Mizzou

1. Mizzou and More

2. Mizzou & More is a facilitated community dialogue to support student affairs professionals in managing the risks and evolving roles & responsibilities in a period of emerging agency for students & an intense period of student activism.

3. In moments of stress, internal conflict and external pressure to “maintain order & follow rules & regulations”, it is important for us to remember that the realization of human dignity is grounded in agency & voice. Action changes who we are and what we believe is worth doing. The Authenticity Paradox Harvard Business Review, Jan- February 2015

4. When protest occurs, it shows that there is a breakdown in university procedures for consultation.  Protest is a way of influencing when all other avenues have been shut down. It needs to be recognized as being legitimate and requires universities to listen to students and staff and come to a compromise.

5. What factors converged to create protest at Mizzou? First, consider the macro context. We are in the most disruptive era in higher education since World War II and the Civil Rights Movement. Some believe this is the most disruptive in 400 years.

6. At the same time, we are seeing a less transparent, less responsive, less democratic university than we have seen in the past --Angus Johnston, City University of New York, specialist in student activism, 2014

7. There are some law suits that have encouraged administrators to restrict free speech. This is particularly concerning. Student dissent has been a part of higher education since the colonial colleges. There has always been an ebb & flow to campus activism. Activism in the 21st century is a continuation of the long tradition of campus dissent that students expressed centuries ago with the addition of social media + negative external press, regulatory and consumer input

8. What present-day factors converged to create protest at Mizzou? Read http://theatlantic.com/national/archive/2015/11/whats-happening-at-the-univerity -of-missouri/414870/

9. What present day factors converged? Several racial incidents occurred in the Fall including October 5 when the Legion of Black Collegians were called the “n-word” while rehearsing for Homecoming On October 24, a swastika was drawn in human feces on a residence hall wall The University was muted in its response.

10. What historical factors converged to create protest at Mizzou? On Oct 10 Concerned Students for 1950 blocked the Presidents car in a Homecoming Parade. He did not respond to them and his driver sped away and the car bumped into Jonathan Butler A week later, the President met with the group and several weeks later he apologized and said that racism does exist and is unacceptable.

11. What factors converged to create protest at Mizzou? On Nov 2, Butler began a hunger strike. The Chancellor and President were removed by the Board of Trustees and an interim has been appointed. Other concerns rose to the surface about the President’s handling of Planned Parenthood services, benefits for graduate students, lack of effective communication.

12. What present-day factors converged to create protest at Mizzou? A list of demands was generated by protesters. Many of them simply replicate the original list of 15 demands made by students many years earlier.

13. Many Years Earlier (Do you know the history of your institution? If not, review) U of MO was established in 1839 and, as was the rule at the time, admitted only white male students. On January 11, 1865, slavery was abolished in MO by an ordinance of immediate emancipation, making Missouri the first slave state to emancipate its slaves before the adoption of the 13th amendment of the Constitution.

14. Many Years Earlier However Missouri’s post-war constitution enforced segregation of Black & White Citizens. Women were admitted to classes at U of MO in 1868, creating quite a stir. Mary Louise Gillett was the first female identified graduate. In 1915, the first Jewish Student Organization was founded.

15. Many Years Earlier In 1935, Lloyd Gaines challenged “Separate but Equal” and between 1935 and 1950, 70 African Americans applied and were denied admission of U of MO. Rather than admit African-American students to MU, the university paid out-of-state tuition for Black applicants to attend college in another state.

16. Many Years Earlier Gaines sued as part of a campaign by the NAACP to challenge “separate but equal” throughout the United States. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Gaines and found that the payments of out-of-state tuition to transfer applicants does not erase discrimination.

17. Many Years Earlier In 1939, three months after the Supreme Court ruling, Gaines stepped out of his apartment one night to buy stamps and was never seen or heard from again. His Supreme Court case was subsequently dismissed.

18. Many Years Earlier Lucile Buford sued U of MO next in 1940. She was originally admitted, but denied registration when the university discovered she was Black. The Supreme Court ruled in her favor. U of MO closed its graduate program of journalism shortly after the decision “due to low enrollment.”

