The Black Faculty and Staff Association at the University of Maryland has “taken matters into its own hands” regarding the school’s diversity messaging, as it’s disgruntled at how officials have been handling it.
Solomon Comissiong, president of the BFSA, said the “university is doing an abysmal job — a horrendous job — horrible, horrible, horrible job when it comes to fixing this [diversity] issue and doing the right thing.”
“I’ve seen no shortage of students crying, emotional, in my office, [telling] these stories of feeling dislocated and isolated on this campus,” Comissiong said. The Diamondback refers to Comissiong’s office as “something of a refuge” for minority students trying to navigate UMD’s “toxic environment.”
Since the release of the university’s promised campus community survey (following the murder of a black Bowie State student) hasn’t yet happened — which should have taken place “a long, long time ago” according to Comissiong — the BFSA plans to begin a YouTube channel on which “participants will have the opportunity to share stories, address race-based microaggressions they experience on campus and discuss possible solutions.”
“That’s almost like a living, breathing survey,” he said. “You’re actually able to hear, and in some cases, see and hear, the thoughts and perspectives and the insight of what some people have been dealing with on campus.” …
[Student Jasmine] Washington said the university needed to work to better communicate with students in the wake of such incidents.
“I still feel like there’s no transparency between the administration and students whatsoever,” she said. “It seems like they try not to address those issues.”
Comissiong has heard from students and staff who say they feel unsafe on the campus. He said he sees the communication strategy as part of an effort to ensure the university “looks its best in its Sunday clothes.”
“When you have something that’s being run by its public relations wing, it’s not really being run with a human flavor to it — where feelings are taken into account,” he said.
The article refers to two “hate/bias” incidents that have already taken place this school year, and true to form The Diamondback again did not indicate that of the “slew” of hate incidents from last year, two were essentially hoaxes committed by black former employees of the university.
MORE: U. Maryland picks up where it left off with hate/bias incidents
MORE: News reports omit race of man arrested for UMD hate crime hoax
IMAGE: Ron Mader/Flickr
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