Student Union

Last Wednesday, Senate's Town Hall on Racial Profiling co-moderated by myself, Connect 4's co-Presidents Wanda Savala and De Nichols was an incredibly productive discussion with many students in attendance, and has been covered in two separate articles in Student Life: "WU commission investigating officer's encounter with student" and "SU Discusses Results of Racial Profiling Survey".  We analyzed the current situation on campus and the results of Senate's survey to students regarding racial profiling, and came up with a formative action plan that will next be discussed at Connect 4's Roundtable on Monday, November 9th from 8-9PM in DUC 276.  The survey results are attached, as well as the comprehensive document collecting ideas from both Wednesday's Senate Town Hall and Monday's Town Hall regarding the Chicago Mother's Night Club Original incident.  Here are the ideas we will be investigating to improve the situation on campus:

WU/PD and RACIAL PROFILING

*Voice opinions and open conversation with them.
*Schedule a meeting to voice concerns and open conversation.
*Have them create a list of requirements they use for suspecting individuals.
*Increase transparency.
*Diversity Training for WUPD.
*Establish what causes students to report others.
*Raise student awareness.
*Establish reportage system.             
        BRIC program is outlined. Could be of help.     

 ON CAMPUS STUDENT AWARENESS, EDUCATION, AND TRAINING

*Freshman year program      
       Connect 4 members Camille Young and Lexi Klein are starting an Operation  *Understanding initiative for freshmen at WU. Connect 4 has budgeted for events for such for next semester. 
*Get students to share personal stories.
            Use the Stories Project?                                                                                                                                 * Generate ways by which students can learn about other cultures and student groups.                            
* Provide safe, open means by which to express curiosity about other cultures.
* Decrease minority sensitivity to curiosity. Increase understanding.           
* Celebrate similarities instead of differences                                   
* Continue dialogue via non-cultural cultural groups like Connect 4 and One World                       
* Host diversity trainings and trainers.
     Rap Sessions, November 14th.
    Mix It Up Day, November 10th                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
STUDENT INTERACTION/ PROGRAMMING

* Have More events that allow students to freely interact and mingle… (some already exist)      
     Mix It Up Day, November 10     
     The Solution                                                                                              
* Have reps from different groups visit other groups                                    
* Connecting students before arriving at WU
          Bear Buddies, Joseph Marcus                     
* Reach out to grad schools.                                                                         
*Reach-out to those who aren’t in cultural groups.                                       
* Integrate Greek Life in more "cultural" activities.                                                            * Create a multicultural retreat that all students can attend at the beginning of the year.                                                                                                                                                                                                                  * Develop an Overarching Group of students that would commit to this.     
     SU is working with Connect 4 in efforts to create a diversity affairs position in SU as  well as an executive council that would address these and other issues of diversity.        
* Address MC Weekend.                              

RESLIFE        
* Take diversity into account when making freshman floors.
* Use RAs as resources.
* Provide training program on Freshmen floors as part of orientation.

Check out the WU/FUSED fan page on  Facebook.  You can follow WU/FUSED progress on our page and find out more ways to get involved.

What is WU/FUSED? 

WU/FUSED is a group of undergraduate students that believe that Wash U should more accurately reflect the socioeconomic diversity of the nation, that students should be more aware and conscientious regarding the issue, and that we should inspire students at Wash U to address the foundational problems of poverty and educational inequity in their lives after graduation. 

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This year, Student Union Senators are partnering with students from an array of student groups including Connect 4, Senior Class Council, the Congress of the South 40, TRIO, Controversy n' Coffee, additional members of Student Union, and many more to both improve undergraduate socioeconomic diversity on campus as well as awareness of the issue through the new coalition WU/FUSED (Washington University For Undergraduate Socio-Economic Diversity).  Our first meeting of the year will be held this Sunday, August 30th, at 12:30 pm in DUC 276, and we invite all interested to attend.

We believe that Wash U should more accurately reflect the socioeconomic diversity of the nation, that students should be more aware and conscientious regarding the issue, and that we should inspire students at Wash U to address the foundational problems of poverty and educational inequity in their lives after graduation.  Washington University currently ranks last among the U.S. News Top 25 Universities for Pell Grant recipients, the best available statistic for measuring socioeconomic diversity.  It is also clear to us from our own experience that students at Wash U are not sufficiently cognizant of the issue of socioeconomic diversity.  We are pursuing three primary avenues to achieve this goal:

- Increasing Washington University’s financial resources for undergraduate financial aid by making this goal a primary focus of the University’s fundraising campaigns.
- Partnering with University departments to develop and implement policy changes to create a more accepting environment for students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
- Collaborating with a wide range of students and student groups to encourage community dialogue regarding socioeconomic diversity, and therein improve student awareness of the issue and create a more accepting environment for students from all socioeconomic backgrounds.

For more information on some of the specific initiatives we'll be pursuing, check out the attached document.  I hope to see you on Sunday!