The students were protesting the administration's lack of response to circumstances on campus. The administration had a habit of being tone deaf or otherwise dismissing concerns of students, including issues beyond the racial matters that got all the press.
Why is it the students' fault for protesting and not the administration's fault for failing to address their concerns in a more timely manner?
Some of the items the students were complaining about were indeed hurtful. I mean read many that didn't involve people connected to the campus, and you have no control over that. It's rather unrealistic to expect them too.
Other things? They could have, but I don't know the whole circumstance or story. They might have done something, and it wasn't good enough for them too. There is a big difference between to the two.
No doubt they (admin) could have made some serious errors of judgement as well. We don't know really. We never do with these types of stories.
If the administration was acting like a bunch of nillies? They need to move on. Yet, I have no idea if these students acted in an adult and mature manner with their complaints either. I see some college kids screaming about stuff, and I can't even understand what they are upset about. They use all these made up terms that they can't explain, and then get MAD at you for asking.
Also, some of their demands aren't inclusive at all. Yet, they want them mandated. Maybe they have money to fork over for that, but I don't. I have a hard enough time helping to pay for Engineering and Nursing classes.
Finally, I guess the many students that didn't participate in these protests that were intimated and frightened by how they were handling themselves don't count for anything. If they did count? They have a funny way of showing it. I guess the dropouts and transfers did that for other reasons instead.
I think both sides were acting irrational, and irresponsibly.
4. We demand that the University of Missouri creates and enforces comprehensive racial awareness and inclusion curriculum throughout all campus departments and units, mandatory for all students, faculty, staff and administration. This curriculum must be vetted, maintained, and overseen by a board comprised of students, staff and faculty of color.
As a parent that could be paying for this? That's a big fat NO! If students CHOOSE to take these courses? More power to them. Mandatory should be like Math or science, etc. The craziest my college got was to mandate swimming. You had to prove you could swim with a 10 minute test? Done. If you couldn't swim? You would learn if you wanted to graduate. The big joke on campus was they wanted to make sure we didn't drown.
College is expensive enough, and I don't need added costs because someone wants to force their viewpoints that we may or may not agree with on this subject. Many of these aspects they speak about are speculative, and are viewed differently even from
people of color. When people are asking for 'enforcement' throughout all campus life? Big red flag that it will only show 'chosen' POV's, and not aspects they don't care for. The emails they received on campus already DON'T agree with these individuals with all their demands - that included people of color too.
I find that 'awareness' and 'inclusion' today doesn't mean what the dictionary claims. Nothing can be 'comprehensive' and 'inclusive' if it is to be viewed only via individuals of color with their one sided viewpoints. Inclusive means 'included', and when you DON'T include whites - or people of color that don't agree them? It's not inclusive. They also aren't interested in their POV, or feelings on the matter. I can feel it, and they can tell me otherwise all they want. I don't have to accept it. They wouldn't be pushing people away from their protests and telling people to leave if they were all inclusive.
Don't get my wrong here - protests are a good thing. It brings about discussion! It can bring about change as well. Yet, when your protests are aliening more people than you can afford too? Maybe try a different approach to your protests.
The administration handled this awful! The students - no offense - were not much better. Both of them helped with the downfall of enrollment, endowments, etc. They wont' have the funding to do much of anything now. Everyone loses - nothing accomplished.
It's just sad. Very sad.