Chapter 8: Student Protests
* Occupation of Dakin Master's House by SOURCe (1988)
* Open Rhetoric--Leah Cohen (1988)
* Occupation of Cole Science Center (1992)
* Students of the Transparency Persuasion Demands (1992)
SOURCe Occupation of the Dakin Master's House, 1988
From the editors of the Permanent Press, Feb. 24, 1988:
On February 23, 1988 at Hampshire College the members of the Students of Under Represented Cultures (SOURCe) seized control of Dakin Master's House, denouncing institutional racism and demanding immediate action from the administration of the college.
An all-community meeting, which began at 2:00 p.m. and was well attended by students, staff, faculty, and administration, was cut short at 4:00 when SOURCe representatives announced they would appreciate a show of support at Dakin Quad. The RCC quickly emptied and students reassembled outside the site of the SOURCe occupation. Food and sleeping bags were provided by various members of the community.
A group formed to organize support efforts at the Dakin laundry room, and list of SOURCe demands were typed and plans were made to distribute them for signatures of support. A 9:00 p.m. vigil was planned and groups of students fanned out to inform the community.
Plans were set for a show of support, by students during the administration/SOURCe negotiations set for 10:30 Feb. 24. A March was planned from Dakin Quad to Cole Science Center.
The occupation was given significant media coverage, not only on local radio but on many television stations in the Western Mass area as well .
Members of SOURCe said they were "no longer willing to be pacified by the administration's half hearted response to their demands," according to an earlier draft of the official demands. The Petition that was circulated among the community for signatures listed nine concrete demands. These are the demands as of February 24:
1. The administration negotiating team should consist of Adele Simmons, Penina Glazer, and Trey Williams.
2. The negotiations should be videotaped and/or audiotaped.
3. Institutionalized funding for SOURCe. This organization is vital not only to the presence of students of color at Hampshire, but also to attracting new students of color. The administration should demonstrate its committment to the retention of these students by allocating specified funds to be negotiated.
4. Immediately begin a search for a full-time salaried staff person for SOURCe. Search should begin now and the person be hired by May 1; employment to begin by August 1. The salary offer must be competitive.
5. Upper level administrative coordinator of multi-cultural affairs be hired, same date as demand #4. This person will be responsible for allocation of demand #11. This person will also act as racial harassment officer. The salary offer must be competitive.
6. A comprehensive racial harassment policy comparable to the sexual harassment policy be created and implemented by April 2, 1988. We also demand that members of SOURCe as well as faculty and staff be on the committee that draws up this policy.
7. The living room of Dakin Master's House be dedicated as a permanent cultural space for students of color. Once our demands have been implemented, the need will grow for a second cultural center. Therefore, a planning committee for this should be created, with SOURCe members and Third World staff and faculty on the committee.
8. Minority Recruitment Weekend be institutionalized and held once every semester. And the recommendation of Michael T. Hawkins' "recruitment plan" be implemented.
9. Comprehensive guidelines to integrate the Third World Expectation into the learning process. This would include guidelines for improved monitoring of the Third World Expectation. Also institutional funding be established to support courses and workshops dealing with racism. These workshops and courses be geared to training and awareness for faculty and staff as well as students.
10. The administration immediately allocate finances for improving the collection of library and media resources dealing with the Third World. There must be an immediate initiation of a capital fund raising drive to secure the resources necessary.
11. A permanent and progressively growing colloquium fund be established to support a continuing series of events designed to highlight Third World perspectives which would enhance the social and intellectual environment of the community. The first allotment should be $10,000 to be available for spending by 1988. The multi-cultural affairs officer should be responsible for initiating these events in conjunction with the student body.
12. We demand that there will be no retaliatory actions taken against any person who participated in the Dakin occupation.
Finally, a committee consisting of our representatives will work with the administration in monitoring the progress of these demands. Meetings will be scheduled at regular intervals.
by Lisa-Gaye Hall
and Danielle Gordon
To: Hampshire Community
From: S.O.U.R.C.e
We, as students of color, experience Hampshire as a racist institution, and this is reflected in the nature of the institution as well as in the community. There have been several incidents to illustrate this.
Trey Williams, Dean of Students, has been repeatedly invited to attend meetings with S.O.U.R.C.e so that we could discuss some way of addressing our concerns. He never showed up. After about 20 students of color went to his office last Monday morning and demanded an impromptu meeting, he finally agreed to attend a S.O.U.R.C.e meeting. This meeting was very important because the members of S.O.U.R.C.e were very confused about various issues. For instance, we were very concerned about the retention of Dakin House as a designated cultural space. Trey never showed up, nor did he call to tell us he would not attend. We later found that he did not come to our meeting because he was watching "two lambs being born." Our concerns were immediately put aside without any hesitation. Trey chose not to deal with any of our issues. This type of disregard for our needs is clearly indicative of the lack of commitment the administration feels for us and our needs.
