On the morning of Aug. 31, William Jewell College students received individualized letters from Eric Blair, vice president of enrollment and marketing, alerting them to a 45 percent discount to tuition set to take effect starting in the fall of 2021. Jewell’s full-time undergraduate tuition, which currently stands at $33,500, will be reduced to $18,360. Room and board costs will also be slightly reduced.

Along with being alerted to the tuition reduction, students were told in these letters that their Jewell scholarships would be reduced – so that students will have approximately the same net cost at the new rate. However – due to reduction in room and board costs – Blair shared that Jewell students, on average, would actually be paying between $300-$400 less under the reduced tuition, despite the proportional reductions in institutional aid. Each student who received this letter was given an approximation of the new cost of attending Jewell for the 2020-21 academic year. 

When explaining why the College decided to make this nearly 50 percent reduction to their tuition cost, Blair shared that the move was chiefly motivated by a desire to make Jewell appear more transparent, accessible and affordable than its previous sticker price had led prospective students to believe.

“When we looked at data and perceptions of students and families in the market, they did not understand the true affordability and the value of Jewell. The price point that we were at and where it placed us in the market – the sticker price – that $45,000 [tuition plus room and board] cost in the market created the perception that Jewell was inaccessible and unaffordable by many families to which it is actually accessible and affordable once we were able to engage them in an aid conversation and give them scholarships,” Blair said. “Our goal with the change is to create clarity to the marketplace as a whole – and that includes current students – to what would more closely resemble what it truly costs to go to Jewell.

“So, that’s to establish [the] long-term viability of the College, to make sure that we are being authentic in what we’re asking students to pay…,” Blair continued. “What we came to see is that this region does not respond well to elite-level price points for the sake of creating an elite-level perception. What the region responds to is elite-level outcomes, which Jewell has and isn’t changing.”

Blair explained that the College significantly increased the cost of tuition in the mid-2000s in order to create a perception of prestige through price. The goal of this change was to increase interest in Jewell as a prestigious college because its sticker price would be competitive with other national private liberal arts colleges. This increase in price corresponds to the beginning of a steady decrease in enrollment.

“The biggest thing that coordinated with our negative trend in enrollment was the decision by the College in the mid-2000s to move to a higher price point… [Around 1996 to 2000], we were at a more competitive price point with other private colleges in this region… In 2006 – right before the recession in 2008 – the College made the decision to elevate this price point with the intent of elevating a perception of prestige, [with] the intent to become a national liberal arts brand. There were ways that could have been executed differently, but ultimately, it just doesn’t position any kind of organization well in this middle-of-the-country market. [The market] doesn’t respond to prestige through price like you see in other geographies,” Blair said.

Several students, upon receiving their letters alerting them to this change, contacted Cardinal Services and the office of financial aid to ask about the reductions to their scholarships, worried that their cost of attendance would increase significantly.

However, even if students saw some of their scholarships reduced significantly or eliminated completely, their total cost of attending has actually been reduced a few hundred dollars, as Blair explained.

“[O]ne could term that as a reduction of the scholarship, but from a value standpoint, it’s the exact same as it was. In fact, for many students it was bettered slightly by three to five hundred dollars because of that change to room and board,” Blair said.

“Not every aid category could be adjusted the same way, and so subsequently some students are seeing three unique scholarships go to two or one or, because it was pretty nominal, go to none because it was reduced past the point of what the scholarship provided against the old price… I do understand they may be perceiving it as if they lost some sort of recognition, in fact, they haven’t,” Blair continued.

Daniel Holt, associate vice president for institutional strategy, led the effort of applying the new tuition model to students so that they would see either no change in total price of attendance or a reduction of a few hundred dollars. Holt sorted through each student’s financial aid package individually and adjusted their scholarships on a student-by-student basis.

The scholarship model will be completely overhauled, and new standardized scholarships and aid programs will be instituted for incoming students in 2021. Current students will continue to pay their current rates and will not receive the new standardized scholarships. 

The College made the changes in order to change the perception of Jewell’s affordability. To financially compensate for the changes and reduced payments for several students, the College will need to recruit an additional 23 students.

