Speaking with one voice, about 50 students insisted yesterday that the University Faculty Senate and the Penn State administration expand the teaching of African-American issues in the classroom.
After a four-hour meeting yesterday evening, students, faculty members and administrators including Penn State President Graham Spanier emerged with a signed agreement.
The document states that Penn State still needs to work on its commitment to black issues, and establishes a committee that could have its first meeting as early as next week.
Race has been on the front burner at Penn State this semester after a series of hate acts, including racist death threats that were mailed to three students and a university trustee.
Yesterday afternoon, the Penn State administration moved swiftly to hold an unscheduled meeting with the students, bringing a smooth end to a day that had a rocky start.
Over the course of the day, a group called the Penn State Coalition of Students moved from the Faculty Senate meeting to Old Main, calling for immediate action.
The Coalition has dedicated itself to issues affecting black students, a topic that deeply touches many students. Throughout their travels yesterday, the group would stop to bow their heads in prayer.
Their busy day began at the Faculty Senate meeting at 1:30 p.m.
Four black student leaders — including Black Caucus President LaKeisha Wolf and Commonwealth Council of Student Governments President Gabriel Bryant — had asked to address the Senate.
During their speeches, they lamented what they felt was a lack of action on diversity issues, saying education at Penn State was not preparing students to deal with racial problems in the real world.
Wolf asked that more university courses be implemented to address problems facing the African-American population, such as poverty and drug addiction.
"If not Penn State, who is going to do it?" Wolf said.
Bryant said the African and African-American studies department at Penn State is significantly weaker than similar departments at other Big Ten schools, with Penn State only having five core faculty and 14 consulting faculty.
"All we're just asking for is the strengthening and autonomy of the department," Bryant said.
After their speeches, Wolf produced a document prepared by the coalition and asked the Senate to vote on and sign it.
The Senate leadership, surprised by the document and lacking time to evaluate it, would not sign it. Students were upset by Senate's delay, and began arguing.
As students raised their voices, Senate chair Cara-Lynne Schengrund abruptly adjourned the meeting.
She later told the students she meant no offense by calling off the meeting.
"In a sense, I copped out and took the easy way out and adjourned the meeting because I didn't know what else to do," Schengrund said.
After the meeting ended, Ann Atkinson, assistant professor of speech communication at Penn State Altoona, said she would have signed the contract without further debate if it hadn't listed so many points.
"The layering prevented it from going forward immediately," Atkinson said.
Terrell Jones, the Vice Provost of Education Equity, supported the students' ideas but said it would have been unusual for the Senate to move so quickly.
"I have never seen the Senate operate that way," Jones said. "They just don't move at that pace."
After the Senate meeting ended at about 2:30, the coalition marched from the Kern Graduate Building to Old Main.
There, they sought to speak with Spanier. At a meeting in October as part of Unity Week, Spanier had told students concerned about racism that the Faculty Senate would be a good forum for them to seek curriculum changes.
Spanier came out of his office within about 10 minutes to speak with the students yesterday.
"We didn't know you were going to come up at the Faculty Senate and ask them to endorse a document," Spanier told the students.
After a short conversation, Spanier and Jones agreed to round up key administrators and faculty to meet with the coalition on the spot.
At times, the conversation grew heated, with some students shouting and criticizing Spanier for not doing an acceptable job of implementing the Framework to Foster Diversity at Penn State, a plan approved in 1998.
The confrontational tone grew softer once students settled into Old Main's Alumni Lounge for a conference with Spanier and university leaders.
The meeting began just after 4 p.m. All of the key players remained until 8.
From the start, there were agreements on many levels.
Students called for expansion of the African and African-American studies program, and suggested starting a research center to study for black issues. Such changes would attract more black faculty to the university, the students said.
After a series of student speeches about racial problems in America, Senate chair-elect John Nichols said, "I agree 100 percent with everything you just said. Now will you let me sit at a table with you to address this problem?"
Faculty and students also quickly reached a limited consensus on the committee that students asked for. The committee — including faculty, staff and students selected by the Coalition of Students — should be in place by next week, they said.
But the document that students presented at the Senate meeting was a sticking point.
The document endorsed several points, including working with students on multicultural programs and integrating more current racial issues into the curriculum.
Spanier and the faculty members agreed with the spirit of the document, but were wary of its negative tone.
Inside the lounge, the meeting took on the feel of a constitution being drafted. Penn State officials were outnumbered 5-to-1 by black students, who sat in chairs, sofas and on the floor.
The faculty asked for some changes in wording, but the students stood steadfast in their commitment to the document in its original form.
Administrators and students split off into separate groups at one point to revise the document. The second revision, which was very close to the original document, was signed by Spanier, Dean of Liberal Arts Susan Welch, three faculty senators and three students.
By signing the document, Penn State leaders accomplished several things.
First, they attached their name to a document that says Penn State's existing diversity plan has not been successful, and the university should take steps to improve its racial climate.
But in addition, the administration, faculty and students found some common ground on a passionate issue.
"I think, if anything, this is just the beginning of a process," said Alain Vaval (senior-pre-medicine). "Hopefully, all parties enter on good faith and accomplish the goals set forth by the University Plan to Foster Diversity."
