The University has finally dropped the disciplinary charges against those thirteen students. They tried to punish our peers for demanding justice but the administration was forced to back down in the face of our pressure. Stay vigilant because we know exactly how far they are willing to go to silence …
December 23, 2015
Final supporters
October 8, 2015
On February 9, 2015, members and supporters of Whose Diversity?, a student collective, occupied Morrill Hall in an attempt to highlight the struggles of marginalized students and members of aggrieved communities within and beyond the University of Minnesota. A primary goal of the takeover was to advance a number of demands about concrete steps that the administration could take to support diversity on campus.
As a result of their occupation of Morrill Hall, thirteen students were arrested, jailed, and sanctioned by the University of Minnesota Police Department and the Hennepin County Sheriff. On the advice of their attorney, the students accepted an offer from the City Attorney of one-year’s probation, with charges to be dropped if they do not commit additional offenses during the probationary period. Despite all this, the University administration has persisted in pursuing additional disciplinary charges against them. On March 3, 2015, the students received disciplinary letters from the Office of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity (OSCAI) for violating Subd. 4 (Refusal to Identify and Comply) and Subd 9 (Disorderly Conduct) of the Student Conduct Code.
Jesús Estrada-Perez, Rahsaan Mahadeo, and David Melendez decided to contest those charges. (Jesús passed away over the summer and all who worked alongside him have been mourning his loss). The OSCAI refused to drop the charges and instead has turned the matter over to the Student Behavior Committee (CCSB), which has the authority to determine whether students violated the Student Conduct Code and if so, to impose sanctions on them. The pre-hearing of the CCSB is scheduled on Tuesday, October 13 2015.
All of us signing this petition believe in the mission of Whose Diversity?. The students who participated in the protest and are now facing charges bravely represented these feelings. Such struggles, throughout history have resorted to peaceful civil disobedience, including several at this university, where ‘disruptive’ protests were crucial to the formation of the African and African American Studies Department, Department of Chicano and Latino Studies, Women’s Studies and other ethnic studies departments. We feel that they are being unjustly punished for speaking out, in spite of embodying the spirit of the student code of conduct, and being community leaders on issues of diversity, equity and social justice. We ‘believe that such disciplinary actions send the wrong message to marginalised students already facing struggles to be in the academy.
The university has already acted on some of the demands of Whose Diversity?, like the hiring of faculty for the Department of Chicano and Latino studies, and the removal of racial descriptors in ambiguous crime alerts. We urge the administration and OSCAI to respect the values that matter to us as a diverse community and encourage dialogue on difficult issues on our campus.
Drop the charges against the thirteen students.
Additional resources for those who are interested
Website of Whose Diversity? - www.whosediversity.weebly.com
Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/whosediversitymn?fref=ts
The list of demands originally made by Whose Diversity?- http://whosediversity.weebly.com/demands.html
Faculty petition in support of Whose Diversity? - http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/faculty-in-soli...
FOX9 news report about the takeover and disciplinary action - http://www.fox9.com/news/26435913-story
News article about Rahsaan Mahadeo, one of the students charged - http://www.citypages.com/news/u-of-m-student-rahsa...
Updates
Reached 250 supporters
October 12, 2015
October 11, 2015
We just hit one hundred signatures. The University administration thinks they can silence these students with trumped up conduct charges but this number proves we are watching them.
Reached 100 supporters
October 9, 2015
56 Comments
It's absurd that the University is continuing to punish students for civil disobedience in the quest for justice, while also maintaining faculty and departments that encourage students to engage in civil disobedience in the quest for justice. The University system seems to support justice in name only. In speech but not in deed.
I'm disappointed in my university for pursuing this charges when a group was peacefully protesting over a serious cause that has yet to be addressed. We had borderline violent hockey riots in DinkyTown, but these students are suffering from harsher consequences. Really?
Eric Kaler denies that young people, students, people of color exist in perpetual state of crisis. I stand in solidarity with Whose Diversity and hope that the administration not only drops all charges but also takes action on the demands of WD.
The students in question have faced the consequences of their actions through acceptance of the offer from the Minneapolis city attorney. Pursuing additional punishment through the university system is vindictive, divisive, and misses an opportunity for the university to demonstrate, by example, how to handle grievances and disagreement civilly and constructively.
I am in full support of and in solidarity with these brave students. Drop the charges! "“You are talking about systematically closing down departments that have you language to talk about diversity and racism, and you’re saying they’re not worthy." — Jesús Estrada-Perez
#WhoseDiversity
Dissent is not illegal. Drop all charges against these students, and let them move forward with their lives and careers. Rest in Power, Jesús Estrada-Perez.
