USC students of color are ‘afterthoughts,’ groups say. They want more multicultural staff
Minority students at the University of South Carolina are demanding more investment in the school’s Office of Multicultural student affairs, saying students of color are “afterthoughts..”
USC’s Association of African American Students posted a letter on Twitter Monday that calls out the university for a lack of commitment to the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs. The association says the office is “understaffed and underfunded.” It is one of the few safe spaces for students of color on campus, students say.
By the end of summer, the office of six people will be run by only two full-time staff members, according to the letter.
University spokesman Jeff Stensland said that office’s director, Shay Malone, is planning to leave USC for a position at another university. Malone, who was “well-liked,” is still employed, so the university does not have her replacement yet, he said.
“We will be recruiting and filling the director’s position as well as two other positions reporting to that office soon,” Stensland said. “We will work to identify the best possible candidates for these important roles.”
But students see it differently, and say the office’s understaffing is part of a larger trend.
“Instead of aggressively hiring to fill the position, the university is actively attempting to pause a significant amount of (the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs’) programming. The university has not communicated any concrete plan on how the Office will be managed,” the letter read.
2023 marks 150 years since USC’s original desegregation following the Civil War, and 60 years since its second desegregation in 1963, the letter pointed out, and still the university treats students of color as “afterthoughts.”
“In a particularly volatile political climate, it is incredibly disheartening to know that the university would attempt to cut (the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs) crucial work,” the letter read. “Without this office fully staffed, underrepresented students on campus will be severely underserved.”
The letter had four demands: an interim director of the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, a new director hired by the fall semester, a fully staffed office by the spring semester and a salary increase for all office positions.
South Carolina’s House Freedom Caucus attempted to prohibit the state from sending millions of dollars slated for diversity efforts to public colleges and universities earlier this year, and conservative lawmakers across the country have become increasingly critical of spending on university programs dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion.
While no DEI-related legislation passed this year, it’s likely to come up again.
The letter lists the following organizations as co-signers: the Association of African American Students; the Black Association of Psychology Students; the Black Honors Caucus; the Black Medical Student Association; BOND; Collegiate Curls; the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority; the Freedom Riders Organizations; Gamecock Bhangra; Individuals Respecting Identities and Sexualities; the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity; the Latin American Student Organization; the NAACP; the National Association of Black Journalists; the National Council of Negro Women; the National Society of Black Engineers; SAVVY; the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers; Students Promoting Advocacy through Macro Social Work; the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.; and the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc.
This story was originally published June 19, 2023 at 3:53 PM.