One of the programs most impacted by the reduced total scholarship amounts is the Oxbridge Honors Program. The scholarship was previously $26,000 per year, and that amount was given as a Journey Grant for study abroad during the junior year. The scholarship is now $9,250 per year at Jewell. Blair confirmed that students will still receive proportional financial aid during the junior year abroad – so the dollar amount of the scholarship will be significantly increased during that year. Additional scholarships will be made available to a select number in the program to provide full tuition and room and board. 

While students generally understand the changes in tuition, several expressed concerns with the ways the decisions were made. The initial news about the changes either left students assuming their education would cost significantly less – with the news of reduced tuition – or significantly more – with the news of reduced scholarships. 

The primary student complaints regarded the methods of communicating the changes in tuition and scholarships. Trent Brink, sophomore business administration major and member of the football team, offered his perspective on the announcement.

“My Monday brunch in the Cage was soon interrupted with a swarm of panicked students ripping their mailboxes open to discover a rather confusing letter from the school,” said Brink. “I decided to join in on the frenzy and see what the deal was. When you open the letter and see the nearly half drop in tuition, it’s super exciting. But myself along with everyone else – athlete or not – found their scholarships reduced by 20 to 30 percent.”

“While I understand that we end up paying the same or, for some, even a few hundred less, and that it’s designed to bring more students to campus, I feel like the communication could’ve been stronger here,” Brink continued. “A preemptive email would’ve been nice. It’s not like everyone checks their mailbox, so I think a lot of the panic was because of that. It seems that the [confusion] has died down. But [amidst] the coronavirus, added confusion is the last thing any Cardinals need.”

Isabel Warden, sophomore public relations major, described her reaction to learning of the changes. 

“I had the notion that since tuition was going down, I would have to pay less since my faculty scholarship stayed the same. However, that was not the case. I still had a theatre scholarship, but my Jewell access grant was cut in half and my Faculty Scholarship went down to zero. It just makes me feel like I worked hard on my academics for no reward. I mean, obviously, college is a great reward, but it’s expensive,” Warden said. 

Olga Morales, sophomore public relations and theater major, expressed a similar sentiment. 

“I do believe [Jewell] tried to be better, as in more affordable tuition to prospective students, but I do believe they should’ve asked current students’ inputs of [making changes to tuition] as well. Mainly because some of [the current students’] scholarships were reduced by a lot (for example, my theatre scholarship went from $22,000 to $5000), and others who had certain scholarships no longer have them due to the tuition cut,” Morales said.

“Although they stated it was ‘proportional’ I don’t really believe it was because it did [affect] a lot of students being able to afford college especially those paying out of pocket,” Morales continued. “Especially for some who now [need] to pay more the next academic year than this current year. Hopefully they’re open-minded over helping current students to fix their financial aid due to budget cuts.”

Morales’ perspective is representative of many students whose initial reaction to the news was stress about potentially no longer being able to afford Jewell. This miscommunication was a point of criticism about the announcement of the changes. 

Jewell alumnus JD Daniel, ‘19, reflected on his experience with the College’s communication process, and remarked that he thinks further transparency is needed.

“The reaction from my fellow alumni seemed to be that they felt it was unfair to them and they were shocked and indignant. I think this reaction defeats the purpose of positive change, and there’s no way Jewell can issue back pay to alumni while also having the funds to keep tuition reduced for the future… I’m inclined to view this as a positive change. However, I’m still unclear on what finances are actually going to look like for students going forward,” Daniel said.

Every student should have the same, or a lesser, total cost for the 2021-2022 school year, according to Blair. If a student thinks their total cost is increasing, they should contact the financial aid office, as any increase in cost is the result of a mistake in calculating individual scholarships and aid. 

Blair expressed his understanding that students, and others in the community, may disagree with the process but emphasized his commitment to the College’s handling of the situation. While Blair understands students would want input in the decisions, he explained that collaborating extensively with students could have led to rumors of changes, misinformation and stress. The College emphasized their desire to work out concerns through one-on-one meetings to make sure individuals are clear on their own positions.

The tuition changes are ultimately framed in the larger discussion of Jewell embracing radical inclusivity.

“[Radical inclusivity is] the greater story. What you’ll see in terms of the messaging is that we’re not going to be posting firesale billboards all over Kansas City that we’ve reduced [tuition] 45 percent. Our message is ‘Opportunity Without Barriers’ because it’s around the greater sense of becoming a more accessible and equitable institution,” Blair said.