Lack of administrative support is prevelant in our existence on this campus. For example, a young woman of color was fired from her job as student intern in the Admissions Office because of her "honesty about the way she perceived racial relations on this campus." What was she expected to do? LIE? This is a blatant act of racism. Similarly, another young woman of color was threatened with removal from her mod after she complained about the fact that another woman of color was refused an interview for their 4-person mod, because two women of color would make it a "Third World Mod." This is not the first tirne students have had trouble in their housing because of the blatant racism exhibited by housemates as well as the director of housing. The administration has either refused or delayed taking action against perpetuation of racist acts, both in the general student body as well as in the Administration. This administration indifference allows for an atmosphere in which those who wish to perpetuate racists acts feel free to do so. Therefore, it is imperative that the Administration demonstrate its commitment to multi-cultural diversity and give serious consideration to our demands.
The purpose of the occupation of Dakin House was not to disrupt the All Community Meeting. The occupation occured because we felt that all other channels of communication had been closed to us. We repeatedly tried to talk to the administration and attempted to initiate action that would make this campus much more hospitable to people of color. But our attempts were futile because there was nobody listening. As a result, the frustration mounted and we decided to take action. Yes, we were aware of the all campus meeting and the possibilty of using the time frame allotted to us to talk to the community but we did not occupy Dakin just to undermine the meeting. Our concerns are much more important than that. We recognize the time and effort put in by those individuals who planned the meeting. We regret that it did not go as they had planned. However, it is important that our actions be judged within the context of the administration's gross historical record of benign neglect.
The demands we have requested are essential for the continued well-being of all members of this community. Multicultural diversity, the learning about all peoples, should be desired by everyone. It is beneficial to everyone. Eurocentrism and racism limit everyone's ability to learn. In order for this institution to honor its committment both to multicultural diversity and its students of color, much more than $25,000 is necessary. The offer of this miserly sum to finance the fundamental structural changes that we are demanding clearly demonstrates Hampshire's perpetual refusal to acknowledge the needs of our community. The demands include a clause that the financing must be covered by new dollars and not from the current operating budgets of existing units. The administration's intransigence is highlighted by attempts at appeasement and trivialization of our demands.
We are integral to the life and well being of the community. However, the administration views us as mere ornaments. We, the students of S.O.U.R.C.e feel that our demands are imperative to affect social change here at Hampshire. Administration's response is once again words of exploitation to perpetuate the myth that Hampshire is multi-cultural. We thank you once again for your unwavering support. It is truly commendable.
S.O.U.R.C.e
SOURCe Occupation AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT, dated as of the 2nd day of March, 1988, by and between S.O.U.R.C.e., presently an unincorporated association of Hampshire College students of color (hereinafter called "SOURCe"), and HAMPSHIRE COLLEGE, a Massachusetts not-for-profit corporation (hereinafter called "COLLEGE").
WITNESSETH:
WHEREAS, COLLEGE is committed to the development of a Multi-Cultural campus community, with Third World representation included among the student, faculty, administration, employment and governance components. As an integral part of its committment, COLLEGE desires to promote, encourage, educate and nurture throughout its academic and social endeavours measures which project the self respect and esteem of all members of its diverse community, and affirmatively devote sufficient and appropriate resources to the achievement of the above objectives.
WHEREAS, as a result of its inability to obtain the promised benefits of living in a college community which respects people of color or racial diversity among the students and faculty, SOURCe has been previously unable to obtain an appropriate response to many reported acts of racism and apparent cases of insensitivity to concerns of Third World students needs on campus. To further dramatize and focus its concerns for the protection of its rights and survival as persons of color at Hampshire College, SOURCe felt compelled to take possession and peaceably occupy Dakin House until its concerns were presented and resolved.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual willingness of all parties to resolve the issues presented, as well as to induce a termination of the campus demonstration, it is hereby agreed as follows:
STATEMENT OF THE AGREEMENT:
1. Agreed that negotiating committee representing Hampshire College will consist of Adele Simmons, President, Penina Glazer, Dean of Faculty, and Trey Williams, Dean of Students.
2. No response was given to the demand that the negotiations be recorded.
3. The administration agreed in principle to a guaranteed fixed annual funding for SOURCe. It was agreed that the administration will work with Community Council in an effort to set aside a fixed portion of the student activity fee for S.O.U.R.C.e ensuring a minimum of $4500 per year. There will be the provision for a positive check off. The administration will be responsible for informing the entire Hampshire community about this new funding procedure and should any problems arise, i.e. community council does not ratify this new funding procedure, the administration will be responsible for raising a minimum of $4500 per year and funding SOURCe in an alternative manner by September 1988.
