The Emory College Faculty Senate stands in solidarity with black students and students of color on campus and nationwide, according to one of two statements the Senate passed during their Dec. 2 meeting.
The Senate also passed a motion for a “Statement on Diversity and Freedom of Expression,” which marked the Senate’s commitment to improving campus’ racial climate, including plans to hire and retain underrepresented faculty.
In the first statement, the Senate pledged to include community members of color in their process and to help “foster a culture where people feel that offenses can be aired, understood and answered.”
“Faculty are concerned with the events unfolding at Emory, at our colleges and universities, and indeed in communities across the country,” wrote History Professor and Senate President Clifton Crais in an email to the Wheel. “I think there is very wide recognition of, and concern about, prejudice, intolerance, and insensitivity. Inquiry and the pursuit of knowledge, freedom of expression, debate–in short education– cannot unfold successfully in an environment of systemic vulnerability.”
The full motions, provided to the Wheel by Crais, are below:
Motion 04-2015 Resolution of the Emory College Faculty Senate Statement of Solidarity re: Racial Climate at Emory
We, the members of the Emory College (ECAS) Faculty Senate, stand in solidarity with black students and students of color at Emory University and nationwide. The ECAS Senate agrees that excellence and diversity are mutually constitutive and thus should be actively embraced by the ECAS faculty and administration. Concretely, we will discuss ways to improve the racial climate on campus, including strategies to hire and retain underrepresented faculty in all units of ECAS, as well as curricular and educational diversity initiatives. The Senate pledges to consult with students, staff, administrators, and faculty of color throughout the process. We will also open channels of communication between students and the ECAS Senate and aid with fostering a campus culture where people feel that offenses can be aired, understood, and answered. Finally, the Senate looks forward to working with the administration in their effort to develop concrete proposals and procedures to address this issue.
Approved by the Emory College Faculty Senate, December 2, 2015.
Motion 05-2015 Resolution of the Emory College Faculty Senate Statement on Diversity and Freedom of Expression
The ECAS Senate is committed to fostering an environment that supports excellence in education and research for all of our students, faculty and staff. This includes improving the racial climate on campus, strategies to hire and retain underrepresented faculty in all units of ECAS, and curricular and educational initiatives that promote diversity. Diversity includes the diversity of ideas and opinions, debated openly, vigorously, even passionately, in the absence of threats or harassment that may interfere or hinder our fundamental commitment to the principle of freedom of speech that is and shall always remain at the very center of our community. We aspire for all our programs to be fully inclusive and supportive of all members of the Emory community. We affirm the importance of open discussion and free expression on campus, and we vigorously support the rights of all members of our community to freely express their concerns and viewpoints in a safe environment.
Approved by the Emory College Faculty Senate, December 2, 2015.
Correction 12/3 12:15 p.m.: The headline of this article was changed to reflect the fact that the Senate passed a motion to stand in solidarity with black students and students of color.
2015-2016 Executive Editor Karishma Mehrotra is a College senior and has been interested in journalism since her freshman year in high school. Her major is journalism and international studies with an unofficial minor in African studies. She became a writer for the news section of the Wheel when she began college and became news editor that year. She has interned at CNN, The Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe, USA Today, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Palo Alto Weekly and KCBS Radio. She studied abroad in Ghana last semester, which inspired her to join the African dance group on campus, Zuri. She recently worked as a tutor at the Writing Center. She is also a Dean’s scholar.
More appeasement….
Your job security will not be at risk if you disagree with BSA….
I have stopped my alumni donations to Emory. Between the whiny students and the spineless administration, I’m done with the university.
Currently I am a senior and it appears that I might not donate at all to Emory if Emory gives in to these whiny students.
First let’s get some logistics out of the way. i am an Asian America, not a white male so you can forget about this “white male privilege” bs.
1. Emory’s curriculum is Eurocentric because Emory is in America, which is a Western country. I guarantee you if you go to China (my birthplace) you will find a Sinocentric curriculum, If you go to Japan you will find a Japanese-centric curriculum. If you go to any country in the Middle East you will find a similar Islamic-centric curriculum.
Therefore, as a minority, I am not troubled by Emory’s Eurocentric curriculum.
2. You claim I studied “my peoples’s scholarly accomplishments and cultural worldview over others.” I find your term “my people” to be offensive and racist.
What do you mean “my people?” My people are Chinese. I went to high school in America. I didn’t study my people’s scholarly accomplishments and cultural worldview to the extent in which you believe. In my high school’s World History class, we went over China in 1 day, or 1 hour. China has 5000 years of history and we covered that in 1 hour.
The only point in which I agree with you is the part about you rambling on. Yes you are rambling on.
“[H]ow do you explain the fact that black Nigerian Americans and black Cameroonian Americans make more than White Americans.”
