Graduate student Shadiin Garcia’s lone voice reverberated across the College of Education courtyard Wednesday as about 100 others, including students, faculty and community members, stood in silence.
Some wore red and brown gags and held a rope that stretched from the entrance of the COE Dean’s office, across the courtyard and to the front of the building.
“(The COE) is asking you to cover your mouths and be silent … they are forcing you to be quiet about this treatment,” she said. “We are asking you to defy this.”
Garcia was speaking at the second rally this month protesting alleged racism at the college.
The students wearing the gags symbolized the students and faculty that have experienced discrimination in the COE but have had to remain silent, Garcia said. She read anonymous testimonials that she collected from students and faculty members in which they allege discrimination.
“I am a student of color who is constantly reminded that I am here on scholarship by my professors,” read one testimonial.
Staff from the COE also submitted
testimonials.
“I am a staff person of color who was told that because of my advocacy efforts, I was unemployable,” read another testimonial.
Garcia criticized COE Dean Marty
Kaufman for his failure to come to the rally or meet with her.
“Where was Dean Kaufman?” she asked. “Why would he choose to leave town? Where’s the integrity in that?”
Graduate student Johnny Lake, the rally’s other speaker, said the administration needs to start taking responsibilities for these issues.
“The victim is most often given the responsibility to address the very issue that victimized them in the first place,” he said.
Garcia challenged all students to get involved, regardless of whether they had experienced discrimination. “There are students of color … that still go to class where their professors tell racist jokes … because they believe in their future,” she said. “They believe they can make a difference. We are asking you not to let them down.”
In a May 10 memorandum, Vice President for Academic Affairs Lorraine Davis and Kaufman outlined their plan to bring in Dr. Carlos E. Cortés, a professor from University of California, Riverside, to conduct an external review of the diversity issues students have raised.
“Dr. Cortés will provide us with information to evaluate how we are doing and the work we have remaining in creating a more inclusive environment at the College of Education,” according to the letter. “His review will give us a realistic assessment of our efforts to infuse diversity into our curriculum and our efforts to recruit faculty and students of color.”
An external review of the college was one of eight demands that a coalition of more than 150 students, faculty and community members submitted to fight discrimination in the COE.
Adjunct Assistant Professor Doug Herman, who teaches in the COE, said the rally raises some important issues.
“When I found out about these
issues, my reaction and the reaction of two of my colleagues that were here with me today was that we need to go see about this and we need to see if there’s issues that we can do something about,” he said. “I had a conversation with a colleague and we talked about ways we can address this in our classrooms.”

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