4. Agreement has been reached that a junior level administrator will be hired as the coordinator for SOURCe, with the appropriate salary and fringe benefits. This staff person will work with students of color as an academic, social, and cultural advisor. An integral part of this person's responsibilities will be to build connections between Third World faculty, staff, alumni and students. S/he will coordinate programming of cultural, social and academic events sponsored by SOURCe, and will be responsible for developing relations with Third World faculty, staff, and students of the Five-College community...The coordinator shall report to the Dean of Students as well as the Dean of Multi-cultural Affairs. Third World alumns shall be encouraged to apply. The search committee will be comprised of 5 persons, two of whom will be SOURCe members.
5. It was agreed upon to hire a current faculty member for a period of two years as Dean of Multi-cultural Affairs. The search will commence immediately with the goal of filling the position by July 1st. The search committee will be comprised of five members two of whom will be S.O.U.R.C.e members...this position will be permanent like those of the Deans of Students and Faculty. The president will immediately begin a capital fund raising drive to procure the necessary finances for this position...
6. The Racial Harassment Policy is being drafted by the Affirmative Action Committee, to be presented to the Senate on March 15, 1988. SOURCe will recommend two regular members for the AAC. The duration of membership will be decided upon with the AAC.
7 & 8. The Dakin Living Room has been permanently designated as the cultural space for students of color, regardless of the occupants of the Dakin Master's House. SOURCe must be represented on the search committee that will select the candidates, if and when the house becomes available to new occupants. The Living Room shall be designated as an inter-cultural space, to be named in honor of a Third World person(s). The President will inform the Sub-committee on Student Services, chaired by Jim Lyons, that if a Student Center is recommended for construction, the adminstration will strongly support the designation of office and program space.
9. Minority recruitment weekend must be conducted at least once a year. This event will be evaluated for a period of two years by the Minority Recruitment Officer in consultation with the Admissions counselor and the director, to determine whether two minority weekends per year are necessary. If it is recommended that two weekends are necessary, then the funds must, immediately, be made available. The Michael T. Hawkins' minority recruitment plan must continue to be implemented. It is fully anticipated that the plan will be updated and revised to meet new situations.
10. It was agreed upon that the Third World Expectation as presently implemented is inadequate. The administration must firmly commit to the Third World Expectation in principle, and initiate stronger steps towards implementation. The Educational Policy Committee is currently examining the effectiveness of the Third World Expectation and will issue a report on progress to date. Such a report will include recommendations for improving this area of the educational process...SOURCe commends the administration's efforts at increasing Third World faculty recruitment. However, both SOURCe and the administration agree that the total Third World faculty representation is well below global representation. Thus, a strong commitment to Affirmative Action must be consistently maintained throughout the forthcoming years.
11. SOURCe and the administration recognize that, in preparation for implementing the proposals of the Change team, institutional funding has been intergrated into the College budgets. This institutional funding will be used to support activities such as courses and workshops on racism and oppression. Programming will be conducted at the discretion of each budgetary unit according to the guidelines of the Change Team.
12. It was agreed that a significant portion of the library allocation fund is already committed to Third World studies, and that the administration will guarantee that a minimum of 25% of future library acquisition budgets will be dedicated to Third World studies.
13. It was recognized that the institution has already begun funding for colloquium programs concerning racial and cultural diversity. The efforts must be continued, as well as extended, under the supervision of the Dean of Multi-cultural Affairs.
14. The administration agreed to add a statement to the Code of Student Conduct which protects the self-respect and self-esteem of the members of the community.
15. SOURCe and the administration recognize that it is illegal to specifically designate a position on the Board of Trustees for a student of color. However, students of color will be strongly encouraged to run for the position of Student Trustee.
16. It was agreed that no retaliatory action will be taken against any persons who participated or supported the Dakin occupation. Division III students who occupied Dakin Master's House will be granted appropriate extension of the completion of their work with the support of their Division III committee. This will require a letter from their committee stating that the work was on schedule and being completed in a timely fashion before and after the occupation. The faculty will be asked to provide support to all students whose work was disrupted.
Finally, a committee consisting of our representatives will work with the administration in monitoring the progress on these demands. Meetings will be scheduled at regular intervals.
The president will submit annual progress reports on the status of these demands and other issues concerning Third World students to the Board of Trustees, as well as to all alumns.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement as of the date first above written.
On the behalf of S.O.U.R.C.e:
Jessamy Brown, Yogesh Chandrani, Durquia Guillen, Robin Lewis, Sudarshan Manikkalingam, Ricardo Miranda, Penny Premdas, Michelle Revels.
On the behalf of Hampshire College:
Adele Simmons, President of Hampshire College; Penina Glazer, Dean of Faculty; Trey Williams, Dean of Students.
