We Are Tired.

Dear Trinity Community,

With the recent letters of solidarity put forth by our administration, we recognize and are appreciative that they are acknowledging the problems that face our institution, but these words and sentiments of solidarity do nothing to tackle the root of the problem. The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless of our other Black brothers and sisters are not only acts of Police brutality, but acts of Murder that are routinely recorded and shown in media. We as Black students at Trinity College can no longer stand and take the oppressive nature of the institutionalized racism we experience here.

As Black students at Trinity, we are comprised of all walks of life, all experiencing the heavy pain and burden of seeing our people brutalized at the hands of law enforcement without consequence. On top of that, the over-policing of our social events by Hartford PD and the many racial incidents that plague our campus, remind us that these experiences can happen anywhere. To read an email not even using the words Black, orPolice Brutality almost seems as if our administration is out of touch with an essential part of the Trinity Community. It speaks volumes to the lack of accountability that Trinity’s administration holds amongst each other.

Now that time has passed and there have been multiple statements released with the narrative of a helping hand, it is important for us to acknowledge that Trinity is looking to do better. We as members of a silenced, oppressed, and marginalized community feel it is also important to express our grievances that will ultimately make Trinity a more diverse and inclusive space. We have attached a list of demands that we would like Trinity to take into consideration and then to take tangible action steps.

“We pledge, as trustees of this institution to which we are so deeply devoted, to listen and learn, to speak and walk with you, and to keep striving toward peace and justice.” — Board of Trustees 2020 Email sent on June 5, 2020

MISSION STATEMENT

We, the Umoja Coalition, are a collective of various Black organizations at Trinity College who were all founded under the Black cultural house, Umoja. The Umoja Coalition is committed to transforming this institution into an inclusive, accessible, and safe environment for all Black students.

LIST OF DEMANDS

ARTICLE I

TO THE TRINITY COLLEGE ADMINISTRATION AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES

1. Just as Trinity College has used their public platforms to issue statements with a comprehensive condemnation of the murders of numerous Black people across the United States, you must also commit to the immediate use of those public platforms to participate in and encourage active advocacy.
2. Show support to the Black Lives Matter movement by donating to or creating efforts to fundraise for CT Bail Funds and other local organizations that actively work against police brutality.
3. Publicly encourage students to educate themselves on police brutality and the systematic oppression of marginalized communities.
4. With insight from the Umoja Coalition, execute the renovations required for the Umoja house.
5. Similar to events like Spring Weekend, institutionalize the budgets of Samba Fest, Temple’s International Hip-Hop Festival and Black History Month which consist of events that hold historical and cultural significance to the Black Trinity and Hartford community.
6. Moving into the new academic year, implement two meetings a year involving Black organizations on campus with the Board of Trustees as we work to build a relationship and move to address our immediate and future concerns.
7. The addition of a Black female identifying trustee to the Board.
8. In the future continue to diversify the Board of Trustees to fully represent the Trinity community by including individuals who are a part of underrepresented groups based on their race, gender, and sexual orientation.
9. We call for the renaming of Nathaniel Wheaton and Samuel Seabury Hall. Both figures, while deeply revered in Trinity’s history, were outright racists and defended slavery on a number of instances. Instead, we call for these buildings to be renamed after figures that have made strides for the college in other ways that do not tie into the dehumanization of our fellow human beings.
10. Examples such as Karla-Spurlock Evans, Maurice Wade, Leslie G. Desmangles, and “Professor Jim” otherwise known James Williams are just a few names you can commemorate your buildings after.
11. The implementation of a general distribution requirement beginning with the Class of 2025 that requires students to take a class that goes over the systematic oppression of marginalized communities in the United States.
12. We call for Trustees to formulate a clear plan for the increased recruitment of Black professors, administrators, and staff members.
13. Trustees must make funding available for seven new tenure-track faculty lines, especially in the STEM and Economics departments, to allow students’ access to Black advisors and professors. Currently, there are only seven Black tenured faculty, the last one tenured in 2017.
14. The faculty should amend the Faculty Manual to increase the size of the faculty by seven, and reserve these positions for Special Opportunity Hires. These new faculty positions should be used to increase the number of Black faculty, especially in STEM.
15. Involve Black students throughout the hiring process of faculty and administrators.
16. Appoint at least one additional Black professor to the Health Professions Advising Committee.
17. Hire a more diversified staff for the Trinity College Counseling and Wellness Center, including the immediate addition of a Black counselor. Currently, there is only one Black counselor; this office should also work to recruit and hire a psychiatrist of color.

ARTICLE II

TO THE TRINITY COLLEGE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT

Athletics at Trinity should be centered on unity, teamwork, and respect for one another. To ensure this type of environment for all athletes across all teams, we must address how athletes of color have been disenfranchised on the basis of race. The following are requests made by the Athletes of Color Coalition to the Trinity College Athletic Department.

