Tag: racial justice

Why the selection committee for Temple’s next president is unacceptable  

On Sept. 14, the Administration of Temple University formed a committee to select our next President.

Late Sunday and in response to widespread criticism, the Administration added two more women to this committee, bringing female representation to just 22%.

Fewer than a one-third of its members are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.

This is not reflective of our community, and we are demanding change.

In an open letter to the Board, TAUP calls on the university board of trustees to appoint more women and People of Color to this selection committee.

“If the University is genuinely dedicated to “prioritizing recruitment and retention of faculty and employees of color” as stated in Temple’s brand new Anti-Racism Initiative, the imbalance of this search committee does not reflect this,”  said Jill Luedke, a member of TAUP executive committee and Librarian Constituency Council Chair.

“The composition of a search committee should be representative of the institution and signal to candidates the values the institution holds,” said Luedke. “The lack of diverse representation on the current Presidential Search Committee is disconcerting and a clear message from the Board that it is devoted to diversity at Temple University merely in talk and not in action.”

TAUP believes strongly that any presidential selection committee should have representatives from the neighborhoods that surround Temple University and more representation from our student body.

Women make up 54% of Temple students, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Four in 10 Temple students are considered minorities and People of Color.

Click here to read our open letter to the Temple University Board of Trustees.

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Join the conversation on TAUP’s Facebook , Twitter and Instagram.  Call 215-763-2287 or email taupaft@gmail.com

Juneteenth and the Need for Actual Change

Today and from this moment forward, Juneteenth will be a paid holiday for TAUP’s staff, and no union business will be done.  But while it is only right that we celebrate this holiday–and it should be made a paid national holiday–this must be part of a broader, deeper, and effective movement for racial justice and the fight against Anti-Blackness.

That movement has to include change throughout Temple University, including within TAUP itself.

On June 6, TAUP issued a statement  urging Temple’s administration to take our students’ demands seriously, including those to stop funding the Philadelphia Police Foundation (PPF) and to stop non-essential work with the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD).  It is unacceptable that the administration did not engage in a dialogue with these students before rejecting their demands. The university needs to be transparent about what money flows from Temple (including our students’ tuition money) to the PPF and the PPD. Temple should not be providing any type of support that increases police militarization in our city and its communities.

After lengthy discussion and soliciting input from experts with differing perspectives, the Executive Committee (EC) has voted to support the students’ demands on the PPF and the PPD.  The EC believes we must listen closely to the Black, Indigenous and POC (BIPOC) throughout the campus and surrounding communities.  It is past time for fundamental reforms in how policing gets done in our country and in Philadelphia, including the neighborhoods where Temple is located but does not yet live in true partnership.

Divesting from the PPF and PPD are direct ways for the university to shift toward the changes that need to occur.  There are many ways that this funding could be redirected to improve safety.  As one member of the EC who has family in the PPD stated “It is about who is being protected and who is being policed.”

This is a small first step.  We must do much more. TAUP is:

  •  Scheduling a meeting with the administration, as per our contract, of a joint committee to “discuss diversity related issues pertaining to all members of the bargaining unit.”

  • Forming an active working group to analyze how the union can center racial justice in our fight for fair working conditions.  All TAUP members are invited to join us in this work.  Contact jsiegelaft@gmail.com

  • In discussion with student leaders who are working for racial justice to see how we can support each others’ efforts.

  • Identifying providers for anti-racism training for our union staff and members, to be scheduled by the end of the summer.

Today, our national union, AFT, has passed a resolution: “Confronting Racism and Supporting Black Lives,”  setting forth 19 commitments to racial justice.  TAUP will align our efforts with these commitments.

It will take all of us to do this work.  TAUP is eager for your ideas and initiatives.  Please contact TAUP if you want to get involved in these efforts.