THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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THURSDAY, NOV. 12, 2015 | VOLUME 130 ISSUE 23
During the town hall meeting on Wednesday evening students, staff and faculty demanded a better response to racism at the University of Kansas. They said it's time to change.
Now, KU, it is
COURTNEY VARNEY/KANSAN
Rock Chalk Invisible Hawk makes their demands during the open forum on Wednesday evening.
KU community and Rock Chalk Invisible Hawk call on University to address racism
LARA KORTE AND CASSIDY RITTER
Nearly two weeks ago, a gun was pulled on a group of black students after attending a house party on Kentucky Street.
Kynnedi Grant, a junior from St. Louis and president of the Black Student Union, was at the party. The gun was pulled on her friends.
Grant said she was looking for a friend's wallet when two males verbally attacked her and her friends and then put her in a chokehold and threatened her.
Grant is one of many students who spoke out at a town hall meeting about her
Grant said the police who arrived did nothing.
personal encounters with racism being silenced by the University and in lawrence.
"Never have I ever been more aware of my race and that I am oppressed and that I am not equal than in the three months that I've been on this campus," the student said at the town hall meeting. "So I'm through, because there's not going to be a change."
Another student, a freshman, said she is transferring because she is tired of being targeted for her race and not being able to speak out about it.
The meeting on Wednesday was held in response to recent events at the University of Missouri and Yale University. The discussion, held in the Woodruff Auditorium
In addition to students and faculty members, several administrators attended the meeting, including Tammara Durham, vice provost of student affairs and Jane Tuttle, assistant vice provost for student success. Student senators were also in attendance, including
The audience exceeded the auditorium's 500-seat capacity, with many people filling in along the sides and back of the room. For those who could not find room to sit or stand, a live feed of the discussion played in the Big 12 room across the hall.
in the Kansas Union and moderated by Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little, was to focus on race, respect and responsibility.
After a brief welcome and opening remarks, the chancellor opened the room up to questions from members of the audience. The discussion that resulted lasted more than two hours.
Student Body President Jessie Pringle and Student Body Vice President Zach George.
Rock Chalk Invisible Hawk, a campus group, spoke out at the meeting. Before the meeting, the group shared stories of racism and discrimination at the University online through #RockChalkInvisibleHawk.
"We are here. We are aware. We are powerful, and you cannot keep pushing us away," said one member of the group
SEE TOWN HALL PAGE 2
Student Senate Rights Committee passes resolutions
ALANA FLINN
@alana flinn
As the Student Senate Rights Committee settled into their seats in Alderson Auditorium on Wednesday evening, a group of about 20 students, all wearing black and representing the Rock Chalk Invisible Hawk group, filed into the back of the room.
Following the University's town hall meeting on race, respect and responsibility
— moderated by Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little — Rock Chalk Invisible Hawk members further explained each of their 15 demands to Student Senate.
The demands include a structured multicultural student government separate from Senate, not allowing concealed carry on campus, and hiring a director for the Office of Multicultural Affairs by December.
The evening started on a tense note before members of Rock Chalk Invisible Hawk arrived, as student senators debated whether to pass a resolution in support of the group's demands.
Rock Chalk Invisible Hawk formed because it "is tired of cries for justice being silenced and dismissed," members said at the town hall meeting.
Several senators felt a resolution needed to be drafted immediately, while some said that making decisions of passion were irresponsible for a governing body.
However, the climate swiftly changed, and in a push led by rights chair Madeline Dickerson, the resolution was formed and voted on after a
lengthy debate.
"We have done squat for multicultural students this year, and that makes us look so fucking pathetic," Dickerson said.
After some discussion members of Rock Chalk Invisible Hawk entered the meeting.
While the resolution was drafted, Katherine Rainey and other members of Rock Chalk Invisible Hawk explained each of the 15 demands the group had formed. Two of the demands directly affect Student Senate immediate amendments to the Senate Election Code and the establishment of a Multicultural Student Government independent of Senate.
Once at the front of the auditorium, several members of Rock Chalk Invisible Hawk, including the former Student Senate Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Jameelah Jones, and Rainey, spoke to members of the Rights Committee and Executive Board.
"We are demanding that our University systemically changes so that students of colors and underrepresented students can survive, be academically successful and love our University as much as everyone else." Rainey said.
Rainey said Senate's decision to raise the spending cap for elections not only hindered minority students' ability to run for office, it prevents them from running at all.
"Even though minority students in Senate and outside of Senate said, 'This [spending
SEE SENATE PAGE 2
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