1. Create a pre-orientation program designed to bridge the gap between student-athletes of color and students of color on campus (perhaps in tandem with P.R.I.D.E.).
2. Push athletic administration to have varsity teams recruit more coaches of color specifically Black so that we can get more Black student athletes and more athletes of marginalized backgrounds (i.e LGBTQIA+).
3. Continue to be in contact with the athletic department to discuss issues of systematic racism, and how that impacts all students of color on campus, as well as to keep contact with teams with no Black/POC athletes regarding these issues.
4. Coaches and other athletic administrators should attend events designed to educate issues of systematic racism and campus climate, as well as encouraging their non-athletes of color to do the same.
5. Invite former student-athletes of color on to campus for events that discuss their Trinity experiences, as well as discuss their transition into the workforce/post-grad lives.
6. Publish statistics that demonstrate a positive trend of student athletes of color on each team, and with those numbers continue to push for more student athletes of color each year.
7. Develop a NESCAC athlete of color LinkedIn group stratified by career interests, so that students are exposed to a broader network and so that careers such as finance and STEM are less daunting to enter.
8. More opportunities for athletes of color to connect across NESCAC schools, aside from annual meetings.
9. A department-wide required punishment or consequence for any kind of racial discrimination, slander, or misconduct committed by players. (i.e. game suspension, practice suspension or immediate removal from varsity team).
10. Incorporate racial bias training and workshops for student athletes among all sports teams in a similar fashion as required for sexual assault and misconduct.
11. HMTCA and other schools in the Hartford area with sports teams should be allowed to use our athletic facilities when not in use by our varsity teams.

ARTICLE III

TO THE TRINITY COLLEGE COUNSELING AND WELLNESS CENTER

It is important to have a Counseling and Wellness Center that represents a multitude of experiences and intersectional identities of Black and POC students on Trinity’s campus. For this center to be successful, it must take into account people's diverse backgrounds and experiences. Unfortunately, the lack of diversity within this office prevents this from being the case. Non-Black counselors often are unable to accommodate the experiences of marginalized groups. We demand the following of the Trinity College Wellness and Counseling Center:

1. Hire a more diversified staff, including the immediate addition of a Black counselor. Currently, there is only one Black counselor; this office should also work to recruit and hire a psychiatrist of color.
2. Annually identify and publish reports on institutional strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in Black student engagement with mental wellness resources.
3. Bring in speakers that talk about mental health in the Black community.
4. Make a commitment to establish more events that work to address mental health through a culturally relevant lens for Black students.

ARTICLE IV

TO THE CENTER FOR STUDENT SUCCESS AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT

Trinity Students rely on The Center for Student Success and Career Development to provide programming and opportunities during college so that they can pursue and nurture their career aspirations. Unfortunately, the lack of representation prevents Black students to effectively utilize the resources provided by this center. We believe this center is not doing enough to reach out and establish a relationship with Black students on campus, and even more so to care for the experience of Black international students.

1. We demand that the Office of International Student Success (OISS) review the current structure of their office and the functioning of the International House (I-House).
2. Include members of international student organizations in the hiring process of the Summit Fellow for International Student Support. This is to address the imbalanced concern toward different groups of the international community.
3. Take a more active stance toward the International House in advocating for the causes and better representation of Black international students. OISS holds significant leverage and influence, as an advisor, over the decisions undertaken by the executive board despite I-House being its own student organization.
4. We also propose the allocation of an equal share of the I-House budget for all international student organizations in lieu of individual requests. This will prevent future denials of the requests from Black international student organizations.
5. We demand OISS attribute more of its funding to Black international student organizations (TASA, CSA, etc…) as this has not been sufficiently done in the past.
6. The Black International Students within this coalition are willing to hold a conversation and propose further reforms in order for the OISS and the I-House to be successful in representing the interests of all international students.
7. We call for the hiring of Black career coaches by the Career Development Center in order for Black students to create authentic and productive relationships within this environment.
8. Hire more Black Career Development Student Interns.
9. Create events and initiatives that better serves the interests of Black students; including the development of a speaker series and career events with Black alumnus as well as the addition of professional development opportunities not tied to corporate career path avenues (e.g. entrepreneurship, media, music & entertainment).
10. Release a public statement condemning systematic racism.

ARTICLE V

TO THE CAMPUS SAFETY DEPARTMENT

It is the responsibility of this department to ensure the safety and well-being of all students on campus. We expect Campus Safety to be unequivocally fair when dealing with any person or organization on Trinity’s campus. We demand the following of the Trinity College Campus Safety Department.

1. Publicly take a stance against any form of discrimination, racism, and police brutality.
2. Reassess the reliance Campus Safety has with Hartford PD in handling social events largely attended by Black and Brown students. This is to address the over-policing and harassment we often face at our events.
3. Actively work towards establishing a relationship between Black students and organizations on campus.
4. Redevelop training so that it directly addresses the racial biases held within the department towards Black and Brown students on campus.

ARTICLE VI

TO THE TRINITY COLLEGE FACULTY

As faculty a part of this educational institution, it is your duty to steer the college in a direction that is equitable for all students on campus. Representation amongst faculty is single-handedly one of the most important ways to engage Black students, and for many of us, we don’t see ourselves represented. Use your power as faculty to start the process of changing our institution. We demand the following of the Trinity College Faculty.

1. The faculty should amend the Faculty Manual to increase the size of the faculty by seven, and reserve these positions for Special Opportunity Hires. These new faculty positions should be used to increase the number of Black faculty, especially in STEM.
2. The implementation of a general distribution requirement beginning with the Class of 2025 that requires students to take a class that goes over the systematic oppression of marginalized communities in the United States.
3. We encourage faculty to pressure the Trustees to fund the addition of seven new Black tenure-track faculty lines, especially in the STEM and Economics departments, to allow students access to Black advisors and professors. Currently, there are only seven Black tenured faculty, the last one tenured in 2017.

CLOSING REMARKS

Trinity College has recently pledged itself to be part of the greater mission, in dismantling the system of racial oppression. It is our hope that Trinity can become an exemplary institution of higher education that actively works to combat the systemic racism that is inherently found in higher education. Please take into account how these changes will transform our campus into a truly inclusive and diverse institution that can stand strongly and proudly behind its mission statement:

Engage. Connect. Transform.