Dive Brief:
- A two-hour forum on race and discrimination convened by the University of Kansas Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little last week was contentious, but students on that campus seem to want to work with administrators instead of against them.
- The Associated Press reports that students associated with the Rock Chalk Invisible Hawk group have a list of demands, including increasing diversity among faculty, identifying specific counselors for students of color, and mandating inclusion and belonging training for students and staff, but one of the group’s leaders said consistent leadership may be important for meaningful change.
- While one former student had a short-lived hunger strike and some are pushing for the resignations of several student senate members over alleged slights to the Black Lives Matter movement, the activism has so far been relatively tame.
Dive Insight:
Student activism at the University of Missouri, including an intended boycott by football players of their final three games, prompted the resignations of the flagship campus’ chancellor and the system's president. Schools across the country have seen solidarity protests and watched the momentum from Mizzou embolden their own student populations to fight against injustices they see on their own campuses. The University of Missouri announced the hire of an interim chief diversity officer, choosing a strategy that is often selected to show a commitment to softening racial hostilities on campus.