To Roger Williams University Administration, SPLO, and Board of Trustees,

We, the undersigned Students and Alumni of RWU stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, and refuse to tolerate the racism and anti-blackness that has plagued Roger Williams University through white privilege, ignorance, and hate.

We are the same students who have been called upon to have these discussions with our peers as a replacement for formal education. We are the students behind MSU, SAGA, the Intercultural Center, all the celebrated diversity intersections that RWU markets egregiously to prospective students and families.

As we came to these solutions we did not only look through the lens of race. We have been taught to look through more than one lens a time, an idea rooted in Trickle Up Social Justice.

Trickle Up Social Justice is the idea that serving justice to the most minoritized groups will benefit everyone. It starts with focusing on the experiences of the most vulnerable first. For example, if we start with the problems that the “One Percent” have, there is no reason to think that is going to address the issues of the poor.

RWU commonly takes their stance on any given problem with one specific identity in mind, without considering how someone with multiple identities may experience something entirely different altogether.

We want our social justice to be intersectional, meaning that it works through multiple identities facing injustice.

As Undergraduate Students and Alumni, we are demanding the following changes be made immediately:

• History of Land Acknowledgement
  • A History of Land acknowledgement is a formal statement that recognizes and respects Indigenous Peoples as traditional stewards of this land and the enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous Peoples and their traditional territories. Roger Williams University exists on stolen land and needs to promote a History of Land Acknowledgement on their website and on campus.
    
• Changing Columbus' Day to Indigeounous People’s Day on the Academic Calendar
  • Movements and petitions have been brought to campus to change Columbus' Day to Indigeounous People’s Day on the academic calendar and despite overwhelming student, faculty, and staff support, Roger Williams University continues to perpetrate a false history interwoven with white supremacisy, racism, rape, and genocide. As long as Roger Williams University celebrates Colombus’ Day, RWU will stands for, celebrates and supports white supremacy, racism, rape, and genocide.
    
• Mandatory Implicit Bias Testing for Employees
  • Implicit Bias Testing is a test that gauges the attitudes and beliefs about certain topics without directly addressing them. People do not always”speak their minds” and many don’t realize their own implicit biases, but these harmful biases are still being brought into the classroom, quad, library and shared spaces on campus without doubt. When students address professors about their subtle racism, homophobia, transphobia, or other oppressive bias, they often deny responsibility for it and do not correct their behavior. Implicit Bias Testing is needed to correct the inappropriate behaviors of faculty and staff, whether they are hired or a potential hire. Hiring employees without testing for implicit bias is as irresponsible as hiring someone without the proper qualifications.
    
• Zero Tolerance Sexual Abuse and Assault Policy
  • Roger Williams University is known amongst students for not bringing justice to survivors of sexual assault, abuse, and harrassment on campus. The time is over for bullies, abusers, and rapists to get away unscathed. It is important to understand that it does not mean that every type of conduct results in the same consequence, but that every incident will be met with appropriate punishment.
    
• Zero Tolerance Discrimation Policy
  • Roger Williams University students are too familiar with discriminatory bias incidents that often result in a conduct meeting and a warning. Discrimination does not happen on accident, and it has been seen many times within hateful groups on campus. Bias Incident Reports come out yearly, yet incidents are significantly underreported because of the implicit backlash students face from those they report against. It is important to understand that it does not mean that every type of conduct results in the same consequence, but that every incident will be met with appropriate punishment. Until we move past giving warnings for excessive racism, homophobia, transphobia, and ableism, students will never feel safe or protected at Roger Williams University.
    
• Sensitivity Training Available for all Employees and Students
  • Many students have extended themselves and their experiences to teach others how to be more sensitive to others. Most people do not want to be harmful or derogatory, but the burden of explaining why a professor cannot say the n-word in class, or another slur, can no longer be on the shoulders of the students. Sensitivity training needs to be well-funded, accessible, and most important, promoted by the University. It is not acceptable to have a President or Administration who is disrespectful and sightless to the real problems of students and staff. It is not acceptable to have a President or Administration that values money over the safety of students. It is not acceptable to have a tolerating attitude toward students and staff who support white supremacy, or reject the idea that racism exists today. The excuses must end. Roger Williams University, as an educational institution and a home, from Professors to President to students, must stand by their students, or it will be understood that it only cares for their money.

Until these requests are met with full agreement, we hold our power as students on campus who define what life looks like at Roger Williams University.

We encourage all non-paid students to refuse to plan campus events through Student Programming, Orientation, and Leadership until these needs are met.

We encourage all Roger Williams University Alumni to stop donating any money to Roger Williams University until these needs are met.

We are calling on Jerauld C. Adams, Timothy E. Baxter, Heather Boujoulian, Richard L. Bready, Joseph M. Brito Jr., Rodney A. Butler, Larry Eichler Esq., Linn F. Freedman Esq., Mario Gabelli, William Geraghty, Jeff Grybowski, Peter Heard, Michael Integlia, Denise Jenkins, Keith Johnson, Jerrold Lavine, Ioannis N. Mialous, Marcia Morris Esq., Scott Pray, Frank E. Rainieri Jr, Lisa Raiola, Todd Rechler Jr., Doris De Los Santos, Regina Shakin, William Smith, Arlene Violet Esq., Karl Wadensten, Joseph D. Whelan Esq., and Timothy Yeaton of the Board of Trustees to dismantle racism and institutionalized oppression at Roger Williams University.

We are calling on Carol Sacchetti, Adrianne Harris, Jerrel A. Burgo, Gordon Wood, Colin Clephane, and Krystal Sweet of Student Programs, Leadership and Orientation to stand by the students they represent.

We are calling on Dr. John J. King, Renee Vachon Danho, Sue Benevides, Abbas Hill, Dr. Jennifer Stanley, Steve Melaragno, Dr. Christopher Bailey, Anne Mitchell, FNP, Carol Sacchetti, James Gubata, Diana Proto, Donna Darmody, and Kristin Jacobs of the Administration to stand with students of color at Roger Williams University.

We are calling on President Ioannis Miaoulis to be better. Do better.

#ForBreonnaTaylor #BlackLivesMatter #myRWU