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Marquette University called off a student convocation Thursday because of a protest by the Black Student Council of Marquette.
Prior to when the convocation was supposed to take place, the Black Student Council said on Instagram, “The fact that they eliminated the entire Office of Engagement and Inclusion (OEI) without stating why is unacceptable. The fact that Urban Scholars, a program with majority Students of Color, now has over 100 students and one full time staff member and the university is not looking to hire anyone until Summer 2023 is absurd … We implore you all to take a stand and not attend today’s Convocation.”
The group added, “We are constantly under appreciated, watched, socially abused and forgotten by the administration.”
The university issued a statement that said in part, “We are deeply committed to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion on campus. As a result of our ongoing efforts, 30 percent of our incoming first-year class identifies as students of color and we believe our overall diversity this fall will be at an all-time high, along with the most faculty and staff of color in our history as well. We are proud of this progress and remain committed to initiatives that will continue to further DEI goals shared by the university … Marquette has grown its Urban Scholars program for first-generation and financially disadvantaged students from the Milwaukee area, and has already committed to hiring another full-time staff person for the program in 2023. Marquette has not closed the Office of Engagement and Inclusion. Supporting the Office of Engagement and Inclusion and the Division of Student Affairs remains a priority as the university actively recruits to refill positions left open due to resignations. Many of these positions are posted online with interviews underway. These roles are expected to be filled this semester.”
