Marquette students of color protest, leading to postponed Convocation
Marquette University postponed its Convocation ceremony Thursday after students of color protested what they see as inadequate staffing for several diversity programs and other concerns about the campus climate.
The Black Student Council encouraged students to "take a stand" at Convocation, a welcome event held on Central Mall for the university's nearly 2,000 incoming students.
Video of the protest posted by the group on social media showed a couple dozen students standing on stage, yelling "shut it down" to rows of mostly empty seats and holding signs that read "We are not a token" and "We have a voice too." The group did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday evening about the protest, which Marquette characterized as "disruptive in nature."
"As student leaders we wanted to have a (honest) moment with how the University supports its Students," the Black Student Council posted on Instagram a few hours before the 4 p.m. ceremony. "In these meetings administration have not moved with urgency when we discuss our concerns."
Their concerns include the Office of Engagement and Inclusion, which they claim was entirely eliminated, and an Urban Scholars program for more than 100 students that they said is supported by a single full-time staff member with no additional hires planned until next summer.
Marquette University said in a statement that the Office of Engagement and Inclusion remains open and a priority, with interviews underway to refill an unspecified number of positions left open by people who left. The roles are expected to be filled this semester.
The university also said it has committed to hiring another full-time employee to support the Urban Scholars program in 2023.
The Black Student Council has held protests in recent years, such as a sit-in in the school's main administrative building that led to signed commitments for a Black student cultural center, hiring of Black mental health counselors, and more scholarships for Milwaukee Public Schools graduates, among other items.
Marquette spokesperson Lynn Griffith said a new date for Convocation is still being discussed but both President Michael Lovell and Provost Ah Yun addressed the full freshman class at a separate event later Thursday evening.
About 30% of this year's incoming freshman class identify as students of color, an all-time high, according to the university. Marquette's provost and vice president of student affairs, both of whom identify as people of color, regularly meet with student government leaders on how to improve the campus climate.
"We are deeply committed to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion on campus," the university statement said.
Contact Kelly Meyerhofer at kmeyerhofer@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KellyMeyerhofer.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Marquette student protests prompt rescheduled Convocation