Open Rhetoric: Because We Know About Cake
by Leah Cohen, Permanent Press, Apr. 15, 1988
It's spring and Hampshire is bright as fruit, hot as sidewalks. All around campus people are sucking popsicles and going barefoot in the mud. You look around and everyone's got a guilty little half-finished div stuffed under the mattress, and a kite or frisbee flying out of one hand, a cup of beer in the other. You shrug, you figure it's true after all; Hampshire students are an idle bunch of procrastinating pranksters. We're an experiment gone sour and slack, a weary-eyed joke of an institution.
But that isn't so. I have never met so many people as sincerely hard at work as at Hampshire. Both as individuals and as a community, Hampshire students are strikingly engaged in struggle. There may be less emphasis on problem sets and reading lists, but there's a tell-tale shine of sweat on everyone's upper lip, a near-feverishness rising off people's bodies like steam... And this year, especially, that energy culminated in cloudburst of activity; rallies and vigils, riots and take-overs, graffiti scrawled all over campus.
The last issue of The Permanent Press carried an article which condemned these activities, and chastised students for carrying on with energy. "What most Hampshire students need right now is a good spanking," stated the article. Well, for crying out loud. What occurs to me, when I look at people's faces lately, is that what everyone needs right now is a quiet kiss on their foreheads and maybe a mug of something warm. And a gold star for struggling. I mean it. Hampshire is a hard place to be and people who come here have chosen to make that struggle a part of their lives.
I've never met a Hampshire student who has decided to live in the safety of fixed certainties. Every single person here is gripped by some question, something vital and beautiful and dangerous. Oh, some of us carry it around in our back pockets, embarrassed by its urgency, or afraid of seeming to take oneself too seriously. And some of us wear it bleeding on our sleeves, sloppy and self-righteous. But it's there, it's real, and that's a rare gift.
The radical activity on campus this year is directly related to this quality in the Hampshire community. The year has been marked by a spirit of discontent, which has resulted in behavior that has been selfish, stubborn, hostile, rash, destructive, and hurtful. We took risks and made mistakes. Some of the time we fell on our faces, and some of the time we fell on the person next to us, hard.
But our behavior has also been imaginative, energetic, caring, earnest, persistent, and strong. We changed things. We weren't afraid to touch, to seize and confront what we feel strongly about. We were there, in the moment, to stand up and be counted present. Students at Hampshire are proletarians of the moment. Put a gold star on your forehead.
I read a poem recently, by James Crenner, in which the narrator is taking a Sunday morning walk, and he's very alone, and he says,"Everyone who comes to mind/ is either dead or still asleep." Well, that's what I love about us here at Hampshire. We're not dead; we're not sleeping. We're working, foolishly or not, skillfully or not; we're hard at work.
And this is the thing; you know that old saying about how you can't have your cake and eat it, too? Well, that's not true at all. The person who said that must've either been dead or still asleep. Because Hampshire students are among those who know how to have our cake and eat it, too--you just have to be alive. It's so simple: living is having your cake and eating it too.
Occupation of Cole Science Center, May 6-9, 1992
Cole Science Center Seized. Community Newspaper, 1(1):1-2, May 7, 1992.
At 10:25 am, students emerged from the takeover site. As one group passed from the building and through the crowd, other students stayed in the building doorway. All members sang out strong and calmly, "Keep your eyes on the prize, Hold on, hold on. Keep your eyes on the prize, Hold on, hold on."
With arms linked, eight students crossed from Cole Science, site of the takeover since Tuesday night, to the front of Johnson Library where a microphone and sound system had been set up. Makeda Redfern made an opening statement that the building was "taken in solidarity" with the UMass and Amherst College actions. She went on to state that racism "is a community-wide issue" that affects all members of the community, students, faculty and staff. The takeover is "part of the Five College movement towards a more multi-cultural American education."...
Gloria Chacon then came to the microphone. She stated that she was about to read a letter written in 1972 by Third World Organization members, in order for the community to understand that the demands they were making today were not new but, in fact, 20 years later had not been fulfilled. The letter was addressed to Charles Longsworth, President of Hampshire College at the time, and contained Third World Organization demands that had to be agreed to before they would relinquish the Cole Science building. After reading the letter, Claudia Milian came forward and read former Pres. Longsworth's letter written in response to the demands.
Terrance La-Mont Williams, Yee-Ping Han, Taij Moteell, Claudia and Gloria each came forward and read from the current list of demands. Nikki Stewart, Neeshan Meheetu and Aimee Graham stood in solidarity with the group as they took turns at the microphone reading demands.
They returned to Cole Science and passed through cheering faculty and staff of color. As the group entered the building and chained the door behind them, one staff member turned to another and said, "This is it, this is what it's been about. It hasn't changed."
