“Being a sophomore, I probably won’t be able to see the changes,” Idiong added. “But to know that AU is going to be my alma mater and know that my alma mater is going in the right direction, I can point out another thing I am proud of about AU.”
After a series of racist incidents on campus, American University (AU) introduced its Plan for Inclusive Excellence, a document tat entails how the university will improve the student experience for those of color.
The university is known for its public service, human rights efforts and commitment to equality.
However, various members of the school have faced being the target of hateful acts over the past two years.
In 2016, a black female student reported that a banana was thrown at her while in one of AU’s dormitories. The school investigated two white male students in association with the incident. A month later, another black student in the same dorm found a rotten banana and an offensive drawing on the whiteboard attached to her door.
Although the events sparked outrage and multiple protests on campus, discriminatory harassment did not stop there.
In the spring of 2017, nooses with bananas with the words “Harambe” and “AKA” — the abbreviation for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., a historically black organization — were found hung in three locations on the university.
The following semester, confederate flag posters with cotton attached were found across the campus.
Shortly after students started the 2018 spring semester, eight fliers containing anti-immigrant messages were found near the School of International Service.
“Racial tensions on campus have been at an all time-high,” said Nadia Slocum, a broadcast journalism student who is African-American. “From the time I came to AU until now, there have been so many occurrences on campus, so many discussions in the classroom, and so many things happening everywhere (on campus) that have made me feel unsafe,” she said.
According to a recent campus climate survey, only 33 percent of African American students “feel included on campus,” versus 71 percent of white students who say they do.
President Sylvia M. Burwell launched a plan on Jan. 30 to aggressively deal with racism and instill the school’s values: diversity, equity and inclusion.
The Plan for Inclusive Excellence will confront student experiences; faculty and staff recruitment, hiring and retention; how hateful acts and discrimination claims are handled; and much more.
The plan centers around five goals: training, learning and development to equip members of AU’s community; a focus on campus culture by developing diversity and inclusion programs; changes various systems, policies and procedures; promotion of access and equity; and curriculum and instruction.
Over the next two years, AU will invest $121 million to support students of color and uphold and commit to the university’s values. According to the university’s site, in 2018, $53 million will support access through scholarships for underrepresented students and veterans, and $7 million will be designated to academic programs designed to advance access and inclusion.
Overall, the university expects to invest $60 million this year alone to instill diversity.
“I’m really excited to see what this plan actually implements on campus,” said Ofonime Idiong, a CLEG (Communication, Legal Institutions, Economics and Government) and journalism student who identifies as black.
“Being a sophomore, I probably won’t be able to see the changes,” Idiong added. “But to know that AU is going to be my alma mater and know that my alma mater is going in the right direction, I can point out another thing I am proud of about AU.”
