Multi-Racial, Multi-Issue UVM Coalition Forms
Citing similar difficulties in dealing with the UVM administration, representatives and members of six UVM minority and women´s rights groups have come together in an unprecedented coalition effort. The participants in two recent meetings feel that ethnic minorities, women, and others excluded from the mainstream of University life need to form a "united front" to demand reforms from the UVM administration. The most recent coalition meeting was marred by conflict over how inclusive this coalition should be and what priorities it should set for action.
The as-yet-unnamed coalition seeks to draw together the member s of oppressed people´s groups including the Asian-American Student Union (AASU), the Black Student Union (BSU), the Cultural Connection, the Disabled Student Union (DSU), the Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Alliance (GLBA), and the Women´s Organization and Resource Center (WORK).
The First Meeting
During the first coalition meeting on Sunday, March 20, members from the different groups discussed the lack of support they have received from the administration. All agreed that the recruitment of minority students to UVM has been a miserable failure. Student Loraine Sylvain mentioned the lack of retention among those few minority students who are actually recruited. Sylvain, who has worked in the UVM admissions office, stated that a huge percentage of minority students fail or drop out because there is no support for them at the University.
Other students talked of their experiences in dealing with the UVM administration. Members of the Black Student Union who met recently with UVM president Lattie Coor and Provost Hennessey claimed that Coor was insincere about his efforts in minority recruitment. Despite his stated commitment to increasing the number of minority students, it was agreed that Coor had made no significant progress in increasing cultural diversity at UVM.
Black Student Union member David Jamieson stated his frustration, "The same thing happened (at the recent meeting with Coor) as at every meeting I´ve every attended with Coor. He seemed like he showed up to avert some kind of serious reaction on the part of black students." Jamieson, commented on Coor´s commitment to minority recruiting. "We had that same meeting three years ago and yet nothing has been done."
Chris Staats, a representative of WORC, spoke about the administration´s insensitivity to the needs of female students. "We can recruit all we want, but once you get here there is no support."
Disable activist Pat Standen strongly supported the formation of a coalition to demand action on all the concerns of the oppressed groups at UVm. "If we all came together and created a list of demands as a unified voice" he said, "they would have to address it." Staats echoed this sentiment, "We all have to realize that it is the same oppression that´s getting us all down."
The coalition idea was forcefully promoted by Union of Concerned Students member Charley MacMartin who expressed his philosophy of student power. "What I see as an objective is to establish some sort of united front to increase the power of students within the University."
Other participants in the first meeting expressed a more reserved approach to the coalition effort. BSU member Monica Slater stated that each group had its own concerns and that a coalition might result in a lack of focus which could be used by the administration to sidetrack the movement. "If you aren´t specific they will brush us off," she said. Slater felt that each group must produce their own demands for change and present them to the administration. "When they brush us off, the we come together."
The exact nature of the coalition was left unspecified. This lack of definition was destined to become the source of confusion and antipathy at the later meeting. Most of the participants felts that the coalition should be prepared to take action when their proposals for reform were not met by the administration. Proposals ranged from militant confrontation tactics to letter writing campaigns. It was agreed however that the administration would be given the opportunity to live up to its promises before any action was taken. It was also agreed that the student body as a whole had to be educated concerning the struggle for greater minority representation so that they would support future actions by the coalition.
The Second Coalition Meeting
The difficult task of unifying such diverse groups into a strong coalition almost met with disaster at a volatile meeting on Thursday, March 3, when opposing factions collided in bitter debate over the participation of gay and lesbian students.
The second meeting attracted more than forty students with the intention of finalizing a list of demands to be presented to President Coor. The size and diversity of the group, the lack of clarity on what had been decided at previous meetings and awkward chairing of the meeting all helped to plunge the gathering into confusion almost from the start.
controversy arose between those who supported proposals focusing specifically on UVM´s lack of racial and ethnic minorities and those who favored a broader set of demands embracing other oppressed minorities including the gay, lesbian, and disabled populations. Frustration mounted as debate became deadlocked in confusion and contradictory proposals. Some speakers claimed that the issue was whether or not gay and lesbian people were an oppressed people while others argued for finer details of the proposed demands.
Finally debate degenerated into angry diatribes and indirect accusations of homophobia and racism. "Gay and lesbian people have been marginalized throughout history," a bisexual activist stated, "and we are afraid of it happening again."
A black activist responded that "black people have always been the most oppressed" and that "the (black) civil rights movement had preceded both the gay and lesbian movement and the women´s movement."
The mounting chaos and anger was abruptly derailed by a frustrated Pat Standen who loudly called for everyone´s attention shouting, "I´m going to cut through the bullshit of consensus and state that I´m pissed off with all the divisiveness that I see here."
After a series of conciliatory statements and an appeal to unity, the meeting proceeded. The meeting which had dragged on for over an hour and a half, was concluded when representatives of GLBA withdrew their opposition to removing gay and lesbian students and faculty from the initial list of demands. This concession was made in the interest of preserving group unity.
The meeting broke up with very little accomplished other than a small refinement in the list of demands and a commitment to meet the following week.
The chaos and frustration of the meeting left the participants confused as to what went on and what the future held for the coalition. The Gadfly contacted several key participants in the coalition to share their impressions.
Pat Standen felt that confusion was the root of the conflict. "I think there was some miscommunication coming out of the first meeting. It wasn´t stated clearly that our first priority was cultural recruitment and representation and addressing the administration on this one issue and to form this group that would address future issues as they came along."
Chris Staats expressed frustration at the divisions within the group. "What happened is that we just sectionalized in a manner that is probably to the administration´s advantage because we prioritized oppressions. We all need to work together in order to fight the greater oppression -- the administration´s lack of concern over minority issues."
Bisexual activist Liz Gresham echoed Staats´ concerns. "I think we set up a hierarchy of oppressions and once again the gay and lesbian population was put at the bottom. People need to realize that one (form of oppression) isn´t more important than others. The recruitment of ethnic minorities is no more important than the recruitment of other minorities." In order for the coalition to succeed, Gresham feels that "people need to confront their own homophobia. Even many gay men and lesbians are homophobic."
Asian American Student Union leader Jason Woon felt the dissention and confusion was a necessary stage in forming a group. "If it had to happen, it happened. Now let´s move on. One thing is sure, the people who came -- and it was quite an impressive showing -- are all concerned."
Looking to the future, AASU member Karl Jagbandhansingh spoke of the role of white students in a movement for racial diversity. "Whites, because they will never know what it feels like to be called nigger or chink, will always be racist." Jagbandahnsingh feels that this doesn´t exclude whites from participation. "Though whites can play a positive role, they have to learn to take a back seat. they have been programmed in life to be in a position of power but they have to learn that racial minorities can achieve on their own. Since minorities know the deal, then they have to be the ones to apply the focus."
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