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MSU James Madison College holds open forum in response to student calls for improved DEI efforts
MSU’s residential college in public affairs and international relations, James Madison College, hosted an open forum Monday night for students to discuss concerns regarding a lack of diversity, equity and inclusion in the college.
The forum was a response to a letter released earlier this month.
In the letter, James Madison College students condemned the institution for “cultivating and perpetuating an environment and culture where marginalized students are clearly unwelcome.”
The letter was written by the Madisonians for Justice, “a collective of students devoted to promoting equity and inclusivity” in the college, according to a statement from the unofficial organization.
It was sent to the JMC deans, faculty, staff, College Inclusion Committee and Faculty Affair Committee in February and was released publicly on April 5, according to a joint Instagram post from the JMC Women of Color Coalition, JMC Wilma Mankiller Society and W.E.B. DuBois Society.
The letter said students of color in James Madison classes “bear the burden of educating their classmates on their lived experiences.” These students are tokenized and “face the invalidation and reappropriation of their experiences,” which is exacerbated by the power imbalance between students and professors, the letter said.
Professors and staff members of color face similar tokenization, the letter said, and they have the disproportionate burden of supporting marginalized students while being offered little support.
The letter said JMC is familiar with complaints about a lack of diversity, equity, and inclusion. But these problems have not been addressed until Black student organizations and faculty brought them to light, the letter said. It listed examples of actions taken by the Black Madisonians, senior Black faculty members, and the W.E.B. DuBois Society.
In response to Madisonians for Justice’s letter, Dean Cameron Thies said the college has been transparent in providing the retention and demographics data requested. Members of the JMC administration have met with student representatives since the letter’s release, according to Thies.
Hate crime, aggravated assault reported at the MSU Library
A group of five suspects assaulted two victims based on sexual orientation bias at the Michigan State University Main Library, according to an email MSU police sent out to students and faculty on Monday.
The hate crime occurred at the Michigan State University Library at 5:45 p.m. and was reported to MSU police at 5:50 p.m.
The email stated that the suspects were “intentionally selecting the victim(s) because of the perpetrator’s sexual orientation bias.”
“We don’t want any type of violence happening on our campus,” MSU Spokesperson Emily Guerrant said. “We want anyone who’s on our campus to feel safe while they’re here, whether that’s because they’re a student, or because they’re a visitor on campus using the library. It’s important people feel safe at MSU.”
‘Out of the Darkness’ 5K raises over $10,000, gathers 250 attendees for suicide prevention
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention held a 5K last Sunday.
The walkout began at noon and had 250 people in attendance. The proceeds raised will be used for suicide prevention education, supporting survivors of suicide loss and suicide prevention research.
Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the United States and the number of deaths increased by 2.6 percent between 2021 and 2022, according to the CDC.
Many attendees took part in the event and expressed their devastation and heartbreak from the increase in suicide rates, as well as those affected by mental health issues.
Based on original reporting by Demonte Thomas and Ridhima Kodali.
