University students gathered in front of Johnson Hall on Monday to protest what they said was a lack of effort by the administration to retain history professor Martin Summers, the current chair of the Ethnic Studies Program, and to develop the University’s controversial Five Year Diversity Plan.
The University of Texas has offered Summers a faculty position with higher pay and a permanent part-time position for his partner, Karl Mundt, an intern in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Summers received an A-plus from the Oregon Students of Color Coalition, according to a report card distributed at the rally. The University received three Fs and an incomplete on diversity issues.
A petition in support of retaining Summers was circulated among students last week and given to the administration on Thursday.
“We had to have the rally today to put pressure on the administration,” Multicultural Center spokesman Kit Myers said. “Friday, we felt like the administration hadn’t dealt with the petition at all, so we held a rally just to let them know that students are concerned with the retainment of faculty of color.”
The University had 10 black faculty members out of 1,511 total during the 2003-04 school year, according to the latest data available from the Oregon University System Fact Book.
Rally participants chanted, held signs and made speeches to show their support for Summers, while others gathered signatures for the petition and handed out fact sheets on the diversity plan.
Report cards were passed out that gave an F to the University’s “commitment to diversity,” “retaining and support of the best faculty of color” and Senior Vice President and Provost John Moseley’s commitment to “retaining the best faculty.” The University was given an incomplete for “commitment to the 5-Year Diversity Plan” and an A-plus for “top ranking history professor Martin Summers.”
In an e-mail sent to the Emerald Monday afternoon, University spokeswoman Mary Stanik stated, in part: “American universities such as the University of Oregon that have limited financial resources are continually challenged by the difficult process of faculty recruitment and retention. With regard to Dr. Summers, the university is doing everything possible to retain him as a member of our faculty and we hope we will be successful in doing so.”
Summers wouldn’t comment on the continuing negotiations with the University, but he was deeply appreciative of the support of faculty, staff and students, he said.
Summers has until Wednesday to make a final decision, Myers said.
The first draft of the University’s diversity plan was released in May 2005 and received criticism from faculty. An open-letter signed by 25 faculty members sent to President Dave Frohnmayer called the plan “Orwellian” and stated that “if implemented, even partially, this program will do immeasurable damage to our University.”
Students at the rally expressed concern that the University is far behind other institutions when it comes to ethnic studies and diversity.
Myers asked the crowd why Oregon State University has an Ethnic Studies Department while the University only has an Ethnic Studies Program and why the University is far behind Lane Community College, which has a diversity plan that he said is 10 times better.
Some students wore sweatshirts with “Forgotten Ducks” printed on the front with pictures of Robert Robinson and Charles Williams, the first two African American football players at the University in 1926. Black Student Union co-Director Felecia Wheatfall told the crowd how Robinson and Williams faced severe discrimination at the University, such as not being allowed to live on campus, but stuck together and fought for integration in the community.
“Let’s not make professor Summers a forgotten Duck,”Wheatfall said.
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