“That, [becoming a more accessible and equitable institution], starts with authenticity with the price point. That starts with removing barriers like a $300 enrollment deposit, [which] we began taking that away last year. And, it’s only going to be $100 going forward because we were seeing that as a barrier,” Blair continued. “It’s moving to holistic admissions and not putting so much weight on the standardized test. Instead, [the standardized test is] one way a student can demonstrate [qualification] but there are other primary ways by presenting their citizenship, their co-curricular engagement, through their writing sample, as well as in their GPA – which has shown, statistically, to be a better indicator of long-term academic success and work ethic over the standardized test, especially for students who may be middle-tier on standardized tests.”

Blair noted that plans for this reduction in tuition have been in development for approximately two years. Jewell’s enrollment and marketing team did extensive research into colleges and universities that rolled out similar plans – including Kansas City area institutions like Avila University – and specifically focused on elements that made the reduction either successful or unsuccessful.

“Unsuccessful cases are institutions who reduced that and then had to continue to reduce further because they weren’t positioned well from an outcome standpoint – they didn’t have that strong of a product from a college experience perspective,” Blair said. “They didn’t do enough research on where they needed to be priced within the market, and subsequently, it just created concern and they got back into a not as high of tuition but still a high discount perspective.”

Given that these plans have been in development even prior to Blair stepping into his role in May of 2019, COVID-19 was not a factor in the decision to reduce tuition.

“[I]t was not a response to COVID. It was something that was planned and would be happening to us regardless of COVID… Our enrollment was up in spite of COVID. We did some really good things… We want more students to become critical thinkers because we believe it’s going to benefit the Kansas City region and the globe as a whole to produce more Jewell graduates.”

Students who have questions about the effect of the tuition reduction on their financial aid package can schedule a virtual meeting with the office of financial aid at https://calendly.com/williamjewell-finaid.

Following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers, several members of the Jewell community have been involved in Black Lives Matter activism, as well as standing against racism and police brutality. The following article features multimedia content and interviews with a few Jewell alumni and students who have attended recent protests against police brutality in the Kansas City area.

Elise Villarreal, senior English and theater major, attended Kansas City protests at the Country Club Plaza the weekend of May 30. She filmed a video depicting police arresting an unarmed protester and pepper-spraying members of the protest around the arrested man. This video has since gone viral and gotten over 8.4 million views. Villarreal posted other videos of the protest in the same Twitter thread that also depicted police aggression. 

These videos can be viewed below.

CONTENT WARNING: physical assault, strong language

Villarreal was also injured in the protest. After being hit by a police baton from an officer arresting another protester, Villareal’s hand was broken in two places. In an interview with KSHB, she remarked that while she might want an apology from the Kansas City Police Department (KCPD), she ultimately just wants to see an end to police brutality. 

Villarreal’s videos from the Plaza protest have been shared by multiple major news media organizations – including local media, like The Kansas City Star and KSHB, national media, like BuzzFeed News and Last Week Tonight, and international media, like the Daily Mail.

Talia Zook, ‘19, went to the protest in the afternoon of Sunday, May 31 with friends she had met through her job at City Year. Zook estimated that hundreds of protesters were in attendance. Several brought first aid supplies, water, snacks and poster board for others at the protest.

Though Zook was present at the protest well before curfew, she noted that the KCPD were already brandishing weapons, holding tear gas in hand, stockpiling zip-tie handcuffs and stationing snipers in towers around the Plaza. 

Furthermore, she recounted the officers’ stoic presence as protesters implored them to demonstrate that their messages were being heard. 

“The police presence was emotionless, and therefore cold. We threw out multiple opportunities for them to show they were there to acknowledge us, not to just enforce rules for us. ‘Nod your head in solidarity if black lives matter!’ ‘Take a knee with us!’ ‘At least acknowledge us!’ The cops were looking through everyone, aside from the handful of protestors who were either walking up and down the line leading chants, or engaging in 1:1 conversations with them. It seemed as though they would only listen to what you had to say if you walked up and stood in front of their face. Something a lot of us were not willing to risk, but we fortunately were among people who were,” Zook said.

Zook also attended the counter-protest to the KCPD’s unity march, which occurred Wednesday, June 3 at the Plaza. 

This time, because curfew had been lifted, Zook arrived in the evening, at about 7:30 p.m. As midnight approached, two distinct, sizable groups of protesters either marched or protested in front of the cop line.  

