Boulder – Less than a week after a racist and threatening e-mail led students to demand more money for diversity programs and scholarships at the University of Colorado, Boulder chancellor Phil DiStefano agreed in principle Monday, though the exact dollar figure has to be worked out.
“We were really pleased with the chancellor’s willingness to work with us,” Jeremy Jimenez said after a closed-door meeting Monday evening. Jimenez is one of three student body presidents at CU. “He and the school are making it a priority.”
The meeting was part of a set of demands student leaders laid out last week after one of the student body presidents – who is black – received a racist e-mail that threatened her life.
Noting that the e-mail was part of a string of hateful incidents on and around campus, student leaders gave CU an ultimatum:
Meet a list of five demands – including $5 million for diversity scholarships and student programs – or students will “take alternative measures.”
But Monday night, DiStefano and the students said they were working in partnership.
“I think what they are requesting definitely makes sense, but the devil will be in the details,” DiStefano said after the meeting. “We need to increase scholarships through financial aid for students – for need- based scholarships. The question is, ‘Where do the funds come from?’ I told them that is something we could work on together.”
DiStefano and the students plan to meet again when administrators will have a better idea of what funds are available. The chancellor said money could come from a combination of sources, including an allocation from the Boulder campus, the state legislature and private funding.
“What we know is that when students of color come here, the retention rates are very high and the graduation rates are very high,” DiStefano said. “Unfortunately, we lose many of our students of color to other universities who have more financial aid scholarships than what we do. So I am certainly in agreement with them that we need to increase our financial aid pool.”
The meeting follows a week of tension on campus after Mebraht “Mo” Gebre-Michael went public with the profane e-mail she received Nov. 15. The e-mail set off calls for action from students, faculty and administrators.
About 400 students walked out of classes last Tuesday and marched on an administration building to draw attention to the problem.
In addition to the money for scholarships and diversity programs, students want a mandatory diversity class for incoming students, diversity training for faculty, beefed-up security and representation on a planned blue-ribbon panel that will examine diversity.
The students said administrators are working with them on those goals as well.
“The chancellor and the provost … have been very responsive to our concerns,” said Gebre-Michael, who also attended Monday’s meeting. “I think it was a positive step.”
Staff writer George Merritt can be reached at 720-929-0893 or gmerritt@denverpost.com.
