Hundreds of Ithaca College Students Protest

Those bold actions by students have sparked a wave of similar demonstrations across the nation, with many using social media to both spread the word and claim solidarity with their peers.

At the University of Kansas, Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little met with hundreds of students Wednesday for more than two hours.

Are all the complaints against Rochon about racism on campus?

The administration’s response was to distance the college from the party and “discourage our students from participating in any event designed around principles antithetical to our community’s commitment to respect and inclusivity”. No other student body has ever called a student vote of no confidence for their college’s president before a faculty vote of no confidence has been held.

“The only way we’re going to be heard is if we’re loud about it”, said Isabella Grullon, a sophomore from Columbia and the Dominican Republic. “No confidence.” They were rallying against racial inequality on the Ithaca, New York, campus and a lack of leadership on the issue from their president, Rochon. She also noted that the Black Lives Movement has had a huge influence on how IC students are voicing their discontent.

He added, “It really is hard to believe because we want to believe that we’re a postracial society, but it’s just not true”.

The Ithaca College students have declared solidarity with the Missouri protesters – their causes do align.

College leaders have to find the balance between addressing racism while at the same time allowing for constitutionally protected speech that a few students or faculty may find offensive. They’ll get financial aid, and after the first year they won’t get as much. “What matters is that we all need to have empathy for the experiences that people of color have even if we don’t have those experiences for ourselves”.

In a statement, Board of Trustees chair Tom Grape didn’t express explicit support for Rochon, but said the board is “actively partnering” with him to address the issues.

However, it does happen – as in the case at Mizzou – and it can be very effective.

In a statement on the POC at IC Facebook page, it reads, “We will be walking out for all the injustices students of color face on this campus and other colleges nationally”.

But now officials say the death of Shannon Sakosits, a junior marketing and communications major from New Jersey, does not pose any risk to other students. Faculty recently announced that they will also be holding a vote of no confidence.

One incident brought up by student activists occurred at the school’s Blue Sky Reimagining event October 8, which asked students to help “formulate ideas about the evolution of Ithaca College”.

The student frustration with President Rochon has been building for a long time.

In New Haven, Connecticut, Aaron Z. Lewis, a 21-year-old senior at Yale, used to spend his days studying cognitive science and thinking about what he will do after graduation.

“It’s a hard thing to admit about Ithaca College, but we are part of a larger culture in which racism exists and bias exists”, the school president said.