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TCU 360

TCU 360

All TCU. All the time.

TCU 360

Professor Todd Kerstetter leads the panel discussion with the Race and Reconciliation research team Lucius Seger, Marcela Molina, Kelly Phommachanh and Jenay Willis (left to right).
The fourth annual Reconciliation Day recognized students' advocacy and change
By Miroslava Lem Quinonez, Staff Writer
Published Apr 25, 2024
Reconciliation Day highlighted students’ concerns and advocacy in the TCU community from 1998 to 2020.

    Group of students plan to hold peaceful protest Thursday

    Group+of+students+plan+to+hold+peaceful+protest+Thursday+

    A large group of TCU students are disconsolate after racially insensitive comments were posted to Yik Yak, a mobile app that allows users to anonymously post their thoughts, on the campus.

    The group, calling themselves “TCU United”, gathered in Lecture Hall 1 of the Sid W. Richardson Building Wednesday night to express their discontent with the comments and the recent happenings in Baltimore, Maryland.

    Furthermore, they discussed holding a silent protest and prayer set for Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

    Diona Willis sent her proposal to host the silent protest yesterday, stating her purpose as to “actively engage the Texas Christian University community.”

    She wrote, “With all of the recent events going on in America regarding policing and racial strife, I feel it is important to not only spark awareness on campus but serve as a window of support and solidarity. It is important that we take this stance as a University to support non-violent movement and advocate social change in America,” in her proposal to Glory Robinson, the Associate Dean of Students in Campus Life.

    The event is being hosted by the National Pan-Hellenic Council but students from several organizations, including Brothers of a Successful Standard (B.O.S.S.), Sisters Transcending and Reaching Success (S.T.A.R.S.) and the Black Student Association (B.S.A.), were in attendance at the meeting to be apart of the planning process.

    The event will be at 9 p.m. on the Sadler Lawn. Students are expected to wear all black in order to represent unity.

    There will be a table at the protest where attendees can make donations to go toward the rebuilding of the Mary Harvin Transformation Center, a community center in Baltimore that was burned down during the recent riots.

    At the meeting, goals like having an African-American studies minor added to the TCU curriculum and making the “More than Words” program, or a program like it, a requirement for all students were also discussed.

    These goals will be brought up during a meeting with Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Kathy Cavins-Tull tomorrow at 8 a.m.

    “We’re talking to the vice chancellor of student affairs about some things we can put into action to prevent this type of speech and things from happening around campus,” said Samantha Koehler, a junior sociology major.

    When the Yik Yak comments were brought up during last night’s meeting, anger emerged in the lecture hall.

    Posts said things like “End black entitlement” and “End black privilege”. One post said, “Blacks inherently have less income. They just do, look at the stats. Therefore, they are less educated and more prone to violence. These are proven economic theories. More income = better citizens.”

    Because of Yik Yak’s nature, it would be nearly impossible to find the source of the posts but it is clear that they were posted from TCU’s campus.

    Junior criminal justice major Kylah Bell said, “We have to make the university know we are experiencing this on campus, because a lot of professors said they didn’t know we were going through this.”

    Nia Brookins, a sophomore theater major, will be speaking at tonight’s protest.

    “A part of TCU’s mission is being a global citizen. A part of being a global citizen is being racially tolerant,” Brookins said.

    Mitchell Simmons, a junior religion major, said he just wants TCU to hold true to its mission statement.