6 May 1992
TO: GREG PRINCE, President, Hampshire College
FROM: STUDENTS OF COLOR, Hampshire College
We the students of color of Hampshire College have decided to take-over Cole Science Center so that issues of race here at this campus will be taken seriously. We will be occupying Cole Science until there is an agreement reached between the students and the administration. Therefore we demand the following:
1. HIRING FOUR PARTTIME COORDINATORS REPRESENTATIVE OF EACH COMMUNITY (IE. ASIAN, LATINO, NATIVE AMERICAN AND AFRICAN AMERICAN.) WE ALSO DEMAND THAT A FULL-TIME COORDINATOR BE HIRED FOR THE FSO. WE ALSO DEMAND THAT THE POSITION OF THE DEAN OF MULTI-CULTURAL AFFAIRS BE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE THE SUPERVISION OF ALL ORGANIZATIONS UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF SOURCE. THIS POSITION WILL BE ROTATED EVERY FOUR YEARS.
2. THAT IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE HIRING OF ADDITIONAL STAFF MEMBERS FOR THE MULTI-CULTURAL CENTER, WE DEMAND OFFICE SPACE, AS WELL AS EXPANDED MEETING SPACE FOR STUDENTS OF COLOR ON THIS CAMPUS. SUCH SPACE COULD INCLUDE THE VACANT DAKIN BASEMENT ROOMS.
3. WE DEMAND THAT THE PROPOSED SCHOOL FOR CULTURAL STUDIES INCLUDE FIELDS OF CONCENTRATION IN ASIAN/ASIAN-AMERICAN, AFRICAN/AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDIES, LATINO STUDIES, AND NATIVE AMERICAN STUDIES.
4. THAT A MINIMUM OF TWO FACULTY OF COLOR BE HIRED DURING THE NEXT ACADEMIC YEAR, ALONG WITH THE HIRING OF FIVE ADDITIONAL FACULTY MEMBERS OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. AT LEAST FOUR OF THESE SEVEN MUST BE ASIAN, LATINO, OR NATIVE AMERICAN. ONE OF THESE MUST BE A LATINA WOMAN.
5. ADDITIONAL FUNDING DF $6000.00 FROM THE ADMINISTRATION FOR PROGRAMMING PER SEMESTER TO BE USED AT THE DISCRETION OF THE COORDINATORS.
6. THAT THERE MUST BE MANDATORY RACISM TRAINING FOR ALL HAMPSHIRE FACULTY AND STAFF. AS WELL AS A RE-EVALUATION OF HOW COURSE CURRICULUMS CAN INCLUDE A STRONGER INTEGRATIVE ANALYSIS OF RACE, SEXUALITY, CLASS AND GENDER.
7. TO RECONSTRUCT THE COMMUNITY REVIEW BOARD INTO A CIVIL RIGHTS BOARD. THE CIVIL RIGHTS BOARD WILL EVALUATE VIOLATIONS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE HAMPSHIRE COLLEGE POLICY STATEMENT TO ADDRESS ISSUES OF RACE, SEXUALITY, CLASS AND GENDER.
8. THAT THE MINORITY RECRUITMENT OFFICER ESTABLISH A CONSISTENT DIALOGUE WITH HAMPSHIRE'S STUDENTS OF COLOR.
9. IN THE WAKE OF 500 YEARS OF RESISTANCE OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES WE ASK THE FACULTY, STAFF AND ADMINISTRATION TO CLOSE THE SCHOOL ON COLUMBUS DAY TO HOLD A MANDATORY CAMPUS WIDE TEACH-IN ON RACISM AND IMPERIALISM.
10. THAT A REVIEW BOARD, INCLUDING PEOPLE OF COLOR, BE CREATED TO RECONSTRUCT AND EVALUATE THE PURPOSE OF THE THIRD WORLD EXPECTATION.
11. THAT THE STUDENTS THAT HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THIS TAKE-OVER BE GIVEN REASONABLE EXTENSIONS FOR COMPLETING COURSEWORK. WE ALSO DEMAND THAT NO DISCIPLINARY ACTiON BE TAKEN AGAINST ANY STUDENT INVOLVED WITH THE TAKE-OVER.
12. FINALLY, WE DEMAND THAT ALL FINAL AGREEMENTS BE IN WRITTEN FORM AND SIGNED BY THE PRESIDENT, DEAN OF FACULTY AND DEAN OF STUDENTS.
MEMORANDUM
DATE May 11, 1992
TO: Hampshire College Community
FROM: Gregory S. Prince, Jr.
SUBJECT: Occupation of Cole Science Center
On Saturday afternoon, May 9, Acting Dean of Faculty Merle Bruno, Dean of Students Trey Williams, and I concluded discussions and negotiations with the students occupying Cole Science Center and with students supporting them but outside of Cole; the students have vacated the building. With the tension of the last several days behind us, I would ask each member of the Hampshire community to assist in efforts to begin a process that will mend the divisions opened on campus during the painful days last week. Our community can emerge stronger, having been tested, but the healing process cannot succeed unless we all are party to it. Indeed, the students of color who were not in Cole at the end imaginatively suggested a mediation process to begin to build for the future that made it possible for me to sign the agreement; I am grateful to them for that help and suggestion.