“Police presence was much more threatening this time, and I think it was just because we were there at night,” Zook said. “They were everywhere. Stacked, armed and poised for violence. Having been on the line that was in front of cops for some time before we left, all I saw was intimidation.”

Zook described what was effectively a standoff between police and protesters, with police demanding that protesters stay out of the street and away from the cop line. Police placed caution tape across the whole intersection and blocked off surrounding streets with their cars. Though protesters asked for the police to explain why they could not enter the streets, police did not respond.

“They also repeatedly asked protestors to keep their distance from the cops and back up. Mind you, there was a solid five feet between our line and theirs, with the exception of chant-leaders and individuals who wanted to share their stories with the officers who would listen. I heard the story of a man who’s best friend was sentenced to 12 years in prison for raping a white girl, even though there was no evidence of assault. She had one bruise on her leg, and that’s all they needed to convict his best friend to 12 years. It was really sad to hear, but it was also intriguing to see the way the cops reacted to his story because I felt it was very telling. There was sympathy in their response, but it almost seemed forced. It was like they recognized the tragedy, but still couldn’t believe any of their coworkers would have done that,” Zook said.

Zook’s last interaction on this night was with a police officer who was stationed with a colleague outside of a Main Street QuikTrip. As Zook’s friend walked inside to get a drink, she repeatedly said to them, “silence is consent to murder.” After she went inside, the officer said, “Yeah, we’re not doing that here.” 

Zook, who was sitting in her car with the windows down observing this, recounted the conversation she had with the officer after her friend walked inside:

Zook: “We aren’t doing what here, sir?”

Cop: “Protesting. This is private property.”

Zook: “Who is protesting?”

Cop: silent

Zook: “Who is protesting?”

Cop: silent

Zook: “Who, is, protesting?”

Cop: “You heard me.”

Zook: “Alright, well I’m gonna go ahead and say whatever the f*ck I want to on this private property then. Get your public job off of this property since it’s so private.”

Cop: “Alright, well I have spray.”

Zook: “Ohhhhhhh, you’re mad huh? I just made you mad, didn’t I?”

Zook began joking with nearby protesters who had been observing about how quickly the officer became upset.

“[I]t was honestly very comical to me how he was upset enough by my words to threaten me. He was completely proving the point of the whole movement,” Zook said. “I continued to laugh and joke with the people in the car next to me as my friend came back outside, and then we saw the cop go inside and grab his pepper spray can from behind the counter. He was no longer able to look at us, but he came back outside with it in hand, shaking it as if he was preparing to use it. I decided to leave since we had everything we needed from the store, to which we received a very sarcastic, high school-like ‘GOODBYYYEEEEE!’ from the cops. I made sure to let cops know up the road that their coworker was at the QT intimidating protestors with spray. I don’t believe it was received, but I do know they heard me.” 

Brendan Davison, ‘20, attended both the Saturday, May 30 protest at the Plaza and the Sunday, May 31 protest at the Kansas City, Kan., Municipal Court House.

Davison described the varying forms of support shown by protesters at the Plaza. Posters said anything from “Black Lives Matter” and “Justice for George Floyd” to listing the names of various black victims of police violence – even on a local level. Protesters chanted mantras with similar themes, including “Black lives matter,” “No justice, no peace” and “Say his name.”

Davison noted that, in addition to being much more well-attended and having a larger police presence, the protest at the Plaza was characterized by more tension and confrontation than the protest he attended at the Municipal Court House in Kansas. The latter protest focused on more local issues of injustice and brought in community leaders from political, activist and religious circles to make public addresses to attendees.

Discussing the police presence at the Plaza protest, Davison said that police often resorted to aggressive measures when protesters stepped off the west-facing curb by the JC Nichols Memorial Fountain into the closed-off JC Nichols Parkway. Officers often used pepper spray to stun those who did so before making arrests. Davison recalled witnessing one of the individuals who had stepped off the curb backed into a car, thrown on the ground and arrested by advancing police officers who were attempting to push protesters back out of the street. 

