After students challenged the administration several weeks ago to address racial tensions on campus, Black Student Alliance members said Monday that they were generally satisfied with the response. BSA President Veronica Root, (MSB ‘04) told the audience that she was, “for the most part, very happy.” She remained concerned, however, about Provost James O’Donnell’s reluctance to implement diversity training among the faculty.
In the midst of protests against racism that galvanized the campus in the weeks before spring break, President DeGioia said that he was committed to maintaining an inclusive atmosphere at Georgetown, and announced that he was assembling a committee of senior officials to formulate an official plan of action for the University.
O’Donnell, Vice-President of Student Affairs Todd Olson and Vice-President of Safety and Security David Morrell presented the plan to student leaders on Friday. It responds to concerns about racial insensitivity among faculty and students and address hate incidents on campus.
Root said she was especially pleased with the response to complaints about hate crimes and hate incidents on campus. According to Morrell, DPS officers will begin frequent diversity training sessions next fall with the consultation of a diverse committee of students. University rules will also be changed to make hate crimes a separate and more serious offense.
Reacting to a complaint raised several times in pre-spring break protests, Olson announced the formation of a committee to develop a uniform system for reporting hate crimes and hate incidents.
Root said that Department of Education statistics, which incorrectly show that no hate crimes occurred on campus last year, currently reflect the Georgetown’s inattention to the issue. “What’s happening now is that they’re getting reported through too many sources and departments, and only those that get reported directly to DPS get included in the stats,” she said.
Root also said that she had been told at Friday’s meeting that a University-wide diversity of studies requirement, which was demanded in the protests before spring break, could be implemented into the curriculum in six to 12 months.
Olson also hopes to address issues of racial insensitivity among the Georgetown student body by increasing the scope and resources of the Diversity Working Group to educate students of all years about diversity. In addition, he proposed a student-led re-examination of the Pluralism in Action Program, a seminar on diversity for students new to Georgetown.
Concerns remain, however, that problems cannot be solved without instituting mandatory diversity training for all faculty members. Root, who said she has personally witnessed racial insensitivity in the classroom at Georgetown, argues that diversity training would explicitly make clear what is and is not permitted.
O’Donnell, however, said that the University cannot impose such training on tenured professors, but only on adjunct and assistant Professors. His alternate proposal to provide optional online training and greater resources on diversity, Root said, is not sufficient.
Kareen Rosefort (MSB ‘04), a member of Georgetown’s chapter of the NAACP, said she was disappointed by O’Donnell. “The Provost was just very resistant. He didn’t seem to listen to our suggestions,” she said.
