One of the prevailing themes of the course has been connecting the institutional and the individual levels of sociological analysis. Thanks to one of your classmates, I’ve come across the following example of trying to do so: students at Hampshire College have organized around demands for more racial diversity, among other things.
The Facebook page for the Hampshire College student group describes their situation and purpose:
Calling Hampshire Alums to Support a Campus Racial Justice Initiative
Dear Friends & Fellow Hampshire Alums,
We are writing to express our great sense of excitement and urgency about recent organizing efforts at Hampshire Colleges. The campaign is at a critical moment that needs alumni support.
Students of color, international students and allies at Hampshire have been enmeshed in a fight that many of us were similarly involved in; to build a campus that is truly racially just and hold the administration accountable in achieving this end.
The current effort represents a crucial moment in the history of anti-racist organizing at Hampshire College. It builds upon that history and demands new solutions to an old problem; that of institutional racism on campus that reflects and compounds the greater structural racism within this country. Students of Underrepresented Cultures and Ethnicities (SOURCE) and allies have collaborated in this well-coordinated, thoughtful and intersectional campaign. They have drafted a new set of demands that builds upon those presented 20 years ago at the historic Dakin Takeover in 1988, as a result of which the Cultural Center was formed.
We’ve been asked by the campaign’s organizing committee to gather names of alumni in support of their efforts. These names will be presented to the administration by students as they carry out negotiations.
In their letter to current Hampshire President, Ralph Hexter, they wrote, “Members of the SOURCE community are asking the administration, faculty, and student body to support them in making institutional changes. These changes are mandatory in order to increase the retention and success of students from the SOURCE community here.”
We will be sending a petition with names of Hampshire alumni to campaign organizers to be used in their negotiations with the administration. Please respond with your name and year of entrance (F02) on the wall below or with a message to one of the group administrators. We are aiming to compile a lengthy list of names so please respond ASAP.
____________________________________PURPOSE AND DEMANDS OF SOURCE
This week is being executed in an attempt to raise awareness about the need for serious change in the way that the institution approaches anti-racism. The week will consist of art, activism, and the events listed below.
Members of the SOURCE community are asking the administration, faculty, and student body to support them in making institutional changes. These changes are mandatory in order to increase the retention and success of students from the SOURCE community here.
All we demand is that Hampshire be actively anti-racist. We demand the following:
1. Re-establishment of Dean of Multicultural Affairs position (as stipulated from the Cole Agreement), in addition to the already-existent Presidential Assistant for Diversity position.
2. Creation of four new positions for full-time faculty in ALANA and Queer Studies.
3. Transparency in the process by which adjunct faculty become permanent faculty.
4. Re-evaluation of the Multiple Cultural Perspectives academic requirement.
5. Mandatory anti-oppression trainings for faculty, staff, Public Safety, and Residential Life staff and interns.
6. Stability in financial aid packages. If a student’s needs do not change, then the package must remain the same over the course of the student’s time at the college. Further, a student’s ability to register for classes will not be hindered by holds or other issues related to financial aid status.
7. Institutionalized funding for the Cultural Center, SOURCE groups, QCA groups, and Women’s Center. Identity-based groups will be exempt fro the process of “group recognition” each semester.
8. Permanent staffing at the Cultural Center, Women’s Center, and Queer Community Alliance. Creation of a new staff position at the Cultural Center to be filled by an individual experienced in addressing the needs of international students.
9. Establishment of at least one residential hall designated for students of color, in the dorms, by Fall 2008.
10. Designation of a Queer-Identified (and not just Queer-Friendly) residential hall in the dorms.
11. Allocation of funds to expand library and media resources relevant to Third World Studies and students.
12. Immediate hiring search, for which a committee will be formed with students for whom this position is intended to serve, for a new staff member in health services with the goal of hiring this person within one year. Person must provide some kind of concrete experience/qualifications for relating to students of color, international students, queer students, trans students, and female students.
13. Guaranteed permanent identity-based housing on campus. Aggressive recruitment of students of color, international students, queer students.
14. For Hampshire to live up to its current plan of responsible investment, keeping with historical precedent of divestment from South Africa, we demand that Hampshire should cut financial ties with countries that occupy and practice racial apartheid.
15. Establishment of a comprehensive racial harassment policy to be outlined in Non Satis Non Scire.
16. Creation of a position in Institutional Advancement geared towards raising funds that specifically address issues of diversity on campus.
17. Closing of the college on Colombus Day and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to hold a campus-wide teach-in on racism and imperialism.
LASTLY, we demand that a committee of students and administrators be established to negotiate these demands and assess whatever agreements follow.
It’s probably difficult to fully understand or evaluate the group’s grievances or goals without knowing all the details of what led to the current situation, but it is worth noting that there are examples of activism for racial justice in our own backyard.