“Because of their aggressive attitude towards the protests, I lay the blame for the violence, property destruction and general chaos that occurred on Saturday evening, after I left, on the KCPD, as the violence committed by some protesters was an escalating response to the aggression by the police. The police made no attempts at de-escalation, and instead resorted to physical force and intimidation from the outset. It also comes as no surprise that the ‘riots’ only began after the police deployed tear gas at 8 p.m., given the use of tear gas is often associated with not suppressing riots, but making riots more violent. For these reasons, I would classify this weekend’s events not as a violent protest, but as a police riot,” Davison said. 

As a long-time member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), Davison has opposed racism, police brutality and white supremacy and supported movements like Black Lives Matter for years. His local chapter of DSA has a prison abolition working group that has enabled Davison to be engaged in matters promoting racial equality and criminal justice reform. Some of their initiatives include compiling reports on the conditions of the Jackson County jail and advocating the abolition of cash bail in Kansas City. One of their partners is Reale Justice Network, which has set up a cash bail fund for local protesters who were arrested by police.

“One thing I did seek to draw attention to this weekend is promoting Irish American solidarity with the black community. As an Irish-American myself, I am gravely disappointed with many in the Irish-American community, who uphold and defend the system of white supremacy. As someone who identifies heavily with the Irish Republican tradition, I struggle to see how people so proud of their Irish heritage and Irish resistance to English imperialism and rule, cannot see the parallels between the treatment of the Irish by the English and the treatment of Black Americans by the police,” Davison said.

Shae Crane, senior elementary education major, attended the June 5 protest at Kansas City’s City Hall. Crane remarked that this protest was quite peaceful and that she did not witness any instances of police aggression.

“This protest was very peaceful compared to the protest[s] I have seen on the news,” Crane said. “We [stood] in front of City Hall and listened to various speakers then once the speakers were over we moved in front of the police headquarters. That’s when police in riot gear and military officers started to funnel out of the police headquarters building and form a wall between the protestors and the building. A few chants I remember were ‘Why are you in riot gear? I don’t see a riot here.’ ‘Hands up, Don’t shoot.’ ‘Say their names, ‘Breonna Taylor’ ‘George Floyd.’”

To Crane’s estimation, this protest was well-attended, with the City Hall courtyard effectively filled with protesters. Once the march began, passersby contributed by honking, if in cars, or stopping to join in chants.

In addition to attending this protest, Crane has shown her support for the cause in several other ways.

“I have been signing various petitions, sharing informational articles and attending protests. I also posted my story as a biracial woman in America and some of the situations and experiences I have been through,” Crane said.

Jamie Briscoe, senior chemistry major, attended the Saturday, May 30 Kansas City Plaza protest. Describing the tone of the protest, he shared that an overarching ambivalence of emotions – namely, unease, fear and courage – filled the atmosphere.

“You get to see all sides of humanity during something like this; you have people standing in front of the protest who are face to face with police in all their riot gear, something that took more courage than I have ever needed. Everyone is in an extremely emotionally raw state due to the extreme adrenaline there. There are also people who are responsible for seeking out those who’ve been injured and helping them get proper medical care, be it from tear gas, rubber bullets, or the crowd trampling them as they retreat from the police. There are also less positive things you will see. I watched cowards stand 50 feet away, hiding behind other people as they threw rocks or water bottles in an attempt to incite a police response. This was almost always met with rounds of protesters trying desperately to stop them, and keep the police from unleashing even more tear gas,” Briscoe said.

In terms of the police presence at the Saturday protest, Briscoe noted that protesters far outnumbered police officers, but each officer was fully equipped with riot gear, including mace, sandbag bullets, shields, tear gas and flashbangs. 

Briscoe was tear-gassed by police twice during the protest. The first time, police deployed tear gas in response to a car that had been set on fire – which Briscoe had not been a part of – in an effort to prevent rioters from causing more damage. 

“The second time I was gassed, however, was a result of what I think was police handling the situation poorly. Me and a group of several people had kneeled to chant about 10 feet from one line of cops in gear, when cops behind us shot tear gas. This was especially painful because it meant we could not get rid of the canister before it had released all of its harmful chemicals, and so all of us kneeling had to run blindly to safety,” Briscoe said. “My friend who I had gone with was so disoriented by the pain and blindness that he accidentally ran towards the cops in fear; they responded by shoving him to the ground and yelling for him to get back while he yelled and wretched.”

This was Briscoe’s first time attending a protest, though he has shown support in other forms to related causes in the past. In a final statement, he emphasized the importance of actively engaging in efforts to resist injustice and oppression.