Attached to this memorandum is a summary of the agreement. It offers this community a plan of action for expanding, celebrating, and benefitting from our diversity that can be a model for other colleges. It is signed by me, Michael Ford and students participating in the occupation, and will be signed by Merle and Trey and students supporting the agreement. This latter signing will be done once the mediation process begins. Our goal is to have as many students involved in the process as is possible give their support to the plan that has emerged from this situation. Copies of the full agreement are available in the school, house, and administrative offices and the Library.
Many members of the Hampshire community have worked to bring resolution to the occupation. I would like to thank those individuals publicly for their help, but first I would like to thank all in the community whose work was interrupted and needs not meet but who were patient with those in the building. They recognized and accepted that much of what the students were reacting to involved issues well beyond Hampshire but that these reactions also involved Hampshire....[p.1]
My most special thanks, though, are reserved for several members of our community whose wisdom, patience, guidance, and counsel were instrumental in bringing the events of the last few days to a conclusion. Dean of Multi-Cultural Affairs Ford gave up precious sabbatical leave time to come back to campus to mediate and advise. His efforts were invaluable, as was the leadership he provided the faculty and staff of color who helped keep lines of communication open. I thank each and every member of that group. Acting Dean of Faculty Merle Bruno and Dean of Students Trey Williams were here on campus for 20- to 24-hour stretches. I cannot find words for the premium I place on their intelligence and professionalism and for their skill as negotiators. As a campus we are fortunate to have them as part of our community. As president, I am privileged to count them among my colleagues.
This is the first-ever memorandum of this kind I have written at Hampshire. I hope it and the terms of the agreement will lead to community-wide discussion and action that will make Hampshire a better place in which all of us can and will learn. We are a community of individuals: we care about issues, we agree and disagree about them. Many times our convictions are strong and infused with emotion. I hope, however, that the willingness I and
my colleagues have evidenced over the last several days to engage in conversation and debate demonstrates to everyone on this campus that no disagreement is so strong that it cannot be resolved through thoughtful discourse and compromise. Solutions may not always come quickly, and they will rarely be perfect, but I believe that we can craft them if we maintain open communication with each other. I ask that this be the lesson learned from last week.
COLE SCIENCE CENTER OCCUPATION AGREEMENT
May 9, 1992
As part of our responsibility to provide support 1) to all individuals; 2) to specific identity and common interest groups, and 3) to the community as a whole, the Lebron-Wiggins-Pran Center plays an important role; its goal is to meet these responsibilities in a way that will bring the community as a whole closer together and that will avoid marginalizing any student or group.
1) We will institute a process of reallocating resources which, by the beginning of the 1993 calendar year, will result in the addition of at least one and one half FTE of resources to the Office of Multi-Cultural Affairs. The allocation of these will be determined as a result of consultation between the administration, the office of multi-cultural affairs and the domestic and foreign students of the Asian/Asian-American, African/African-American, Latino/Latin American, and Native American communities. This consultation will begin in September, 1992 with the goal of beginning the hiring process by January 1993 or as soon thereafter as possible. The new presidential assistant for Hampshire's urban initiative will be working to raise additional resources to support the overall goals of the Multi-Cultural Center and the College.
The position of the Dean of Multi-Cultural Affairs will be a four-year appointment with review in the third year, at which time a decision will be made about the next term. The position may be filled by the same person for more than one term. In accordance with the Dakin agreement of March 2, 1988 this review will be expanded to review all positions located in the Office of Multi-Cultural Affairs, and will be conducted by those specified in the Dakin agreement.
2) We will add an amount of $6000 to the base budget in increments of $2000 per year over a period of three years beginning in the fall of 1992 to be designated for students of color programming under the discretion of the office of multi-cultural affairs.
3) The Educational Policy Committee in collaboration with the Dean of Multicultural Affairs and at least one faculty and one student of color will review in the spring of 1993 the Third World Expectation to evaluate the degree to which it has enhanced curricular offerings in Asian/Asian-American, African/African-American, Latino/Latin American and Native American Studies and to recommend areas for additional offerings. This review will be repeated every three years.
To encourage the development of such offerings, when faculty development funds are awarded in 1993 and 1995, preference will be given to the best proposals designed to enhance curriculum development in these fields. Faculty in all four schools are encouraged to submit proposals. These may include proposals for new courses, revisions of existing courses, or searches for new teaching materials in which peoples of the non-dominant American cultures are well represented.
The Educational Policy Committee, in collaboration with the Dean of Multicultural Affairs and at least one faculty and one student of color, will review, in the spring of 1993, the contracts of students who have completed concentrations in Asian/ Asian-American, African/African-American, and Latino/Latin American, and Native American studies to evaluate the degree to which the Hampshire course offerings have been able to support such study. Recommendations to enhance curricular offerings, if this is necessary, will be made to school curriculum committees.
