Students from several programs came to the April 18 Student Senate meeting to air their concerns over institutionalized racism within the ASUO, and some senators say the discussion should continue so everyone on both sides has a better understanding of the issues at hand and of the Senate process.
The senators themselves have a wide range of views on the meeting and the issues that arose when close to 50 students from multicultural programs crowded into the EMU Board Room holding signs accusing Senators of racism and unprofessional behavior while wearing scraps of cloth with the word "silenced" written on them over their mouths.
The students came to support Sen. Nate Gulley in an ethics hearing brought against him and to speak about racism in the Senate. Gulley was charged with several "unprofessional" behaviors, including accusing several other Senators of racism in a statement made to the Emerald earlier in the year. The ethics hearing turned into a discussion of racism within the Senate when Gulley used his rebuttal time to allow the students to speak.
Sen. Natalie Kinsey, who brought the original charges against Gulley, said she thought Gulley used the discussion of racism to take attention away from a time intended to discuss his behavior. She said the Senate as a whole has had difficulties getting along this year and this meeting "was the tipping point."
"I felt very confused as to what they were actually saying," she said. "Were they accusing specific people of racism or talking about institutional racism? I was willing to listen to the discussion of institutional racism but when they accuse us of being racists, it puts us on the defense and makes it very difficult to work with someone."
Kyle McKenzie, who seemed to be the subject of many of the accusations (protesters held signs accusing McKenzie of among other things, saying "If it were up to me, I'd kill them all" in reference to the people of Iran), only had one thing to say about the meeting.
"I just think that senators were misrepresented by arguments with no merit," he said.
Sen. Jennifer Lleras said she thought the students came during Gulley's hearing because it was the first time they knew they would be given a space to speak on an issue that hasn't really been discussed in the past.
She said the Senate process doesn't really allow for discussions on such serious topics if they are not on the agenda and said she thought the students came not only to support Gulley but because they knew he would allow them to address their concerns.
"I think it was a really important moment for students to come share what they really believe and what they are feeling," she said. "I hope it opens a dialogue that students and senators can have to make the University what it's supposed to be."
Sen. Jacqueline Justice said as a minority, she was "completely offended" by the actions of some of the protesters.
"I walked away feeling like I don't belong in the multicultural community and that I don't know where I came from, and how dare we try and punish somebody who makes allegations of racism that he's not backing up, that he's not expressing in terms of facts," Justice said.
Justice agreed with Kinsey that the protest took away from the Senate's attempt to punish Gulley for his conduct, but said she voted against punishing him because the discussion on Gulley's behavior was not going to happen that night.
She said no one is innocent of the "unprofessional" behavior the protesters accused them of but said Gulley's conduct was worse than others.
Justice said she thinks there are racial issues in society that lead to people feeling as though there is institutional racism because the higher education system and government structure "doesn't necessarily lend itself to cultural sensitivity."
However, Justice said she was offended by the way the message was presented and she left the meeting feeling physically ill.
"Calling me a racist is tantamount to calling me a rapist or a pedophile or something," she said. "It's not an OK word to throw around."
Sen. Oscar Guerra, along with many of the students who came to speak, said people who are minorities can be racist and are capable of supporting institutional racism. He said the Senate often targets programs without considering their cultural value.
"That's what we mean by institutionalized racism," he said. "The system is set up so that it doesn't allow for individuals to consider the value of programs."
Guerra said there is a "lack of understanding" of the services programs provide. He said student unions provide a safe place for many students on campus but there is a disregard for them.
Justice said she thinks part of what makes students feel marginalized when they come to the Senate is because groups do not always understand the Senate process and don't come to the Senate with questions.
While Justice admitted Senators could make a stronger effort to reach out to programs, she said communication is a two-way street and program directors could have come to Senators too.
Justice said she is frustrated that students from programs said they feel like they have no voice in the Senate because when she has tried to reach out to programs in the past, she has been unable to get a response.
She said at the start of the year she contacted the directors of 10 programs assigned to her, asking them to set up meetings and inviting them to come to meetings, and received no response.
"It's kind of one of those things where groups are as ill-informed about what we as a Senate are doing as we, as a Senate, are about what groups are doing," Justice said.
Lleras said she was excited to see the students come to the meeting and express they cared about the process.
"I think that it shows that there are students on campus who care and are willing to come and stand up for themselves when no one else will," Lleras said.
Lleras said senators need to have a better understanding of what students are feeling and what programs are trying to accomplish. She said students from programs often feel targeted when they come to Senate and have to answer "a million questions" and defend their programs.
"I don't think there's a question that there's institutionalized racism in the way we look at programs," she said.
Lleras said there is a "very distinct line" between where each group falls and she has seen a difference in how different programs are treated.
Guerra said he thought some of the language used by other senators during the discussion was offensive and said some of the senators who "felt targeted" shut down and ignored what the students had to say.
He said he was glad the students took the opportunity "to claim a space" where they could talk about their concerns.
"I think that whenever a person of color talks about race, especially in a very Eurocentric space like the Senate, the backlash is that people of color are just pulling the race card," he said. "It's not the same when a white ally says the same thing."
Sen. Bryanna Mannis said she thought Gulley's ethics hearing was the appropriate time for the discussion. She said while she didn't realize race was "such a huge problem" within the Senate, she was glad to hear what the students had to say.
"I guess I saw a little bit of (the problem) beginning to mount when Nate wrote the e-mail, but I had no idea of the vastness of it," she said. "I had no idea that so many people felt like this. I think discourse and keeping communication open - having them be there and tell us this is a huge problem - brings it to light."
Mannis said while she does not think the budget process or funding cuts to programs were racially motivated, there does need to be more education so everyone understands how funding works.
"I'm not as informed as I should be; I guess I'm naive," Mannis said, adding she hopes the discussion can be continued through forums that would help everyone learn more about the issues brought up at the meeting.
Contact the campus and federal politics reporter at jhedelman@dailyemerald.com
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