“My final point is only to say this: White silence is violence. If you are disinterested in supporting minority groups, you are allowing oppression to continue and benefit you. Everybody go protest and be a part of the positive change, the experience is not only vital to help these movements succeed, the personal growth you can feel is immense,” Briscoe said.

*Quotes have been reformatted to follow Monitor style guidelines.

On May 25, 2020 George Floyd, an unarmed black man, was murdered by a police officer who asphyxiated Floyd by kneeling on his neck for close to nine minutes. Floyd was arrested for alleged use of a counterfeit $20 bill. His murder was filmed and the video of the horrific act, in addition to the recent murders of Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, sparked international outrage at police brutality, which led to protests and mobilized support for the Black Lives Matter movement. 

What follows is a description of the response to this situation from William Jewell College and its organizations. A future article will be published highlighting the extensive involvement of members of the community in protesting and standing against racism and police brutality.

Administration and Student Senate

William Jewell College and members of the Jewell community have responded with condemnation of the murder, racism and police brutality. On June 1, Dr. Elizabeth MacLeod Walls, president of the College and chief diversity officer, and Mario Magaña, interim Student Senate president, released joint statements to condemn the racist act and call for unity and support within the community. 

MacLeod Walls’ statement recognized the history of systemic racism and violence against black people in the U.S. and expressed empathy for people of color in, and beyond, the community. She also issued a call to action in the form of Radical Inclusivity from the Jewell community. 

“But there is hope. Our Radical Inclusivity work at Jewell has helped us not only to identify our challenges, but also to embrace our Values of Authentic Engagement, Inclusive Communities, and Courageous Citizenship as we continue to have difficult conversations about race, equity, and justice on our campus. The Jewell Family is nothing if not honest, kind, direct, and critically minded; we don’t varnish the truth nor do we exaggerate the problem. We are pursuing meaningful lives—which is why we will continue to encounter this moment with awareness, compassion, forthrightness, and commitment,” the statement said. 

MacLeod Walls announced plans for a “structured dialogue” to be hosted by Stephenie and Rodney Smith of Sophic Solutions later in June. More information will be released in the coming weeks. MacLeod Walls also called for critical reflection upon the issues and praised responses from the Jewell community.

In a comment to The Hilltop Monitor, MacLeod Walls described her process of formulating her response to the current situations. 

“I seek wisdom from my colleagues and others in the community as I write drafts of the statement,” said MacLeod Walls. “I also reach out to my peers at other institutions, seeking their wisdom. In this case my interactions with [Magaña] were also extremely helpful in terms of striking the right tone and approach.”

When asked about Jewell’s relationship to local police, MacLeod Walls said that Jewell has no formal affiliation with the local police departments. She said that if police will be on campus, they will be expected to abide by Jewell’s anti-harassment policies. Similarly, campus safety officers are “partners and vendors” who are expected to abide by the anti-harassment policy. MacLeod Walls did not mention any formal anti-harassment training given to campus safety officers or local police by the College. 

On the evening of June 2, MacLeod Walls’ letter was linked in a post on William Jewell College’s Facebook page, along with a highlighted portion, which read:

“We will, as we always do, come together to ask reflective questions, apply critical thought, and act with purpose in response to the turbulent and divisive moment in which we are living.  In the meantime, I applaud our Jewell community, and especially our students, for embracing every person—and everyone’s lived experience—in order to make us better, stronger, and more whole both as a College and as a nation.”

Several Jewell alumni expressed disapproval in the post’s comment section, particularly the statement’s failure to neither explicitly condemn police brutality nor reference the Black Lives Matter movement. As of this article’s publication, no other statement has been posted publicly to Jewell’s social media accounts.

When asked about the feedback, MacLeod Walls explained that social media can be an emotionally charged place for feedback and she encourages members of the community to view Jewell’s response holistically. She provided context for her motivation and thoughts while writing the statement. 

“I chose to write to our community from the heart, reflecting on my own literal journey through the roots of slavery, the Civil Rights Movement, and the current Equity and Justice movement represented in Montgomery, Alabama. Through this journey, I came to understand in a palpable way the interconnection between the past and the current injustices African Americans encounter in daily life. This injustice is precisely why Radical Inclusivity at William Jewell is such important work—and why it must continue. I ended my message with words of hope, because I believe that through critical thought and civil discourse, William Jewell will do what it does best: Create space for collaborative reflection and opportunities for meaningful change both on and off of our campus,” MacLeod Walls said. 

