The United Greek Council (UGC) passed a resolution on Jan. 31 that expressed their support and solidarity for the list of demands published by Seton Hall students who recently protested on campus about the unjust treatment of students of color and a disregard for the Africana Studies program at Seton Hall.
The council, which is comprised of Black, Latino and Multicultural Greek letter organizations, is devoted to representing and advocating for their respective communities.
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The United Greek Council passed the resolution in response to the list of demands protestors gave to the administration.
Photo courtesy of Adrian Orozco[/caption]
UGC shared their resolution with students on various social media platforms last week. In the resolution, UGC also appealed to the Greek Municipal Assembly and the Student Government Association directly to “pledge their support for this movement.”
“In light of recent events at Seton Hall University and the rising student clamor for a more inclusive faculty and robust Africana Studies program among other concerns the Seton Hall University United Greek Council unanimously voted to express its support for the list of demands published by this student led movement,” UGC stated in an Instagram post.
Adrian Orozco, a junior political science major and president of the UGC, authored the resolution and hopes that other organizations and Seton Hall can follow in the same direction.
“I do hope that more organizations follow suit and express support for these demands, or at least most of the demands,” Orozco wrote in an email. “Even if a student organization is apathetic to the issues that affect students of color, this campus is overdue for an administration that listens more closely to the concerns of its students. I will be presenting a similar resolution at the next Greek Municipal Assembly meeting, which is the body that governs all Greek Life on campus.”
Seton Hall has not directly responded to UGC resolution and has not yet actively addressed the demands of the students, as previously reported.
Anuar Zidan, a senior broadcasting and visual media major, said he was unaware of the recent protest. Yet, he agrees with UGC’s initiative and their support for the students.
“I believe everyone should come together to protest the unfair treatment African Americans get in this country,” Zidan said. “I think any movement of solidarity is a step forward to make our university a better place.”
An event organized by the administration in relation to unrelated acts of racism on campus was held a day before the resolution was passed. Students are still waiting for feedback on the event, expected sometime this week.
“It’s too early to tell if the University is doing a good job of addressing these concerns,” said Orozco. “But its reaction to racial bias incidents needs to be stronger. Emails and sporadic evening events like the Real Talk on Race will do little to re-educate students that have held lifelong biases against others.”
Nicholas Mariano can be reached at nicholas.mariano@student.shu.edu.
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