Progressive Student Union - McDaniel College

06/03/2020

Progressive Student Union and Black Student Union have partnered in response to President Casey's message sent Saturday, May 30, 2020. From this, we hope to obtain answers to our previous questions and an action plan describing the steps that President Casey will take to address the issues of minority support and safety on campus.

Dear President Casey,

We appreciate your expedient response to the letters sent by our McDaniel community members. Your statements have offered some reassurance to your students, professors, staff, and community members. However, we were seeking an in depth response, and instead, when we finished reading your message, we were left with more questions than answers.
We commit to constructing a community will not tolerate prejudice, bias, or discrimination, and we are glad that you do too. However, McDaniel students who are minorities have been facing these issues at the College for decades. While some of these incidents of prejudice and discrimination are reported to various offices and departments of the college, some students feel as if the college is invested more in silently maintaining its image than committing to action, and these students feel hesitant to report issues that they face because they are not confident that the college will offer them the support that they need.
While you have answered some of our questions, we still have more that need answers.
- What is your plan to protect your students, on and off-campus, from acts of racism, anti-semitism, and violence?
- You stated that all faculty and staff have participated in diversity and inclusion training the past two years. But, were these faculty and staff given any sort of diversity training before, or did they only begin in 2018? Is this training mandatory for campus safety officers?
- Many members of our organizations have utilized the resources of the Wellness Center in the past. However, we remain disheartened at the lack of long-term counseling that the wellness center provides. Many students are limited to a maximum of ten sessions. Additionally, the majority of counselors at the wellness center are white men and women, with only two counselors of color on the roster. Students want to seek support from counselors that they know can relate to and understand their experiences.
- What are the actions that you have already taken to fight inequity and inequality on campus, and what are the actions you are going to take in the future?
- What financial resources are you and the Office of Financial Aid going to provide to support our Black students and students of color?
- We appreciate the transparency that documents such as the Clery report provide. While the Clery report did answer our questions in regards to Campus Safety’s jurisdictions, the circumstances in which the Westminster Police Department and outside agencies are called to campus, and some of the powers of Campus Safety Officers, we did not receive answers in regards to the weapons and tools that Campus Safety are authorized to use. Given that police forces around the country have access to military-level equipment and have used it to escalate violence at peaceful protests, we seek clarification as to what kinds of equipment the Campus Police are authorized to utilize.
- We believe that the measures that protect our students should lean toward restorative justice based practices that center around our community, rather than over-policing, surveillance, and violence-based equipment given to campus safety. To this end, what practices do you currently have in place, and what practices do you plan to implement that allow for restorative justice and conflict de-escalation?
- During the departmental cuts in 2019, which much of our faculty did not support, we looked at losing a potential 63% of courses that have to do with African and African American culture. It is unclear what you’re referring to when you talk about departments being restructured to address the concerns of our diverse student body, yet you proposed cuts to programs that educate our students on diverse subjects.
Clear answers to these questions are an important step in showing your support for our Black and minority students. However, answers to questions are not enough. Statements condemning racism are not enough; in fact, they are the bare minimum. We need to see actions that protect our students, not just from you, but from every member of our McDaniel community. While it is too late to reverse the incidents of the past, these actions need to occur right now, and we need to see a standard expectation for action that is carried into the future. Since we understand that you may not be the individual best equipped to answer all of these questions, we would like to see a list of which parties you expect to answer each question, as well as a timeframe in which we can expect these answers. We request that you provide an action plan when you address these concerns. In order to create change, it is essential that all communications are perspicuous. Words are not enough. Now is the time for actions that protect our students and unify our community.

Respectfully,

Progressive Student Union and Black Student Union

05/30/2020

The following is President Casey's response to issues that McDaniel community members addressed to the College's administration today and yesterday. It was sent out around 1:30 pm today, Saturday, May 30, 2020:

"Dear Members of the McDaniel Community:


Our world has been irrevocably changed and our lives dramatically altered over the past few months by the invisible enemy of COVID-19. This virus has taken lives, livelihoods, and liberties from us all. We all struggle with the pain this illness causes, the anxiety it creates, and ask ourselves, “When will it end?”



But there are members of our community who have suffered far longer as a result of another enemy—an enemy not so invisible—an enemy which also alters lives, causes pain, creates anxiety, and demands an answer to the question: “When will it end?”



This enemy is even more toxic than the coronavirus, and its longevity in our nation suggests no simple vaccine can erase it from our system. This enemy is racism. It is an illness that manifests itself through the symptoms of discrimination, injustice, impoverishment, intolerance, and violence. It is a disease that once again has seen a major outbreak in recent days: through the disproportional impact of COVID on communities of color; through the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery; through racist behaviors in response to Christian Cooper’s simple request while birdwatching in Central Park; and locally here in Carroll County, Maryland, through the recent distribution of flyers promoting membership in the K*K.



Though none of these events happened on McDaniel’s campus, they nonetheless have a significant impact on the well-being of our community. A threat to any of us is a threat to the freedoms of us all. The fundamental principles of a liberal education and the fundamental First Principles guiding the McDaniel community run absolutely counter to those of racial injustice and discrimination. Our values demand that we call out such injustices, whether they occur in our backyard or in Minnesota, Georgia, or New York. At McDaniel, we cannot and will not tolerate prejudice, bias, or discrimination. Likewise, we cannot be colorblind. We must assert that the diversity of skin color, culture, nationality, sexual orientation, gender identity, and religious beliefs combine to strengthen our community. In addressing and understanding such differences in a supportive and inclusive environment, even if it makes some uncomfortable, we learn and grow as human beings contributing to a diverse democratic society. This is the role of education.



