‘Concerned faculty’ deliver letter on racial justice to PSU president, as town hall looms
A group of “concerned faculty” have formally delivered a letter with 405 signatures to Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi, voicing unease about both the cancellation of the Center for Racial Justice and the university response to those protesting the (eventually canceled) on-campus speech by the founder of the Proud Boys.
One of the faculty organizers, who spoke last week at a rally on racial justice, emailed Bendapudi the letter Tuesday evening. He’s hoping the university president will address issues relayed in the letter during a modified Nov. 18 town hall that’s set to be publicly announced later Thursday.
“We’d like a response,” said Joshua Inwood, professor of Geography and African American Studies. “We’d like a response to the letter at that moment and then the ability for faculty to ask questions. ... There’s at least 400 folks who have some concerns about the direction of the university as it relates to diversity and inclusion.”
According to faculty senate chair Michele Stine, who did not sign the letter but helped organize the modified town hall, the event will kick off 1:30 p.m. Nov. 18. Two faculty members will serve as panelists and will pose questions to Bendapudi and other university leaders, with questions that come from faculty senators and with input from those they represent.
Julio Palma, an assistant professor of chemistry at Penn State Fayette, will act as the moderator and will pose follow-up question as needed. The event will also be streamed on WPSU so faculty across all campuses can follow along.
“If there is time, we hope to pull in questions from the audience later in the meeting,” added Stine, who said Bendapudi planned to open with brief remarks involving the decision on the Center for Racial Justice.
News of the faculty-endorsed letter first surfaced last week, shortly after the university publicly backtracked on its commitment to start the center. A search committee for the first director had already been formed, before Bendapudi said in a news release that center funds would more impactful by reinvesting, or “enhancing,” support elsewhere.
Although the letter signed by hundreds did not originate with the faculty senate, a number of faculty senators signed on. In it, faculty questioned university leaders’ response — or lack thereof — when it came to racial justice. The Center for Racial Justice was arguably the clearest and most recent example, but the letter also pointed to Black faculty leaving the university at four times the rate of any other group. It also expressed disappointment that university leaders laid partial blame on student protesters for increasing “visibility” of an event featuring the founder of the Proud Boys.
Both the letter and upcoming meeting are just part of what’s become a mounting issue for the Penn State administration. A coalition of Black faculty questioned the university’s commitment to anti-racism and equality last month, even before the president’s official announcement on the center. More than 100 students, faculty and community members staged a “We Believe in Anti-Racism and Racial Justice at Penn State” Rally in front of Old Main last Thursday. And faculty-based groups, such as Coalition for a Just University and the local chapter of the American Association of University Professors, have publicly thrown their support behind the movement that is focused on — but not limited to — the Center for Racial Justice.
A university spokesperson referred questions about the upcoming town hall to Stine but added that Bendapudi remains “wholly committed” to racial justice.
“To reiterate, President Bendapudi is wholly committed to enhancing diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) at Penn State,” spokesperson Lisa Powers said in a written statement. “She and the new special adviser for educational equity plan to meet with key constituents across the university, including faculty senate during a planned town hall meeting in the coming weeks.”
Faculty members such as Inwood looked forward to the town hall.
“I can’t speak for everyone, but I think I can probably speak for a majority folks: We want her to be successful here. We want her to have a successful tenure as the university president,” he said. “But we have some concerns about some of the decisions that have been made and about some of the events that have happened.
“And we’d just like to address those concerns in a way that allows faculty to be heard.”
