Dive Brief:
- As colleges and universities become embroiled with student protests over the racial climates on their campuses, Western Washington University President Bruce Shepard is taking a strong, proactive approach to making minority students feel safe.
- The Chronicle of Higher Education reports he canceled classes after a student suggested on Yik Yak they lynch the study body president, ultimately arresting and suspending a 19-year-old student for the comment, and he increased the campus security presence, created an anonymous tip line for reporting threats, and held a town hall meeting to discuss the issues.
- While Shepard has seen pushback from some faculty and students, he remains strongly committed to his actions so far and his plans for the future, including creating a “rumor control” website, where students can post what they’ve heard and get feedback from campus security.
Dive Insight:
Every college and university leader across the country has the opportunity to make diversity issues a central part of the campus conversation. Whether students are protesting or not, the national focus has created an opening for honest reflection and dialogue. While some protesters are pushing for the resignation of presidents, including at Occidental College in Los Angeles, other leaders — including those at Yale and Brown — are getting ahead of the situation and announcing comprehensive plans to address campus climate, including the funding to get it done. The key right now is leadership. Long-lasting change is not possible without committed support from the very top.