Since the resignation by “mutual agreement” of Jamie R. Riley, the former dean of students at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa, at least three open letters have been sent to President Stuart R. Bell’s office; two town halls have been hosted to voice concerns; and one sit-in has been staged by graduate students in the lobby of the Rose Administration Building, which houses the office of the president.
Riley resigned two weeks ago, less than a day after Breitbart, a right-wing news outlet, published an article resurfacing years-old tweets of his. In one of the tweets, Riley, who is black, wrote that the American flag “represents a systemic history of racism for my people.”
The letters and pleas for information come in response to an extended silence from Alabama’s top administrators in regard to Riley’s resignation. Many students and faculty feel that Riley’s resignation infringes upon the rights of academic freedom and free speech.
The latest letter, sent by the university’s Faculty Senate, points to Alabama’s “reputation as non-inclusive and discriminatory” and asks for the university to “publicly and unequivocally affirm its commitment” to academic freedom and free speech. In addition to the letter, the Faculty Senate also approved a task force to address campus culture at the university.
“I’ve been at the university for almost 36 years. And over that time, this is the most concerning campuswide situation that I have encountered in terms of faculty, staff, and students, especially those of our marginalized communities,” said Rona Donahoe, the president of the Faculty Senate, at the group’s regular Tuesday meeting, according to AL.com.
During the meeting of the Faculty Senate, graduate students in the Department of Gender and Race Studies continued their sit-in the lobby of Bell’s office. The sit-in began on Monday and continued Wednesday, but Bell did emerge to speak with the students Tuesday afternoon.
In a statement released by the president after conversing with the graduate students, Bell wrote, “In recent days, I have met with students, faculty, and organizational representatives who are disappointed in some of our efforts and feel strongly more must be done.”
He added: “The full resources of our great university are focused on this effort. You have my personal commitment that we will continue to take what we hear and learn from you to move the University of Alabama forward.”
Both the Faculty Senate letter and graduate student sit-in followed a flurry of activity last week regarding Riley’s resignation.
The Black Faculty and Staff Association hosted a town hall and released a letter of their own last Friday afternoon. In that letter, the BFSA listed five concerns related to Riley’s resignation, all of which they wrote contribute to a “toxic environment” at the university.
Also, a letter signed by the Concerned Students of the University of Alabama, a group of 533 students, urged the university “to reaffirm their commitment to the protection of free speech and freedom of expression for all faculty, staff, and students at the University.”
Jack Kappelman, a sophomore and a senator in the Student Government, drafted the letter with Marquis Hollingsworth, a senior, in order to “vent the frustrations of the campus community into action,” he said. The letter was published last Thursday morning in the Alabama student newspaper, The Crimson White.
At the following student government Senate meeting on Friday, Kappelman and other senators fought for a resolution to protect free speech on campus based on the open letter. While the resolution passed in an amended version, Kappelman felt it was not enough to protect students and faculty free speech.
“This isn’t an issue of liberal ideologies and conservative ideologies,” Kappelman said. “This is a concern of everyone on this campus because right now the precedent is, if you have an opinion that is disruptive in any way, then you’ll face consequences from the university.”
Hollingsworth added that a group of students, separate from the graduate student sit-in, was able to sit down with Bell on Tuesday afternoon and discuss the next steps, including having the president show his face at more events so students feel they are being listened to.
“This campus is a great place to be,” Hollingsworth said. “Unfortunately, we have our shortcomings and whatnot, but the University of Alabama is truly a great place; it just has a lot to learn, is all.”
Wesley Jenkins is an editorial intern at The Chronicle. Follow him on Twitter @_wesjenks, or email him at wjenkins@chronicle.com.
