About 20 students from the Black Student Union marched on campus Friday to demand that their support staff return to their full-time positions.
UNCW hasn’t yet put out its official report on how it removed DEI programs from the campus — that’s due to the state on September 1. But the University has announced significant staff reductions to a host of campus support centers for Black, Asian, Hispanic, and LGTBQ students. Protesters and critics of UNCW's recent actions have claimed that other state schools — like NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill — found ways to comply with the state requirements to remove DEI while still keeping crucial services for minority and marginalized student groups.
Related: UNCW's vice chancellor of student affairs discusses the impacts of removing DEI from campus
Ashiya Ramsey is a political science student who joined the protest. She says the staff have already been moved from their jobs in the Upperman African American Cultural Center — a place she’s been made to feel welcome as a Black student at a predominantly White institution.
"You are taking those positions away, and we feel attacked, and we do not understand how this relates to neutral," Ramsey said.
Students marched to the offices of three different leaders on campus, including the Chancellor's, and handed them an alternative policy packet that they say meets the state’s neutrality policy without cutting important programs.
In a statement, university staff said, quote, “Bringing the cultural and identity centers into Student Affairs will strengthen both areas, leading to even more opportunities to support and enhance students’ sense of belonging on our campus.”
But students and alumni have criticized the university for its lack of transparency on budget cuts and other modifications to the cultural centers.
UNCW has directed all future requests for information and comments regarding DEI to the UNC system. Chancellor Aswani Volety, who ultimately approved the university's decisions in order to comply with the new state guidelines, has declined several interview requests on the subject. WHQR has requested the university's report to the state from both UNCW and the UNC system.