19. Many Years Earlier In 1949, the student body of U of MO voted on whether to admit Black students. 70 percent voted yes and the doors opened in 1950. Gus T. Ridgel was the first Black student to earn a graduate degree, a Master’s in Economics. He was not allowed to eat at any place off campus, only in campus dining halls.

20. Many Years Earlier In 1956, Al Abram, Jr. received the first athletic scholarship to Mizzou for basketball. In 1958, Norris Stevenson and Mel West were the first Black football players to receive scholarships.

21. Many Years Earlier In 1960, MU became the educational center for student with disabilities from a 7-state area.

22. Many Years Earlier In 1960, MU became the educational center for student with disabilities from a 7-state area.In 1961, the first fraternity for Black male students was formed. In 1964, students lobbied for changes in discriminatory housing practices. They lobbied for race to be removed from housing applications.

23. Many Years Earlier Students and professors marched between the hours of 10:30 and 1:30pm to protest the discriminatory off-campus housing practices. In 1965, the University finally changed its policy to list off-campus housing available for any student regardless of color. The decision had a big impact on all students. Students under 21 no longer had to get permission to live off campus.

24. Many Years Earlier The first female Black sorority was formed in 1965 and the first Black cheerleader was elected. MU was one of only three fully accessible universities for persons with disabilities in the Midwest in 1967. In 1968, the Legion of Black Collegians was established by the men of Alpha Phi Alpha to give voice to Black students.

25. Many Years Earlier In 1969, MU hired its first Black faculty member, Arvarh Strickland, professor of history. The Blackout was founded, the first African-American publication on campus.

26. Many Years Earlier The LBC demanded changes including an increase in Black faculty, creation of Black studies program, establishment of Black culture center, dedication of a building to a Black leader, periodic review of promotions of Black staff, active recruitment of Black students, scholarships and tutoring, an annual “Black Week” and increased representation in student government and activities.

27. Many Years Earlier In 1974, the Confederate Rock Monument was removed. The Legion of Black Collegians rallied in response to MU’s failure to address their list of 15 demands submitted in April. 700 students attended the rally. In 1984, the first Black Dean was appointed.

28. Many Years Earlier In 1987, students rallied again for increased minority enrollment. Black students were 3.2 percent of 22,532 students. In 1988, Black students protested the 1988 homecoming theme, “Show Me Old Mizzou” and MU divested it investments in South Africa.

29. Many Years Earlier In 1989, the first Black Vice-Provost was appointed. He started a difficult implementation process for the long-awaited recruitment and retention programs, multicultural tolerance programs and more. In 1990 students demanded that the multicultural tolerance program should be mandatory.

30. Since 1990 In 1991, MU officially recognized MLK Day for the first time, again in response to a student protest. In 1994, Native American students lobbied for return of the remains of more than 1800 individuals held in the Museum of Art & Archaeology collection. MU agreed to work with them.

31. In 1997, Pacheco became the first Latino President. In 1998, the new Black Culture Center opened along with the new Asian Affairs Center. In 2003, the first Black President of MU was appointed & sexual orientation was added to the non-discrimination clause.

32. In 1997, Pacheco became the first Latino President. In 1998, the new Black Culture Center opened along with the new Asian Affairs Center. In 2003, the first Black President of MU was appointed & sexual orientation was added to the non-discrimination clause.

33. In 2000-2010 In 2008, the Missouri Student Association rallied to remove the name of T.A. Brady from the student center. Evidence had been found that he was homophobic and a segregationist. Opponents of the removal said he was a “product of his time”. After much debate, the name was removed.

34. 2011-Present Day In 2011, students launched the One Mizzou initiative after two racially charged incidents. In 2015, Mizzou offered gender-neutral housing for the first time. In October 2015, student protests began and continue. We want to express appreciation to the Diversity Center at MU for these citations. https://diversity.missouri.edu/timeline/

35. With the growing complexity of university work, increasingly diverse student populations, growing legal and accountability requirements, what are our roles and responsibilities to cultivate campus climates where protest is not pre-cursor to censorship, shut down or violence? What are the boundaries of freedom of expression & academic freedom?