4) Over the next five years a minimum of half the searches for long-term faculty members will be targeted to increase the number of Asian, Latino, Native American, and African American faculty. The term "targeted search' is defined in the 1990-91 annual report of the Hampshire College Affirmative Action Committee.
In addition, the following steps will be taken to ensure that search committees are well prepared to carry out aggressive affirmative action searches:
The president will meet with each of the four schools at the beginning of each academic year to articulate and affirm the college's commitment to increasing the cultural diversity of the faculty and to discuss specific strategies for doing so.
A committee to work over the summer is charged to articulate ways in which students can participate in the process of faculty selection and curricular development in Asian/Asian-American, African/African American, and Latino/Latin American, and Native American studies. The report will be due at the first deans' meeting in fall, 1992, when the deans begin their deliberations about faculty positions for 1993-94. If the Affirmative Action Committee does not meet this summer, the president will appoint a committee to meet in June to propose ways in which the college can address faculty and curricular issues having to do with hiring more faculty of color over the next five years. This committee will consist of the Dean of Faculty, Dean of Multi-Cultural Affairs, two school deans, a member of the affirmative action committee, the executive assistant to the president, and two other faculty members. If the Affirmative Action Committee does plan to meet over the summer and it is willing to take on this charge, it will carry out the above task.
The committee will be asked to articulate a charge to the schools to carry out aggressive and intensive affirmative action searches for any regular faculty positions that are open.
The committee will generate a list of guidelines for search committees for increasing the pool of affirmative action candidates. These guidelines will be based on searches that have been conducted in the past that have succeeded in increasing the number of Asian/Asian-American, African/African American, Latino/Latin American, and Native American faculty. This does not guarantee that the searches will be successful in attracting or hiring faculty of color, but we have learned in the past that it greatly increases the probability that this will happen. These searches will be carried out under our affirmative action guidelines and will involve extensive networking as well as standard advertising.
The committee will articulate means by which students can participate substantively in the processes of faculty selection and curriculum development in ways that will contribute to their academic work, not interfere with it.
5) Currently, Student Affairs provides fairly intensive social issues training for both professional staff and student staff in the areas of racism, sexism, heterosexism, anti-Semitism, ageism, and disability issues. To ensure the exposure of all members of the faculty and staff to this training those faculty and staff entering the Hampshire community for the first time will be required to participate in such educational activities. In respect for the needs of Hampshire's multicultural community we will strongly encourage current members of the faculty and staff to participate with new members in these programs. Responsibility for these educational activities will reside with the director of personnel and the dean of faculty.
6) As part of Hampshire's commitment to ensuring an open community and to eliminating all form of harassment we will formalize our grievances procedures by establishing a human rights panel tio review complaints of violations of Hampshire College policies on discrimination and harassment based on race, religion, pervious military service, physical disability, gender, age, sexual orientation and socio-economic background. This panel is to be convened by the Affirmative Action Office and will consist of membership representative of the groups it is designed to protect.
7) The Assistant Director of Admissions for Multi-Cultural Recruitment will engage in a consistent dialogue with Hampshire students of color, and we will expand that commitment to include faculty and staff of color as well. To implement this commitment, the Assistant Director of Admissions for Multi-Cultural Recruitment will create an advisory group of faculty, staff, students of color, and designated staff of the multicultural center to work with the Trustee Admissions Committee, the Director of Admissions and the Assistant Director of Admissions for Multi-Cultural Recruitment. This committee, in complementing and reinforcing individual contact, will provide an annual plan of activities and evaluation of previous efforts.
8) In recognition of 500 years of resistance by indigenous peoples, Hampshire faculty, staff, and students will offer an annual campus-wide teach-in on racism and imperialism. The Office of Multi-Cultural Affairs will be asked to arrange the first teach-in in the Fall of 1992. The President's Office will seek appropriate funds for the event.
9) We the signers of this agreement support the granting of extensions of up to two days for each day of the take over for the completion of course work. The extensions can be granted by faculty to those students who were extensively involved in the take over and to those whose work was delayed because they did not have access to Cole Science Center. An 'honor system' sign-up sheet will be posted outside of Central Records for those students seeking these extensions. After signing on this sheet, students must make individual arrangements with faculty by the end of the day, May 12, 1992. Faculty will also receive extensions equaling the students' extensions for turning in those particular evaluations.
It has never been the practice of the College to impose disciplinary sanctions against students involved in protest. However, it must be clear that damage to facilities is a violation of community norms. Responsibility for such should be articulated by students involved in any such activity.
