BE IT RESOLVED: Until the University of Vermont can demonstrate that through its efforts and outcomes it actually is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution, "The University of Vermont Policy Statement on Non-discrimination" found in UVM publications and "An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer" found on UVM stationary should be removed until such time as this is actually the case.
The University of Vermont is within the top 100 institutions receiving federal funds. The courts are attempting to close and merge predominantly Black colleges into white institutions in Mississippi because they need to be integrated. However, UVM faces no such attack, receives greater funds and has so far escaped similar scrutiny even though it is commonly known as the whitest institution. Where is the leadership to change this?
Nearly 30 years ago the UVM Board of Trustees passed a resolution exhorting the University´s administration and campus community to embark on efforts to bring about the kind of representative diversity needed by an international research institution preparing citizens for this nation and world.
Two African American faculty were hired and tenured by the Dean of the School of Medicine. That same Dean subsequently was appointed as President and while under his leadership the University of Vermont hired the most African-American and other ALANA faculty and staff in its history and to this date.
Movement since that time has by and large been regressive. Over the years, the Black and Third World Educators Organization, undertook to provide leadership and expertise to the institution to assist in enlarging the faculty, administrative staff and student population. However, despite the thousands of person-hours put to this task beyond the call of our various position descriptions, we come before you today to say that the foes of progress seem to have won.
For example, the following points only provide a small sample of the breadth and depth of the problem facing you, the Board of Trustees.
1. Problem: The Chief Executive Officer of the University has set the example by rhetoric rather than by concrete actions.
a. The Diversity Plan coming before the Board of Trustees was developed without input from faculty of color.
b. ALANA faculty are only sought after to interview ALANA candidates for positions but not white applicants unless we insist.
c. ALANA faculty are only approached regarding issues of diversity or racism and not on general academic matters.
d. The President and the Provost have rejected the importance and the inputs from the Commission on Racial Justice and Multicultural Education thus undermining their status in the UVM community.
2. There is a lack of ALANA representation in the upper levels of the administration.
a. Dr. William E. Bright, II, Associate Dean of the College of Education and Social Services is retiring. He is an Assistant Professor. During his 24 years at UVM he served as Interim Dean, Interim Chair of his Department, Interim Assistant to the President for Human Resources and Assistant Dean of his College. With all of his committed service to the community and school districts in the State, he has never been promoted.
b. Carol Cotman Hogan, Director of Admissions and the second highest ranking African-American administrator is being harassed and maligned in that the Administration has not challenged negative articles in the CYNIC suggesting that she and an African-American Admissions Counselor falsified work records implying lack of interest in recruiting ALANA students.
c. Dolores Sandoval, Associate Profession, Alumna of the Harvard Institute for Educational Management Program, former Assistant to the President for Human Resources, former Chair of the Faculty Senate and President of the faculty for CESS, Fellow and former Trustee of the Rhode Island School of Design was a candidate for the position of Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education. "Affirmative Action for Whites" is evidenced by the search process which did not take the opportunity to appoint an experienced woman of color.
3. There is definite and distinct disinterest on the part of most departments to bring about diversity through appointment and retention.
a. Faculty Hiring: After having eight tenured African American faculty there will only be two left one year from now. Being tenured allows academic freedom of speech to challenge policies and actions. Without this, staff or untenured faculty can be fired or denied reappointment thus muzzling the ALANA community in terms of representing and voicing issues important to the campus and community.
It is understood that the Political Science Department had identified an African American Scholar to fill a position. Then the position was frozen.
b. Faculty Retention: A Department had received Minority Faculty Incentive Funds to hire and retain an ALANA professor and then denied him tenure. The College Committee, the University Committee and the Dean supported him. The Provost upheld the Department. Then, after concerted campus outcry the Provost then reversed himself and supported tenure.
c. Staff Retention: An African American administrative staff member has been harassed for nearly a decade with name-calling and disrespectful treatment culminating in his being demoted and still having to work in a hostile atmosphere.
d. Students: There is still insufficient funds available for support of ALANA student scholarships which reflects the low priority status they hold. Efforts by the Commission on Racial Justice and Multicultural Education to introduce tuition waivers for out of state fees are still unsupported by the administration.
In over a half-century only one African American student has graduated from the College of Medicine. Other predominantly white institutions are on record graduating African American students. A non-receptive climate is a major problem. Special standards are established to accommodate Vermont students but where African American students are concerned it is considered to be lowering standards.
4. There is not planned commitment to retain those faculty and staff who are already here even though there is an egregious lack of individuals of color in this academic community.
a. Retirement -- in the last few years with the retirement of five faculty of color, there was no recognition of the downsizing of the total ALANA community and the impact of this on future recruitment of other faculty, staff and students. There were no efforts made to dissuade those faculty and administrators from retiring.
5. We exist in a campus climate conducive to and receptive of negative and potentially dangerous behaviors. One can ask the question: "Who is in Charge?" The answer is, "The climate is in charge!" Our understanding is that the President should provide the effective leadership to change the climate.
a. Coach Tom Brennan has been made to leave his radio station job but not his University job when accused of making insensitive racist, ethnic, sexist and homophobic remarks as part of his agenda. Question: Why would he feel comfortable doing this? Answer: It is obviously because he read the climate of the University as supportive of his behavior.
6. The inadequacy of university-wide race and justice curricular requirements is of longstanding dispute.
a. The Race and Culture course is just one credit and the students in the largest college -- Arts and Sciences -- are not required to take it. It is a course which centers on American racial problems and not just non-western cultures or general mutliculturalism.
It is hoped that the Board of Trustees will take a proactive stance in supporting this Resolution to remove the policy statements regarding equal opportunity and affirmative action from its publications. Currently, these statements are paper tiger slogans which demean the importance of the intent of the policies. Those statements should not be used until such time as those conditions actually exist.
Signed by:
Laura Fishman, Ph.D. (1971-present)
Dolores Sandoval, Ph.D. (1971-present)
Leon F. Burrell, Ph.D. (1971-1996)
William E. Bright, II, Ed.D. (1971-1995)
Jackson Clemmons, M.D., Ph.D. (1962-1991)
H. Lawrence McCrorey, Ph.D. (1966-1993)
Harry L. Thompson, Ph.D. (1972-1994)
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