People from across the United States, and the world, have witnessed the recent events at the University of Missouri: students from Mizzou’s campus protesting for the removal of university president Timothy M. Wolfe for acting passively towards racially-charged incidents on campus.
After a hunger strike by a graduate assistant at the university, and constant pressure from students and university football players alike, he eventually stepped down from his position.
UNM has also experienced racial tension on campus, but the administration acted differently.
In 2011 the New York Times reported that African-American students, employees and faculty at UNM called out the University for being racially biased. The outcry led the N.A.A.C.P. in Albuquerque, along with local African-American pastors, to a file complaint with the Justice Department.
The events made national news, and eventually led to a joint statement made by then-UNM president David J. Schmidly and Health Sciences Center Chancellor Paul Roth denying the accusations.
“We do not discriminate against African-Americans. We do not discriminate against any individual or group based on race, religion, sexual orientation, age, gender or ability,” the statement said. “The university has very clear policies in place which prohibit discrimination and we train our employees to comply with the law and our policies.”
This semester, students on campus seem to be more aware than ever before of the racial tension seemingly everywhere across the country.
Jamal Martin, Director of Peace and Justice Studies at UNM, said that racialization can go unrecognized by people who are responding to the intent of actions, rather than the impact made on a systemic level, particularly on college campuses.
“Nevertheless, I think students who consciously reflect on the complex moral dilemmas of modern society very often respond to injustice by determining appropriate pathways for social transformation and change,” Martin said.
When it comes to how UNM students would react if UNM was in a similar situation as Missouri, Martin said it all depends on an understanding of compassion for all humans.
He said that similar movements to the one in Missouri have unfolded on at least 100 university campuses across the country. As a result, there is revitalized critical consciousness on the importance of human dignity.
“As for UNM, the creative tensions that ignite a certain ethos and pathos are here, but we probably have not yet institutionalized an educational culture of empathy for global suffering and the human condition,” he said.
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Gary Allison, a staff member for the Black Student Union and former UNM student, believes that the voice of African-Americans at UNM is miniscule. He said the group is willing to combat all racial issues that take place, but more can be done to support African Americans.
“I think the priority for who’s being heard is always different,” Allison said. “It’s driven by larger political agendas and forces. I think that often African-Americans on this campus have felt like they’re not heard.”
Matthew Narvaiz a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @RealMattNarvaiz.
