Forum participants discuss racism, diversity issues
By Sharita Forrest, Assistant Editor 217-244-1072; slforres@illinois.edu
On Feb. 1, about 2,300 people – including students, faculty members, community residents and American Indians who had traveled from as far away as Chicago – packed Foellinger Auditorium and satellite locations at the Illini Union and Gregory Hall for an open forum titled “Racism, Power and Privilege at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.” The two-hour forum, which opened with a performance of American Indian music by members of the American Indian Center in Chicago and a prayer led by an elder from the center, included a public comment session. During the second hour, a panel of campus administrators responded to questions submitted by audience members on topics that ranged from Chief Illiniwek to campus administration plans for increasing retention rates and graduation rates among minority students and for increasing diversity among faculty and staff members. The panelists were UI President B. Joseph White; Urbana chancellor Richard Herman; Provost Linda Katehi; Renee Romano, vice chancellor for student affairs; William Riley, associate vice chancellor and dean of students; and O. Vernon Burton, chair of the Senate Executive Committee and a professor of history and of sociology. Helen Neville, professor of counseling psychology and of educational psychology, and Christopher Benson, a professor of journalism and African-American studies, were the moderators. Many participants said that the Chief undermines the racial climate on campus and expressed concern for the personal safety of minorities and people who support efforts to retire the Chief. Celina Villanueva, an undergraduate in psychology and one of the student presenters, said that “the history of racism (on campus) is more than apparent,” and the Chief’s presence institutionalizes and perpetuates racial stereotyping and acts of intolerance such as hate crimes and race-themed student parties like the “Tacos and Tequila” held by the members of Zeta Beta Tau and Delta Delta Delta in October. At the party, some participants denigrated Latinos by wearing stereotypical costumes, prompting disciplinary action from campus administration and an e-mail message from Herman to the campus community that urged respect and responsibility. Some forum participants questioned campus administration’s response to the incident and whether Herman’s e-mail message was strong enough. “I chose to balance my comments because I knew the fraternity and sorority were having a hearing before a committee,” Herman said. “And I did not want to come out with a strong statement that would have precluded their getting a fair hearing.” Herman said that the numbers of Illinois students from underrepresented minorities has increased by double-digit figures in recent years, but added, “Are we where we need to be? No.” Initiatives to broaden diversity on campus include the Illinois Promise, a scholarship program for students from economically disadvantaged families, and increasing funding for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resources Office. Staff members from the Counseling Center and student volunteers from the counseling psychology program were available to talk with participants who wanted emotional support following the forum. Many of the speakers were quite emotional, and some wiped away tears, as they described the humiliation and anger that the Chief evokes in them and their children. Parents of UI students expressed concern for their children’s safety, citing a recent incident involving threats to American Indians and anti-Chief activists on a pro-Chief student Web site. Joseph Podlasek, executive director of the AIC, asked administrators to create a timeline for eliminating the Chief. “Everyone in this building and on this campus is at risk now. It’s gone too far. It’s not a choice anymore.” When audience members asked White to disclose the UI Board of Trustees’ plans for the Chief, White declined, but said a lack of consensus among board members has hampered efforts to reach a decision. However, White added that board chair Lawrence Eppley recently announced that the board would resolve the issue during 2007. Herman thanked students for organizing the event and said he wants to continue the dialogue begun at the forum. The forum was sponsored by Students Transforming Oppression and Privilege, also known as the “STOP Coalition,” which presented a list of demands to campus officials that included removing the Chief and discontinuing the use of American Indian imagery, as well as canceling the university’s contract with Coca-Cola and other companies that violate human rights or promote environmental degradation. Archived video of the forum, which was Web-streamed to participants in the satellite locations, is available at www.atlas.uiuc.edu/av. The STOP Coalition’s complete list of demands to university administration is at www.iresist.org.
