Dive Brief:
- Smith College officials upheld students’ wishes to turn away reporters unfriendly to their cause during a sit-in organized in solidarity with Mizzou students of color.
- Mass Live reports that the students’ decision and administrative acquiescence goes against policies laid out in a student handbook, and college officials have agreed to review media access policies moving forward.
- Some reporters were turned away from the event while those who pledged to write only favorably about the sit-in were allowed to stay.
Dive Insight:
Smith College was one of dozens of institutions across the country that had solidarity actions following high-level resignations at the University of Missouri. The college also hosted an open forum Monday, where students outlined a hostile environment for people of color. Yale, Princeton, Columbia University, and Occidental College are among those responding to student protests with comments of this sort.
Many school administrators are responding in crisis mode, making pledges to review policies, hire more faculty of color, and create more welcoming campus environments. Crisis management, however, is not the best time to think deeply about long-term, systemic change. Schools that have not yet been swept up in the national dialogue should consider launching their own conversations, at least internally.