asked if students had witnessed discrimination on campus or reported racism on campus. Nearly 90 percent said they had not. Harper’s survey also asked if students could see the administration’s dedication to diversity.

Murillo said she hopes to take part in Harper’s newest survey, the National Assessment of Collegiate Campus Climate. She also said the faculty survey has moved the college in a positive direction.

“I think it provided some more feedback that further supports the direction we are moving in toward systemic culture change that does not tolerate discrimination and disrespect in any form,” Murillo said. “It was obvious we need some more time and more dialogue.”