[Peace] C-U Black Activists Call for Diversity and Access at the University of Illinois

[Brian Dolinar]

Two long-time African-American community activists, Terry Townsend and
Martel Miller, will be holding a press conference on *Friday, Feb. 27, 4
p.m.* at the University YMCA in the Board Room. They are releasing a report
documenting the failure of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
to fulfill its land grant mission of providing accessibility to all
residents of Illinois, particularly its African-American residents.


Join our Facebook page here
<https://www.facebook.com/events/1551702315103033>, or see our post at
ucimc.org
<http://www.ucimc.org/content/c-u-black-activists-call-diversity-and-access-university-illinois>.




The report details the deplorable conditions of the Bruce D. Nesbitt
African American Cultural Center, the precipitous drop in African-American
student enrollment, and the dismally low number of African-American
faculty. In 2014, the freshman class at UIUC included only 356
African-Americans (down from 433 in 2013).



Terry Townsend, UIUC alumnus and organizer of the 40th anniversary of
Project 500, stated, “We need to rededicate ourselves to the
underrepresented. Chancellor Wise is more concerned about achieving global
diversity, rather than reaching African-American students from Champaign,
Chicago, or Ferguson.”



The percentages of African-Americans in academic and nonacademic positions
at the University of Illinois leave much room for improvement. Black
unemployment in Champaign-Urbana remains an alarming 17.4%, while the
Illinois rate is 6.2%.



Other figures document the invisible barrier between campus and the
African-American community that is enforced by campus police. This is
evident in the disproportionate number of trespassing tickets given to
local black youth. From 2012-2014, 375 trespass notices were given to
African-Americans, which accounted for 60% of all such notices issued by
University of Illinois police.



Townsend and Miller urge the Board of Trustees not to renew the
Chancellor’s employment contract. They call for real diversity and access
at the University of Illinois.
-- 
Brian Dolinar, Ph.D.
briandolinar.com
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