Pa. Legislative Black Caucus expresses ‘great disappointment’ in PSU over racial justice
The Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus — which consists of five state senators and 26 state representatives — formally called on Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi and other university officials Tuesday afternoon “to recommit and invest in the university’s racial justice efforts.”
The 167-word statement comes on the heels of faculty members’ 405-signature letter to Bendapudi that raised concerns about Penn State canceling its plans on a Center for Racial Justice around the same time the founder of the Proud Boys, a general hate group, was scheduled to speak on campus. (The speech was eventually canceled due to the threat of escalating violence.)
The Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, comprised of 31 Democrats, issued its statement shortly after noon and echoed concerns made by numerous faculty members over the past several weeks.
“Many of us were encouraged by the university’s decision in 2020 to establish the Center for Racial Justice only to learn with great disappointment that those plans were recently sidelined due to budgetary concerns,” the statement read. “The fact that this decision was made just days after a founder of the Proud Boys was scheduled to speak at the university is even more troubling.
“The university’s recent actions appear to undermine, dilute and divert from the racial and social justice initiatives championed by professors, administrators and students on campus in recent years. At a minimum, the decisions have caused great division on campus. We strongly urge university officials to work with the more than 400 professors and lecturers who have signed onto a recent letter regarding these decisions and the diverse student body who deserve a welcoming campus. Together, we believe Penn State can foster an environment that invites diversity, believes in equity and implements systems for real inclusion.
“As the flagship university in our commonwealth, we expect nothing less.”
At least two of the caucus’ officers, vice chair Summer Lee, D-Allegheny, and secretary Carol Hill-Evans, D-York, both graduated from Penn State.
In a statement issued later Tuesday afternoon, the university said Bendapudi planned to contact the caucus in short order.
Bendapudi, who took over in May, announced Oct. 26 that Penn State would no longer pursue its Center for Racial Justice, which already had a search committee in place to find its first director. The university president instead said the funds would be more impactful if invested in other initiatives related to diversity, equity, inclusivity and belonging (DEIB).
Although Bendapudi said she remains “deeply committed” to building on programming around racism and racial bias at Penn State, many faculty members openly questioned whether her actions matched her words. She named Jennifer Hamer as her special adviser for institutional equity in early November.
The issue of racial justice has been building momentum in Happy Valley for weeks. A coalition of Black faculty met Oct. 17 — before the public announcement involving the Center for Racial Justice — to discuss what they felt was the university’s inaction in addressing issues highlighted more than 18 months ago, such as African Americans accounting for just 3.11% of PSU faculty in 2020. Since then, and since the cancellation of the center, more than 400 faculty have signed on to a letter calling for racial justice, more than 100 people rallied outside Old Main, and multiple faculty-based organizations — such as the Coalition for a Just University and the local chapter of the American Association of University Professors — have voiced identical concerns.
At last Friday’s board of trustees meeting, Bendapudi apologized to those hurt by her decision to nix the Center for Racial Justice — but did not apologize for her decision.
“I have had to make — and I’m sure I will continue to make — tough decisions, difficult decisions that I truly believe are the right ones for this university. I do not apologize for that,” she said Friday. “But I do sincerely apologize — I really do, from my heart — because ... I do know that for many, many parts of our community the decisions came across as a lack of commitment to racial justice and equity work writ large. That hurts me because I know that is not true for me; but that’s not important. I also know that, that is not the stance of this board.”
In a written statement Tuesday afternoon, the university said Bendapudi agreed with the caucus in sharing that more could be done to foster DEIB initiatives — and followed by saying the administration remains committed.
She’ll have the opportunity to share more in greater detail at 1:30 p.m. Friday, when Penn State’s faculty senate has set up a “modified town hall.” It will be streamed on WPSU, and Bendapudi is expected to publicly address racial justice and the center there.
This story was originally published November 15, 2022 at 2:48 PM.
