Feinberg Prof. Clyde Yancy and Chief Diversity Officer Robin Means Coleman discussed racial justice at Northwestern during Wednesday’s Faculty Senate meeting.
Yancy, co-chair of NU’s Community Safety Advisory Board, said senior leadership called him back in November indicating that the University was “at an impasse” when it came to campus safety. Since then, NU has released two external reviews of University Police and the Department of Safety and Security.
The first report detailed UP’s budget and operations. The second reassessed DSS’s responsibilities, including its role in student mental health response. Instead of placing mental health responsibilities on campus police, Yancy said, NU may reroute that authority elsewhere as a result of the assessment’s findings.
Northwestern Now
In his 22nd Conversations with the President event Tuesday (April 13) held remotely for the second consecutive year due to COVID-19 safety precautions Northwestern University President Morton Schapiro reflected on the pandemic’s impact on campus safety, what we’ve learned as an institution and where we’re headed as restrictions begin to loosen.
“I think one of the safest places in the world has been Northwestern, and we have the numbers to show that,” President Schapiro said, referencing the low positivity rate on campus since students returned for Winter Quarter (only 567 positive cases out of 145,000 COVID tests) and the increase in vaccinations received by members of the Northwestern community both on and off campus.
Northwestern Asian American Pacific Islander Desi American groups released a letter urging the University to support its students beyond statements in the wake of the Atlanta shootings.
The Thursday letter, cosigned by Korean American Student Association, Chinese Students Association, Vietnamese Student Association, Kaibigan, Thai Student Association, Asian Pacific American Coalition, Muslim-cultural Students Association and South Asian Students Alliance, also denounced the University’s Feb. 23 statement, calling it “unhelpful and too forgiving of racism.”
“We need the University to do more than sending out an email,” students from Asian American affinity groups wrote. “We need actions that enact change.”
The University’s February statement said anti-Asian racism, Sinophobia and xenophobia have long been a part of American history. It directed NU community members to bias incident forms, bystander training and APIDA affinity groups among other resources.
In late March, members of The Daily’s editorial board sat down with Robin Means Coleman, chief diversity officer and vice president and associate provost for diversity and inclusion. Coleman talked through Northwestern’s plans for equity and inclusion, police abolition and student demands. A University spokesperson was not present. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
The Daily: In your previous position at Texas A&M University, you implemented the university’s Diversity Plan. Do you have any similar plans for Northwestern?
Coleman: In fact, that is probably the number one priority, which is to develop a university strategic plan. The thing about Northwestern is that diversity, equity and inclusion lives in every corner of the institution. And so, Northwestern in some ways is a national leader in that regard. What’s terrific about what my job will be is to really help coordinate all of the wonderful efforts that are going on here at Northwestern. And in s
Faculty Senate passed legislation supporting faculty oversight of the University’s investigations into allegations of racism and sexism on the cheerleading team. Senators also endorsed a letter to address the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on caregivers.
The legislation calls on the University to incorporate input from the Faculty Senate, update the Faculty Senate Executive Committee quarterly about the status of the review and ensure effective oversight of and a safe environment for the cheer team.
History Prof. David Schoenbrun, one of the legislation’s authors, said the legislation intends to give the Faculty Senate influence over the University’s actions.