By Stacy Brooks

I sincerely hope Dr Shumaker is wearing a warm jacket, because he’s about to hear the cold truth. Recent reports have revealed that our President is entertaining notions of leaving U of L “explore new professional opportunities”. Well it’s about time. Clearly, public embarrassments, which have exposed his staff’s culturally insensitive blunderings, have driven our fearless leader to the rear. Who can blame him? We must admit that this university administration has stumbled so confusedly in matters concerning: racism, diversity, campus climate, and Department of Public Safety relations with students, that rhetoric about the often termed “changes to come” has reached its saturation point. I’m sure our leader has realized this looming truth, and recognizes that soon those who have been patiently waiting for these “changes to come” will no longer be pacified by diplomatic rhetoric, but they will begin demanding that some of these “changes to come”, finally arrive.

But what about the African-American programming fund (AAPF)? Or, what about the new administrative position, the Vice-Provost for Diversity and Equal Opportunity? Aren’t those two entities in placed to begin remedying our campus’ cultural confusion? Yes, we have those two entities, but neither the AAPF, nor the new position represents initiatives projected by the office of the President. No, our leader has not been in front of these issues; in fact the opposite may be the case. It’s common knowledge that Black unrest on this campus reached its threshold in 1999 after DPS officers, acting in concert with community and government police officers randomly assaulted the freedom and dignity of a student of African descent during a scholarship meeting. This occurrence received little attention until students of progressive cultural consciousness assembled, in mass, to publicly protest the university’s miserable silence and subsequent flimsy public “statement”. Demands from an outraged community pushed the agenda that lead to the creation of these entities. Until those demands were voiced, our leader sat indolently poised to do… nothing. He may have let the whole issue pass without one word, had it never come to the point were he HAD TO LEAD.

Where was our assertive leader in this situation? What kind of leader sits passively as the racial climate boils to the point of protest, then suddenly begins catering to the masses in order to maintain the status quo? A conservative diplomatic bureaucrat, that’s what kind of leader. Evidently, the issue of diversity (or more fundamentally, human dignity) was not in the forefront of our leaders mind during those times. Surely those times have changed, right? Wrong. One needs only to look back 3 months to see the same complacent do-nothing fumbling finger-pointing administration of old. How can we account for this?

On February 20, 2002 I attended the SAB/NAACP diversity workshop facilitated by Al Herring, the director of Diversity and Counciling Center. Mr. Herring gave an exhilarating seminar, but perhaps what was most revealing about the seminar, was who was not in attendance. No one from Mr. Herring’s office showed to offer their support, no one from central administration showed, no one from student life showed, in fact, the only other administrator in attendance was Dr Mordean Taylor-Archer. I find it odd that the only people in attendance of this diversity workshop were those who were hired to fix the diversity issues on campus. Does the administration expect Mr. Herring and Dr. Taylor-Archer to step onto this campus, and with a quick glance begin throwing magic bullets that will end the suffering of black, brown, and white students who have protest into ears for years? Perceivably so, as evident by their indifference to the event. Like pimps, Dr. Shumaker and others in our university administration have prostituted the word diversity. Hustling it, carelessly and unemotionally, as it serves their selfish interest, to the point that people on campus snicker with contempt when the word is mentioned. Why should anyone take it seriously when no serious progressive agenda has revealed itself from our administration thus far, and threatens never to do so?

You are right Dr Shumaker; maybe it is time for you to go. The environment on this campus calls for an assertive leader. To grasp the reality of what is happening in the lives of the students on this campus will take more than teaching one Greek class a week. No, the cultural situation on this campus will require leadership that will probe deeply to understand fully, not sit idly and observe superficially, leadership that will get out in front of the issues and push the agenda, not hid-a-way in Castle Grawmyer and wait for problems to come to them. In matters of diversity, this campus needs a leader that will “dare to be great” instead conceding to be mediocre. Good riddance Dr Shumaker. Make way for the “changes to come”.

Stacy Brooks

Senior Philosophy Major

Student Government Association

Executive Vice President