I’ll offer you a rebuttal, which is that you’re completely missing the part where black Americans were repressed for multiple generations and weren’t even given close to a fair chance until the 1960s.
For a large percentage of blacks in America–and I suggest you should ask some of your black friends their viewpoints–I believe it is more than obvious the effects of what our society did for generations still impacts today’s generation and will continue to have impacts well into the future.
You didn’t read my reply did you?
So you are saying Nigerian and Cameroonian Americans lived in luxury in Africa? So you are saying that it is easier for black Nigerian and Cameroonian Americans to succeed while other blacks can’t? If so, then it is not about race. It is about national origin.
The fact remains that no one ages 20-30 were alive during the 1960s. Therefore no one ages 20-30 suffered the repression of pre 1960s. The average Cameroonian and Nigerian American start on if not a lower footing than black Americans. And yet they were able to succeed.
The average income in Nigeria is $3000. The average income in Cameroon is $1300. Compare that with the average income of blacks in the USA which is $31,000. If the average Nigerian and Cameroonian, who makes $3000 and $1300 respectively in their own country, can succeed in America, then there is no reason why blacks, who make 10 times more, can not.
You also ignored the fact that Asians were also repressed for multiple generations, and if we take into consideration the unfairness of Affirmative Action, we are still being repressed.
“The fact remains that no one ages 20-30 were alive during the 1960s. Therefore no one ages 20-30 suffered the repression of pre 1960s”. Their mom’s and dads are. Their grandparents are as well. The result of racism in the US lead to the poverty that ravages blacks in the US. Have you noticed how our cafeteria and custodial staff are mostly black? Have you noticed how poor people usually don’t end up around the best types of environments? Have you noticed how poor blacks, hispanics, and Asians have to live separately from the middle class? Poor areas don’t usually get the best type of education, and low education leads to more poverty. Again, I implore you to ask your black friends their viewpoints on this.
And lastly, have you considered that there are many Asians, particularly those that aren’t from China, Korea, or Japan, that aren’t doing so well? Southeastern Asians and many Pacific Islanders come to America and remain in poverty. You’re perpetuating the “model immigrant” stereotype on Asians which should not be a blanket statement.
Daymond John is a self made black millionaire. He grew up in Queens. Rather than complaining, he got a job and worked his way up.
The racist policies ended in the 60s. You think poverty only exists in America? Poverty also ravaged Africa and Asia.
You want to know what poverty is? During 1960s 40-60 million Chinese died of hunger. Now that is called poverty. That is the reason why people from Africa and Asia are immigrating to America.
Again you ignore the fact that poor immigrants fleeing from poverty from Africa and Asia are able to succeed. Why is that African and Asian immigrants who grew up in poverty are able to succeed? Because rather than complaining about their socioeconomic status they worked hard. Now they earn more than whites.
You mention Pacific Islanders, you know the median household income for Pacific Islander is $58,000….Which is still higher than those of Whites.
If it was easy as working hard, I’m sure black people ( and also many of the extremely hard working first gen immigrants ) would be out of poverty. Also, it is extremely insulting to say that black people do not work hard, and to suggest that they just complain.
Good thing the empirical evidence supports my view, and opposes your view.
According to the Pew Center for Research, second generation Americans are better off than first generation Americans. There is an upward trend in social mobility among immigrants. If immigrants can do it, there is no reason why anyone else can’t. The statistics are broken down as thus:
Median Household Income:
1st Generation American: $45,000
2nd Generation American: $58,000
All US: $58,000
We see that the children of immigrants actually make more than their parents, hence we see social mobility in a positive direction. 2nd Generation Americans perform just as well as All other Americans, including Whites.
College Grads
1st Generation American: 29%
2nd Generation American: 36%
All US: 31%
The percentage of 1st Generation American with college degrees is small. The percentage of 2nd Generation American with college degrees is much better. The percentage of 2nd Generation Americans with college degrees are actually HIGHER than all other Americans.
Homeownership rates
1st Generation American: 51%
2nd Generation American: 64%
All US: 65%
Again, 2nd Generation Americans perform just as well. We also see an upward trend in social mobility.
Poverty rate:
1st Generation American: 18%
2nd Generation American: 11%
All US: 13%.
Another example of upward trend. The percentage of 2nd Generation Americans in poverty is actually LOWER than 1st Generation AND the general US population.
Your last sentence is a nice strawman’s argument. I never said Blacks don’t work hard. I even said Nigerian and Cameroonian Americans, who are black, earn more money than Whites.
Source: http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2013/02/07/second-generation-americans/?beta=true&utm_expid=53098246-2.Lly4CFSVQG2lphsg-KopIg.1&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F
“Because rather than complaining about their socioeconomic status they worked hard.”
Then what individuals does this statement refer to?
Immigrants did not complain, they worked hard.
So did you completely ignore the fact that immigrants, including black immigrants, are experiencing social mobility because they work hard?