We are writing as concerned faculty in support of Students for Change and their efforts to address the current racial climate of Binghamton University. The students have the right to voice their concerns as a collective; they also have the right to be addressed appropriately by the administration of this university.
The faculty who attended the meeting held last Wednesday, February 25th reported being extremely disturbed to see several armed campus police officers in attendance. They were also highly concerned about the level of surveillance executed through mandatory ID scans and sign-in sheets. These actions sent the message that the students gathered peacefully at the meeting to discuss legitimate concerns were “the problem” rather than the people bearing the brunt of it.
In our view, the problem on campus is twofold: overtly racist acts as well as institutionalized racism. Institutionalized racism, described as “racism without racists” by sociologist Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, refers to the racial discrimination embedded, routinized, and standardized in the policies and practices of U.S. institutions such as its universities. The university’s decision to send armed police to a community meeting exemplifies the unequal way Binghamton University students of color are treated on their own campus.
We demand that no armed or undercover police be present at future meetings with Students for Change, or at any student meeting for that matter. The university must understand that young people of color are disproportionately profiled, harassed and even killed by police officers in this country. Especially when coupled with surveillance, the presence of police at the meeting automatically created a hostile environment, one in which the students had to worry about being identified and perhaps subjected to future profiling. The fact that this was not taken into consideration when the Town Hall was planned attests to the need for greater critical consciousness of race and racism on this campus, which is one of the demands made by the students.
We are also gravely concerned about the ways in which students, staff and faculty of color at Binghamton University are treated on campus. As the students themselves have expressed, our campus atmosphere is often uncomfortable, hostile, and unsafe for them, and this is an unacceptable situation. In April 9, 2012 you released a public statement in response to a racist incident on campus in which you described your administration as “committed to maintaining a thriving academic community that is inclusive, civil, non-hostile and where all persons feel valued and welcome.” We hold you to this commitment, both in terms of addressing the overarching problem of systemic racism on campus as well as our immediate concern for our students’ safety and rights. Our students deserve to be heard–and their concerns addressed by you–in a timely, thoughtful, and public manner, without undue surveillance or the presence of armed police. We stand with Students for Change as they open this necessary dialogue. We have every expectation that you and your administration will work respectfully with them to implement much needed change.
Sincerely,
1. Jennifer Stoever, English Department
2. Ana Maria Candela, Sociology Department
3. Kelvin Santiago-Valles, Sociology Department
4. Monika Mehta, English Department
5. Robert Ji-Song Ku, Asian and Asian American Studies
6. Gladys Jimenez-Munoz, Sociology Department
7. Ravi Palat, Sociology Department
8. Michael West, Sociology Department
9. Tina Chronopoulos, Classics and Medieval Studies
10. Leo Wilton, Human Development
11. Silvia Federici, Sociology Department
12. Thomas Glave, English Department
13. Joe Weil, English Department
14. Shelley Feldman, Sociology Department, Visiting Faculty
15. Lubna Chaudhry, Human Development
16. Leslie Gates, Sociology Department
17. William G. Martin, Sociology Department
18. Mahua Sarkar, Sociology Department
19. Joshua Price, Sociology Department
20. Aja Martinez, English Department
21. Brian Wall, Cinema Department
22. Thomas MacDonough, Department of Art History
23. Juanita Diaz-Cotto, Sociology Department
24. Dina Maramba, Student Affairs Administration
25. Carmen Ferradas, Anthropology Department
26. Yoonkyung Lee, Sociology Department
27. Denis O’Hearn, Sociology Department, Chair
28. Bat-Ami Bar On, Philosophy Department
29. Maria Lugones, Comparative Literature
30. Patricia G. Lespinasse, Africana Studies
31. Ariana Gerstein, Cinema Department
32. Paul Schleuse, Music Department
33. Monteith McCollum, Cinema Department
34. Nancy Um, Art History Department
35. Joe Keith, English Department
36. Randall H. McGuire, Anthropology Department
37. Natalija Mijatovic, Art Department
38. Bilge Firat, Sociology