October WSU Update and a Report
In September members of a coalition of Asian American associations, including Doug Chin, OCA-Greater Seattle's president, met with members of the WSU Board of Regents. The regents reported successful adoption of many Washington Human Rights Commission (WHRC) recommendations for reporting and handling of student harassment complaints while also acknowledging that more can be done to improve the prevailing climate on campus for people of color.
This meeting was a response to 10 specific actions recommended by the Asian American coalition in August. During the meeting the regents listened to the concerns expressed by the Asian American and campus community. The regents pledged to continue working towards reconciliation between the university and the community.
The coalition's August list of recommendations were part of a response to the July Washington Human Rights Commission report that outlined weaknesses in Washington State University's handling of the situation and its response to racial and sexual harassment on campus. This report was met by criticism from the Asian American community.
The coalition opinion was that the report failed to address the point that female students were repeatedly victimized by the antics of several male students, but the universities' response in apologizing to the male students investigated while minimizing the female students' plight amounted to further abuse. The Commission's report was found to have unfairly judged the victimized students' perspective.
While the ongoing changes foster hope on campus, there is still much to do. In a press conference Nina Kim, one of students involved in the complaints that started the investigation into WSU handling of allegations of harrassment, said, “There are still many negatives about the WSU campus.” Citing examples of ethnic insensitivity experienced recently upon her return to the campus, she encouraged continued pressure on WSU to improve the situation.
Summer is generally a time when there is minimal activity at the Washington State University campus. Most of the students are back home on vacation, and much of the faculty and staff on break. But not this year. Asian Pacific Islander community groups, including OCA/GS, kept the heat on WSU administration all summer to make changes and improvements at the Pullman campus resulting from incidences of racial and sexual harassment aimed at Asian American students earlier in the year.
In July, the Washington State Human Rights Commission Task Force Report on the racial climate at WSU was released. Asian Pacific Islander groups, including OCA-GS, blasted the report. Like others, OCA-GS felt that the report was bias towards WSU administration. (See OCA-GS Statement on the report) At a press conference in Seattle in mid-August, several Asian Pacific Islander groups joined Nina Kim, the student who was the victim of the racial and sexual harassment, held a press conference about the shortcoming of the report.
The press conference was followed by a meeting a week later with WSU Vice-President for Equity Michael Tate and others, including two regents. At the meeting, Asian Pacific Islander groups asked for a public apology from WSU to Ms. Kim as a victim. Regent Ken Alhadeff agreed to consider such an apology. VP Tate, briefly talked about some steps that the institution had taken, including the hiring of recruiter for Asian Pacific Islander students, and other steps WSU are taking to improve the racial climate at Pullman. Community groups insisted that ithey wanted to know what steps WSU will be taking and a workplan outlining who would be responsible for making the changes and when they would be made. The meeting ended with an agreement between WSU and Asian Pacific Islander groups to regularly meet.
In early September, WSU President Rawlins issued a public apology to Nina Kim.
© 2005 OCA-Greater Seattle
OCA - GREATER SEATTLE CHAPTER