10) CHECKS AND BALANCES
A review committee is to be set up to determine how to evaluate progress on the agreement reached by the May 1992 student takeover. This committee will consist of four students of color with equal representation from Asian-American, Latino, African-American, and foreign students. The committee will be convened and chaired by the Dean of Multicultural Affairs and three faculty or staff members of color.
This review committee will meet in early October 1992 to establish criteria on which the ongoing evaluations will be based and to propose means to carry out the evaluations. These means will include but not be limited to the following:
* a designated committee (that includes a visitor from outside Hampshire who will attend one meeting a year) to participate in the annual review
* a name-optional questionnaire to be filled out annually by every student/faculty/staff of color at Hampshire
* a list of multicultural events, sponsored by funds promised in the 1992 agreement, attendance figures for those events
* a report on teach-ins, workshops, or other-campus events that address issues of oppression
* a report on curricular initiatives and faculty/staff hirings
The annual evaluation committee will present its evaluation to the President of the College, Dean of Faculty, Dean of Multi-Cultural Affairs, and Dean of Students. Evaluations will be accompanied by recommendations for compliance with the agreement of the May 1992 student of color takeover as well as recommendations to respond to current needs and concerns.
The Dean of Multicultural Affairs will include in his/her annual report an evaluation of the progress in meeting the 1992 demands.
May 9,1992
We the undersigned members of the Hampshire College administration have entered into this agreement with the student negotiating team and will undertake to implement this agreement immediately:
Gregory S. Prince, Jr., President
Merle S. Bruno, Acting Dean of Faculty
Trey Williams, Dean of Students
Michael Ford, Dean of Multi-Cultural Affairs
Students of the Transparency Persuasion Demands, 1992
6 May 1992
TO: GREG PRINCE, President, Hampshire College
FROM: STUDENTS OF THE TRANSPARENCY PERSUASION, Hampshire College
We the students of transparency of Hampshire college have decided to take-over every bathroom at Hampshire so that issues of the unseen here, at this campus, will be take seriously. We will be occupying every bathroom stall and impeding your waste removal process with our transparent presence until there is an agreement reached between the students and the administration. Therefore we demand the following:
1. HIRE SOME DAMN COORDINATORS, SO THE STUDENTS OF TRANSPARENCY ON THIS CAMPUS CAN FIND EACH OTHER. LORD KNOWS WE CANT SEE EACH OTHER WELL ENOUGH TO COORDINATE OURSELVES.
2. WE WANT SPACE. DAKIN WILL SUFFICE, IF WE GET MERRILL BASEMENT AS WELL.
3. WE DEMAND WITH EVERY BIT OF AUDACITY THAT WE CAN MUSTER MORE STUDIES OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE TRANSPARENT PEOPLE. PLEASE OVERHAUL YOUR ENTIRE CURRICULUM.
4. WE HAVENT SEEN ONE TRANSPARENT FACULTY MEMBER FESTOONING THE RANKS OF THIS 'EQUAL OPPORTUNITY" ESTABLISHMENT. FIX THAT.
5. GIVE US MORE MONEY SO WE CAN DO SOME MORE OF THE NEAT THINGS THAT YOU'VE SEEN US DOING ALL YEAR. YOU DID SEE US, RIGHT?
6. THERE MUST BE MANDATORY TRANSPARENCY TRAINING FOR ALL HAMPSHIRE FACULTY AND STAFF. AND, YEAH, YOU HAVE TO BE NICER TO US, OR WE WILL TAKE ACTION.
7. CREATE A TRANSPARENCY RIGHTS BOARD. SO OUR LIVES WON'T BE THE CONSTANT STRUGGLE AGAINST OPPRESSION THAT THEY ARE TODAY.
8. JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN'T SEE US DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN'T TALK TO US, YOU KNOW.
9. BAN EVERY HOLIDAY, EVER. USE ALL THE SPARE HOLIDAY SPACE TO TEACH PEOPLE ABOUT ALL THE THINGS THAT THEY NEVER SEE BECAUSE THEY'VE GOT THEIR HEADS IN SOME SORT OF HIPPIE-'60'S-JOIN-THE-STRUGGLE-ISN'T-IT-GROOVY IDEALISTIC WASTELAND.
10. REEVALUATE EVERYTHING. THE WORLD IS SKEWED AND IMPERFECT. IT SHOULDN'T BE THAT WAY, WHAT DO YOU THINK WE ARE, HUMAN?
11. THAT THE STUDENTS WHO HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THIS TAKE-OVER BE GIVEN REASONABLE EXTENSIONS FOR COMPLETING COURSEWORK THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN LATE ANYWAY. WE ALSO DEMAND THAT NO DISCIPLINARY ACTION BE TAKEN AGAINST ANY STUDENT INVOLVED IN THE TAKEOVER.
12. AND EVERYBODY BETTER AGREE WITH US, OR WE WON'T LOOK NEARLY AS COOL AS PEOPLE AT SUCCESSFUL PROTESTS LOOK.