Protest at Towson produces pact with president

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As students occupied the president’s office Wednesday afternoon, Towson University became the second Maryland campus in less than a week at which protesters presented administrators with a list of demands for increasing diversity.

Meanwhile, officials at another local university say it is trying to confront racial tensions head on, in part by encouraging students to have discussions that might offend them.

Black students from Towson and the Johns Hopkins University demanded the hiring of more black faculty members, more instruction in cultural competence and stronger responses to incidents of racism and discrimination, among other items.

After Towson students arrived at interim President Timothy Chandler’s office, a meeting that lasted hours ended with Chandler signing a revised list of demands early Thursday morning, student media reported.

Towson students also demanded that policing practices be equitable for events led by white students as events led by black students and for Chandler to resign if he didn’t keep his promise to address the concerns and “effectively represent black students,” according to The Towerlight, the university’s student news publication.

National unrest

The local demonstrations follow protests at the University of Missouri where university system President Timothy Wolfe was ousted Nov. 9 over unsatisfactory response to incidents of racism on the system’s Columbia campus.

A national student organization called the Black Liberation Collective called for protests Wednesday as part of an initiative called National Blackout Day; demonstrations were reported at universities including Princeton, Tufts and Harvard.

“Over the past months, Black students around the globe have started an uprising against anti-blackness and white supremacy on their campuses,” the collective wrote on its website. “Among the many specific demands from Black students organizing on their respective campuses, a thread emerges which unites us: the desire to experience learning spaces that are safe for ALL Black students.”

The idea behind “safe spaces” is to give students a level of emotional freedom — a place to be who they are, said Lisa Gray, assistant director of student life for cultural and spiritual diversity at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

But calls for such spaces have led to criticism from some observers that students are being coddled and sheltered in a way that’s antithetic to the goals of higher education.

Discussions in “safe spaces” can leave little room for disagreement due to the fear of giving offense, Gray said.

So the administration at UMBC is encouraging students to talk about race and microagressions, such as statements that aren’t meant to offend but still show prejudice, in “brave spaces,” designated discussions in and outside of the classroom where participants shouldn’t presume that they’ll be comfortable, Gray said.

“It’s a great concept that’s starting to take hold,” she said.

Agreement draws praise

The agreement reached between Chandler and the Towson students drew praise from University System of Maryland Chancellor Robert L. Caret, who said one of the system’s strategic priorities is to make campuses inclusive and welcoming to all students.

“I applaud the students at Towson University and interim President Chandler for their thoughtful and thorough approach to finding ways to move ahead on issues that concern students of color on campus,” Caret said.

Last Friday, Hopkins President Ronald Daniels met with protesters on that campus and agreed to host a forum later this month so he and other university leaders could meet with students to discuss their concerns.

“I am determined that I, and many others, will remain open to your thoughts and input, and that we will engage these challenges together with the courage and vision that is the signature of our academic community,” Daniels said in a statement.