Magaña’s statement on behalf of Student Senate explicitly and directly supported the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. The statement described the goals of BLM and called for students to learn from and act on those goals. 

“The message shared by the Black Lives Matter movement is simple: their lives matter just like anybody else’s,” the statement said. “We all have the right to life no matter our skin color, and no one should be treated differently because of it. A few of the radical and sustainable solutions proposed by the movement’s website are: Acknowledgement and Accountability for their Pain and Injustice, Divestment in the Police Force, and Investment in the Health and Prosperity of our Communities. With continued dialogue and conversation, we can all learn from this and find ways to reach a level of understanding.”

Magaña also called for students to take action within their own homes, own communities and on campus:

“Educate your families. Change has to start from within our homes before we can help those around us. We owe it to ourselves to teach those closest to us how to be accepting of others, no matter who they are. 

Speak out against indifferences. We cannot just let our peers and families add to the divide between our communities. We especially cannot just sit back and let the Black community fight this battle alone. 

Don’t be afraid to stand for what’s right. These times demand us to rise for the sake of the lives brutalized by an unjust and oppressive system. We must help build with them, and not take away from what must be accomplished. 

Amplify their voices, but don’t drown out their message with selfishness. Join the movement with solidarity, understanding, and abolition; not for anarchism and instigation. BE THE DIFFERENCE! BE THE SUPPORT!”

In a comment to The Hilltop Monitor, Magaña described the motivation behind his statement. 

“Senate’s response is my best effort to compile the various perspectives in the community, while not drowning out the message connected to Black Lives Matter movement. In this way, I offer up the support of Senate and my promise to keep the conversation ongoing. I also would like to challenge members of our community to continue to speak up and stand out for the sake of their neighbors in the Black community. The rest is up to you as people to make the difference on and off the Hill,” Magaña said. 

Magaña began drafting his statement several days before its publication after he witnessed and reflected upon the Jewell community’s reaction to the murder of George Floyd, protests in his memory and BLM. He consulted with MacLeod Walls and Ernie Stufflebean, associate dean of students and director of residence life, before they decided to release joint statements. 

“By simply taking the initiative to align the college with the movement and by standing in solidarity with the cause, we have proven how ready the school is to embrace radical inclusivity,” Magaña said. “With efforts like this, we are able to continue to educate our community and provide direction for activism. To be radically inclusive, means demonstrating extreme desire to accept and include those in our community. Our message should make it clear: that skin color is no exception to this definition.”

“Just please read the letters we sent out. I know these circumstances can create very polarizing opinions, but it is important that we do not divide from one another. Rather, we have to be prepared to engage, learn, and bridge the gaps through communication. Remember, Civil Rights are not a political issue. They’re a human issue,” Magaña concluded. 

Athletic Department

On May 31, Jewell’s athletic department posted a statement on its social media platforms in support and solidarity with people of color and condemning racism and hate. 

Tom Eisenhauer, director of athletics, explained the motivation behind the post and the actions of the athletic department to support people of color in the Jewell community. 

“Collectively, we felt it was important to issue a statement to show support for our students and staff of color. There were several staff members involved in the decision and we felt that staying silent was not an option. There are many people on our campus who are hurting right now and they need to know they are supported. That being said, a Tweet can’t be the end of the story.  Our engagement must be greater,” Eisenhauer said. 

Eisenhauer highlighted the need to recognize and acknowledge racism in our own community and on campus in order to help those hurting. This includes listening to and supporting students and staff of color who share their experiences and stories, in addition to actively providing opportunities for these stories to be shared.

“[The] campus embarked on the Radical Inclusivity journey about a year ago,” said Eisenhauer. “Our staff and coaches are fully committed to embracing a new way of thinking about inequity and working to identify weaknesses in our day to day. Furthermore, we are committed to hiring a diverse group of coaches and staff which, of course, goes beyond racial diversity. We will work with student leaders on campus and in SAAC to ensure that all people feel safe and welcome on this campus. Without dismissing what happens away from campus, we must be focused on improving the community we’re currently in. I believe that as students better grasp the challenges that many members of our community face, the better suited they’ll be to make changes wherever they land after Jewell. I want to be clear, all of us are on this journey together, not just the students. I know I still have much to learn and am thankful for the individuals on this campus that have challenged me and helped me grow.” 