I am personally distraught by these recent events. But as a white man in our society—and furthermore as a white man in a position of power—it is not enough to be distraught. Anger is not action. I write you today to condemn racism and prejudice in all its forms, visible and hidden. Racism has no home to breed here on The Hill. We have already taken actions to address inequality, and we must and will take more.



Issues of equity, inclusion, and diversity are and will continue to be in the forefront of the McDaniel experience for students, faculty, and staff. All faculty and staff have participated in diversity and inclusion trainings for the past two years, and these trainings will continue. Events like the Wellness Center and ODI’s recent “Racial Justice Hope and Healing” occur so that students have an opportunity to discuss the impact of these most recent incidents. We intend to continue thoughtfully developing campus programming that educates even more white students and employees and supports and empowers our students and employees of color. Hiring practices are under review to uncover unconscious bias, and a campus diversity statement is being developed with the insights of students, staff, and faculty. Our May Board of Trustees meeting explored what it means to be an inclusive community with honesty and self-critique. Entire departments have recently been restructured and rehired to address the concerns of our diverse student body. All of this and more must be done as we work together to become the inclusive community I hope we all envision. The work is ongoing, and it is never complete. Recently, a group of concerned students have requested more information on our progress in this work. Responses to their specific questions will be forthcoming from various campus offices. Meanwhile, our annual Clery report, posted on the College’s website, details many answers to questions about campus safety.



McDaniel’s role as a leader in our community compels us to extend our influence to our off-campus partners as well. We are committed to extending the values of the First Principles by serving as a contributing member of the Westminster community. Consistent engagement with the Westminster Police Department and other local law enforcement agencies has allowed us to develop strong relationships based on shared goals. We will work with these partners to address their direct relationships with our students as well. It is imperative that our students feel safe in Westminster because the safety of our students and staff always remains our top priority.



Finally, it is important for us to acknowledge the particular pain our faculty, staff, and students of color are experiencing at present. Even though we are apart, I see you and hear you. We see you and hear you. We are committed to McDaniel’s ongoing development as a community of action. Counseling Services in the Wellness Center can provide a safe and confidential environment to discuss concerns or trauma with a professional counselor. You can contact the Wellness Center at 410-857-2243.



We may wear a mask to stop coronavirus, but responding to racism and prejudice requires us each to remove our masks, to look deep in the mirror, and to reflect on our underlying assumptions and beliefs. Education is that process of peeling back layers and generations of oppression, whether as victim or perpetrator, conscious or unconscious. Together, we can heal from both the ravages of the COVID virus and the deep viral infections of racism, but it will not be without much work and the acceptance of responsibility. I commit to working with you on both.



With humility,



President Roger Casey"

05/29/2020

On Tuesday, May 26, it was found that the Ku Klux Klan distributed racist and anti-Semitic flyers throughout some Westminster neighborhoods, as reported by Catalina Righter of the Carroll County Times. This week, George Floyd was murdered by members of the Minneapolis Police Department, following in the long history of racially-motivated murders committed by police officers throughout the country. In the past, minority students have expressed fears for their safety and well-being due to the sociopolitical climate of Carroll County. We need our institution to make a strong and public commitment to support minority students, particularly Black and Jewish students. We need our institution to take action in denouncing the acts of racism that have occurred in Westminster and to publicly detail a plan for preventing and responding to future acts of racism. If you are a student, parent, professor, or community member who is concerned for the safety and well-being of our students and community, voice your concerns and join us in building a just, anti-racist community. Here is a link to an email template and contact list that may help in reaching administrators with your concerns: Https://tinyurl.com/NoK*KOnTheHill

Attached to the email and in this post are a list of demands that our community members raise. To remain silent is to fail to address the flagrant acts of racism that permeate our community and our world. We as a community need to address these issues now.

10/31/2019

For Halloween tomorrow night, we will be hosting our annual Coffee House!!! Come join us in Ensor Lounge from 7-9pm and enjoy free coffee, apple cider, snacks, candy, and live performances. There will also be a costume contest with prizes!!!!!!

09/17/2019

This Friday, students, professors, and staff on campus will be walking out of their classes and offices from 12:00-12:30 to do their part in joining the global climate strike. We will be joining forces with Green Life Mcdaniel to host 30 minutes of music, poetry, and presentations from student speakers. Young people all over the world will be striking to protest government and corporate inaction on climate change. This Friday, join us in support of a livable future!

05/08/2019

Last official meeting! 9PM Hill 014

05/02/2019

Thoughts on McDaniel’s restructurings by an incredible alum!

I fear that these decisions will leave McDaniel forgotten as yet another institution that abandoned its soul in an attempt to join a bandwagon trend. I fear that McDaniel has willingly let itself become absorbed into the devaluation of humanities.

05/01/2019

Meeting tonight, 9PM, Hill 014!

04/29/2019

We love our German, Art History, Music, Religious Studies, and French Departments. Come show solidarity for those affected.

04/29/2019

Please join Progressive Student Union this afternoon in celebrating the parts of McDaniel that we love and will miss. We will be meeting from 11:30-1:30 in red square. We will be block printing, enjoying some music, and talking about the recent restructuring! We hope to see you there!