36. To review, AACU (2006) in its statement on Academic Freedom & Responsibility: Any assertion from a particular individual or a specific intellectual community is necessarily simpler than the complexity it attempts to explain and describe. This is the central reason both scholars and students must work within a communal setting that involves multiple academic disciplines, and that fosters an ethos of communication, contestation, and civility.

37. By creating such communities of inquiry, the academy ensures that no proposal stands without alternatives or arrogates to itself the claim of possessing the sole truth. The advancement of knowledge requires that intellectual differences be engaged and explored even as individuals with different points of view are also respected.

38. Spark the Resistance or Learning? Research indicates that unsupportive environments can create the spark of resistance on campus while fostering a positive campus climate for activism can inspire more students to voice their concerns without overt resistance.

39. Classic best practices. Introduce principles of non-violent resistance & train everyone in the community. Establish policies & practices regarding dissent & civil disobedience and train everyone. Encourage & allow student voice. Discourage disruptive and violent dissent. Encourage use of constitutional rights of free speech to positively enact social change.

40. Understand Your Unique Situation Many recent protests (162 in 2014)—embraced national issues through the lens of campus policies. The university is big enough to matter but small enough to have an influence on. It becomes a site of organizing because there are opportunities to organize on campus of times that you don’t have in an off-campus community--Johnston

41. Student affairs professionals have an opportunity to act now. There are complex challenges associated with supporting idiosyncratic student issues within institutions that are striving for increased efficiencies. Situations can spiral out of control quickly when the power dynamics are not managed well - -Laura Harrison in How Student Affairs Professionals Learn to Advocate: A Phenomenological Study

42. Through dialogue with student protesters and engagement with the students union prior to any disciplinary action, universities can take the lead on creating a true partnership with students and staff. True partnership does not mean forums with no communicable change afterwards but real results that are tangible for the community.

43. After physical conflict erupted between police & protesters during demonstrations at UC Berkeley & UC Davis in November 2011, their existing policies and practices went under comprehensive review regarding responses to demonstrations and civil disobedience. This was not a review of what happened but a proactive approach to the future. These represent a shift of mindset from “maintenance of order and adherence to rules and regulations.”

44. For protesters, a mindset shift may be required as well, including taking responsibility for actions, including education about protest-related rules & considering the impact acts of civil disobedience can have on others in the campus community. There were 49 recommendations in 9 areas.

45. Civil Disobedience Challenges—There is a need to define & communicate clearly the free speech rights & responsibilities of all members of the community. There should be no confusion about the rights of individuals to express themselves and to lawfully assemble for that purpose. Civil disobedience should be clearly defined as the violation of laws and there will be consequences due to impact on other members of the community.

46. Relationship Building. The campus must endeavor to increase trust and understanding among all campus stakeholders, by better utilizing all channels and building new ones. Most protests can be avoided if there are effective lines of communication and opportunities to raise substantive concerns to Administration and receive a meaningful response. Create strong working relationships between police officials and administrators and relationships of trust with communities served.

47. Role Definition & Coordination There must be an established system for coordination between police and administrators with well-defined roles and a shared understanding that ultimate responsibility for the campus’s response rests with the Chancellor. The goal should be to minimize police response to protests and to limit the use of force whenever possible.

48. Hiring & Training The hiring of police officers and training in civil disobedience must be highly intentional and iterative. The same must be true for all administrators to educate about approaches to deescalate protest situtions.

49. Communication with Protesters With strong communication, civil disobedience can typically be avoided or at least take place peacefully with police presence. Communicate in advance of a planned event, plan together when possible as well as throughout all stages.

50. Response During Events Once a protest is underway and civil disobedience occurs, the decisions made by administrators may and, in majority, will directly affect whether the protest ends in violence or peacefully. Use peaceful accord whenever possible.