SAAC and other student organizations

SAAC, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, provided comment on the situation and the athletic department’s response through their 2020-21 co-presidents, Rhyann Fisher, senior psychological sciences and chemistry major, and Abby Dubinski, junior nursing and Applied Critical Thought and Inquiry major. Although SAAC did not directly contribute to the creation of the statement, they fully support the statement and are eager to continue work within the athletic department for racial equality. 

“Radical inclusivity is definitely an area we, and the rest of Jewell, are active in implementing. SAAC members are represented throughout other committees and groups on campus attending training sessions regarding diversity and inclusion… These experiences help SAAC because it widens the voices and experiences we have as a group. In the past we have teamed up with Student Senate for an education event regarding diversity and inclusion. Every athlete is [encouraged] to talk with their Coach or SAAC [representative] about any concern they may have. We are open to team up again with any other groups on campus to make a better experience for our athletes and students”

Fisher and Dubinski described current circumstances as an opportunity to renew efforts for equality and to evaluate how SAAC is participating in conversations of diversity and inclusion. They express hope that once people are back on campus in the fall, people will be ready to start having these more complex conversations both within SAAC and in collaboration with other organizations. They urge people to help right now by signing petitions, educating themselves, donating and more. 

“We are extremely saddened by all of these events,” Fisher and Dubinski said. “We know that our fellow students and athletes are hurting, and have different levels of being affected. We will not pretend like we know how anyone in African American or black community has felt. We want our students and athletes to know that SAAC is here for each of them and we will do all we can to help! We want our black students to know that we are here to use our voice on campus, within the GLVC, NCAA, and be [a part] of the solution as a whole. This has been a crazy year and do not be afraid to reach out for help. We are excited to be reunited on campus where we can take an ACTIVE role in improving the environment and know that we will be TOGETHER. We are here to listen and take action!”

SAAC also publicly acknowledged their support by making a post with the hashtag “#BlackoutTuesday” on their Instagram – this hashtag is part of a social media movement that aims to raise awareness of police brutality against black people and to shine a light on content created by black creators. 

SAAC was joined in their public demonstration of support on social media by other student organizations like Jewell’s fraternity chapters of Kappa Alpha, Lambda Chi Alpha and Phi Gamma Delta, as well as their sorority chapters of Delta Zeta and Zeta Tau Alpha. Mi Gente, Jewell’s club for Latino students, and QUILTBAG, Jewell’s club for LGBT+ students, also made posts of support using the “#BlackLivesMatter” hashtag.

CART

One of Jewell’s diversity and inclusion initiatives is the Climate Assessment and Response Team (CART). Tavarus Pennington, junior communications major and member of CART, explained how CART has not been involved in the College response to the murder of George Floyd and recent protests.

“[The] last time the CART convened was April 15. This was the only time that the group met following the transition to online classes… I tend to shy away from framing the functions and purpose of CART as a group to be consulted about racial issues on campus. Particularly issues directly pertaining to black students. Instead, [CART] is focused on taking incidents that demonstrate negative racial, economic, and gendered biases and formulating ways to positively respond to whatever situation may arise (ex. CART crafted the language and strategy for addressing cultural implications of tomahawk chop in February). Our focus is on creating actionable reforms to educate and promote inclusivity within our campus culture. So when asked about consultation in regards to support, it’s difficult to give a straight answer because we don’t necessarily provide consultation (or at least haven’t been asked to) and we don’t necessarily work to create proactive supports so much as reactive ones,” Pennington said. “[Secondly], I believe CART to be of the mind that the singling out of particular racial groups and the aligning of specific goals to benefit that group, is inadvisable as it ignores the other “cultural groups” our campus is host to. This trend is not isolated to the organization of CART itself but rather I view this perspective as a larger institutional one.”

CART has not provided a specific response to recent events, nor has expressed explicit support for BLM. Pennington explained that this lack of response is due in part to the decentralized nature of campus in the pandemic. Members of CART have not been able to understand how members of the community are reacting to or impacted by the circumstances due to this decentralization – making performing CART’s reactive capacities more difficult.