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The University has finally dropped the disciplinary charges against those thirteen students. They tried to punish our peers for demanding justice but the administration was forced to back down in the face of our pressure. Stay vigilant because we know exactly how far they are willing to go to silence …
December 23, 2015
Final supporters
October 8, 2015
On February 9, 2015, members and supporters of Whose Diversity?, a student collective, occupied Morrill Hall in an attempt to highlight the struggles of marginalized students and members of aggrieved communities within and beyond the University of Minnesota. A primary goal of the takeover was to advance a number of demands about concrete steps that the administration could take to support diversity on campus.
As a result of their occupation of Morrill Hall, thirteen students were arrested, jailed, and sanctioned by the University of Minnesota Police Department and the Hennepin County Sheriff. On the advice of their attorney, the students accepted an offer from the City Attorney of one-year’s probation, with charges to be dropped if they do not commit additional offenses during the probationary period. Despite all this, the University administration has persisted in pursuing additional disciplinary charges against them. On March 3, 2015, the students received disciplinary letters from the Office of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity (OSCAI) for violating Subd. 4 (Refusal to Identify and Comply) and Subd 9 (Disorderly Conduct) of the Student Conduct Code.
Jesús Estrada-Perez, Rahsaan Mahadeo, and David Melendez decided to contest those charges. (Jesús passed away over the summer and all who worked alongside him have been mourning his loss). The OSCAI refused to drop the charges and instead has turned the matter over to the Student Behavior Committee (CCSB), which has the authority to determine whether students violated the Student Conduct Code and if so, to impose sanctions on them. The pre-hearing of the CCSB is scheduled on Tuesday, October 13 2015.
All of us signing this petition believe in the mission of Whose Diversity?. The students who participated in the protest and are now facing charges bravely represented these feelings. Such struggles, throughout history have resorted to peaceful civil disobedience, including several at this university, where ‘disruptive’ protests were crucial to the formation of the African and African American Studies Department, Department of Chicano and Latino Studies, Women’s Studies and other ethnic studies departments. We feel that they are being unjustly punished for speaking out, in spite of embodying the spirit of the student code of conduct, and being community leaders on issues of diversity, equity and social justice. We ‘believe that such disciplinary actions send the wrong message to marginalised students already facing struggles to be in the academy.
The university has already acted on some of the demands of Whose Diversity?, like the hiring of faculty for the Department of Chicano and Latino studies, and the removal of racial descriptors in ambiguous crime alerts. We urge the administration and OSCAI to respect the values that matter to us as a diverse community and encourage dialogue on difficult issues on our campus.
Drop the charges against the thirteen students.
Additional resources for those who are interested
Website of Whose Diversity? - www.whosediversity.weebly.com
Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/whosediversitymn?fref=ts
The list of demands originally made by Whose Diversity?- http://whosediversity.weebly.com/demands.html
Faculty petition in support of Whose Diversity? - http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/faculty-in-soli...
FOX9 news report about the takeover and disciplinary action - http://www.fox9.com/news/26435913-story
News article about Rahsaan Mahadeo, one of the students charged - http://www.citypages.com/news/u-of-m-student-rahsa...
Updates
Reached 250 supporters
October 12, 2015
October 11, 2015
We just hit one hundred signatures. The University administration thinks they can silence these students with trumped up conduct charges but this number proves we are watching them.
Reached 100 supporters
October 9, 2015
56 Comments
This last week I helped to catalog a video of the 2003 AFSCME union strike, when a number of U of M student occupied then-president Bruininks' office in support of the striking staff members. Whose Diversity? is part of this same longstanding and effective tradition of non-violent student protest at the U of M. Please support it with me.
It's absurd that the University is continuing to punish students for civil disobedience in the quest for justice, while also maintaining faculty and departments that encourage students to engage in civil disobedience in the quest for justice. The University system seems to support justice in name only. In speech but not in deed.
I'm disappointed in my university for pursuing this charges when a group was peacefully protesting over a serious cause that has yet to be addressed. We had borderline violent hockey riots in DinkyTown, but these students are suffering from harsher consequences. Really?
Eric Kaler denies that young people, students, people of color exist in perpetual state of crisis. I stand in solidarity with Whose Diversity and hope that the administration not only drops all charges but also takes action on the demands of WD.
The students in question have faced the consequences of their actions through acceptance of the offer from the Minneapolis city attorney. Pursuing additional punishment through the university system is vindictive, divisive, and misses an opportunity for the university to demonstrate, by example, how to handle grievances and disagreement civilly and constructively.
I am in full support of and in solidarity with these brave students. Drop the charges! "“You are talking about systematically closing down departments that have you language to talk about diversity and racism, and you’re saying they’re not worthy." — Jesús Estrada-Perez
#WhoseDiversity
Dissent is not illegal. Drop all charges against these students, and let them move forward with their lives and careers. Rest in Power, Jesús Estrada-Perez.
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This last week I helped to catalog a video of the 2003 AFSCME union strike, when a number of U of M student occupied then-president Bruininks' office in support of the striking staff members. Whose Diversity? is part of this same longstanding and effective tradition of non-violent student protest at the U of M. Please support it with me.