The Brown & White

Black students at Lehigh have been the targets of racism since Barack Obama won the presidential election last week, students and faculty said Tuesday night at a town hall meeting.

More than 300 people packed into Perella Auditorium with standing room only in response to the racist acts. President Alice Gast, who called for the meeting after hearing of the incidents, said she hoped the meeting would help repudiate racism.

At least three racist acts have occurred since Obama swept the election on Nov. 4, according to students at the meeting. Two of the racist acts occurred when people from passing cars yelled racial slurs at black female students, one of which was on Tuesday.

"A car slowed down next to me, rolls down the passenger-side window, and the person in the passenger-side window yells out the N-word," one of the students said in an audio recording at the meeting. "I just kind of stood there in disbelief."

Another black freshman female, who asked to remain anonymous, said a white student called her "an ignorant black bitch" on Nov. 5 after overhearing her talk about her excitement over Obama.

"A guy approaches me and walks by me, but he overhears what I'm saying and he says, 'You don't know what you're talking about. You're just an ignorant black bitch,'" the student said. The student said she was so shocked that she froze and did not confront the student.

"Lehigh was the first place I've ever experienced racism," she said.

Lehigh alumnus Kaloma Cardwell, representing a "group of concerned black students" presented a list of resolutions to the Council of Equity and Community, which was running the meeting. The resolutions include adding course requirements for gender and race studies, changing how the code of conduct is enforced, asking an admissions diversity question and requiring sensitivity training for groups on campus.

"For years students who have been called a [expletive] or raped on campus have been begging, literally begging for a curriculum like this," said Lehigh alumnus Kaloma Cardwell, who asked members of the CEC to raise their hand if they objected to adding a required diversity-related course.

Religion studies professor Michael Raposa, who is a member of the CEC, answered the question, saying he objected to that idea because he personally objected to any course requirements, although he said the CEC would consider any suggestions. He added that they were adding courses across the curriculum about diversity.

During an open-question period, students from the audience repeatedly asked Gast why Lehigh hadn't made an announcement about Obama's historic presidency win. Gast said it was not the university's role.

"It's really not for an administration of the university to have a celebration," Gast said. "This historic event took place nation wide. It's not a Lehigh event."

After questions kept being brought up, Ayanna Wilcher, a career services employee who helped lead Tuesday's meeting, chastised students for taking the meeting off topic into curriculum issues and other unrelated issues, instead of the original purpose of the meeting, which was to organize against racism.

"We had three or four incidents in the past four days where students were called racist names," Hernandez said, the emotion in her voice apparent, "and I'm getting a little upset to hear us take a lot time about a curriculum when you have gotten your answer."

Despite repeated accusations by students in the audience that the office of student conduct did not punish racist comments harshly enough, Vice Provost John Smeaton denied the charge and said they follow up on every allegation of racism.

"Using the N-word or harassing comments, it's a violation of the code of conduct. It's a code that we as a community agree to live by," Smeaton said. "If folks violate the code of conduct, there will be disciplinary action, up to and including suspension and expulsion."

It has been two years ago to the day since Gast first hosted a public forum in 2006, during which students from The Movement described acts of racism they had experienced at Lehigh. At that meeting, Gast said a campus climate survey and the availability of open office hours would allow the administration to hear students concerns, both of which she ended up offering. Additionally, Gast formed the Council for Equity and Community to address issues in diversity.

At the meeting two years ago, Provost Mohamed El-Aasser stressed the importance of sustainable changes at Lehigh that would not fade. Since then, interest in The Movement fluctuated, but generally tapered off until Monday night's meeting, to which more than 70 students attended.

At Tuesday's meeting, Gast reiterated similar points.

"It is sustainable change we're looking for. I don't want to find us gathering in a forum every so often to recognize how we've failed," Gast said.