On June 8, NC State’s Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity (OIED) released a statement in response to student concerns regarding lack of action by the university against racism on campus. NC State University Police Department also released their own statement addressing concerns about their relationship with Raleigh Police Department (RPD).
OIED’s Response
In the statement, Sheri Schwab, vice provost for Institutional Equity and Diversity, and Lisa Zapata, interim vice chancellor for the Division of Academic and Student Affairs (DASA), said OIED apologizes for any shortcomings “in fully engaging in meaningful and sustained dialogue” about racism and other forms of bigotry on campus, and “commit to doing better going forward.”
Additionally, Schwab and Zapata acknowledged concerns around already implemented initiatives, including commenting on deliberated changes to the Black Male Initiative (BMI) and Diversity Education Week (DEW). Last fall, University Housing discussed moving BMI from the Avent Ferry Complex to a main campus residence hall, as a part of a larger consideration to move upperclassmen and graduate students to Avent Ferry, but BMI student participants expressed the importance of this location and University Housing delayed any potential moves.
Following DEW in fall of 2018, OIED decided to pause DEW for fall 2019, and according to the statement, hopes to plan a “more robust and impactful diversity and inclusion programming calendar for the 2020-21 academic year.”
The statement said OIED is in the “process of securing a nationally-recognized online training program” to teach diversity engagement skills, such as reducing unconscious bias and making inclusive everyday choices. All students, faculty and staff will be required to complete this program. This includes senior administrators.
According to the statement, OIED said they are also “working on a process for engaging in broad campus dialogue” at the start of the fall semester, and they are “working on a plan to facilitate those discussions.”
The statement also listed “ongoing opportunities” for NC State community members looking for ways to be involved in the diversity discussions on campus. This included a list of resources and links to programs and workshops through OIED.
For more information on diversity program developments on campus, the statement said students should visit the Diversity web portal.
NC State University Police’s Response
In their statement, the NC State police said their office has received concerns about NC State’s relationship with RPD, and stated NC State has its own independent police department, which acts as the “first responder to campus emergencies, patrols university property, investigates crimes, delivers safety education programs on campus and enforces North Carolina law.”
Dave Rainer, associate vice chancellor of Environmental Health and Public Safety, and Daniel Lee House Jr., chief of police for NC State University Police, outlined the differences between NC State’s police department and traditional police departments in the statement. The main difference is NC State police are specifically trained to work with the campus community.
According to the statement, NC State Police Department has “Mutual Aid Agreements” with RPD and other agencies “for the purposes of sharing information and for cases where outside support is needed.” These agreements essentially allow other agencies with large emergency response capabilities to assist NC State police in “large critical incidents,” and expands their jurisdiction to serve students living off campus.
NC State police are working to schedule a town hall meeting with the campus community in the upcoming weeks, according to the statement. For more information on services provided by the NC State Police Department, click here.
