ISU Students Demand Policy Changes for Greater Campus Diversity and Inclusion (Full Transcript)

Speaker 1: American students, ISU students that is, are calling for change on campus. The University's Unity Council presented a list of demands to the administration earlier this month to implement policy change considering diversity. Lindsay Jackson spoke with a member of the council about how they hope to work with ISU administrators to bring about change. ISU's Unity Council, a student-run group,

Speaker 2: presented a list of demands to change campus policies concerning diversity and inclusion. Nyjah Smith, a council member, says their goal is to make campus more welcoming for black students. There's systematic racism

Speaker 3: everywhere in America and then just kind of seeing like where can we help to fight that battle and it's just like well at ISU we've all dealt with some type of systematic racism where there's professors, advisors, roommates and how the policies that are in place do not hold those accountable. They kind of protect those and knowing that there needs to be some changes on ISU's

Speaker 2: campus. The council and ISU President Deborah Curtis met on July 15th to discuss the demands. Some of those demands included hiring more black faculty and staff and hosting regular diversity trainings for university staff. In an email from the administration to the student group, President Curtis said quote, while ISU is among the most diverse campuses in the state and the best in social mobility of students, I agree that this is a time where change is inevitable and necessary. That process at ISU, that action has already begun in numerous areas. The position of ISU President is not autocratic and we have shared governance with students, faculty and staff. Smith says she understands change takes time but she hopes it happens soon. We're not trying

Speaker 3: to make him seem like oh you have to do this overnight, you know, we just want

Speaker 2: them to work with us. With local news that matters, I'm Lindsay Jackson, WA WV.

Speaker 1: The ISU administration says they are currently working on an action plan to address the concerns raised by students. That plan will be announced this fall.