College Officials Investigate Claims, Spurred by 'BIPOC at Marist' Account
College officials are investigating claims of racial issues, stemming from social media and an online petition.
The BIPOC at Marist Instagram account launched on Juneteenth to share stories from BIPOC [black, Indigenous and people of color] members of the Marist community. A small group of current BIPOC students runs the account, which is unaffiliated with the college.
BIPOC at Marist joins more than 40 similar accounts from other colleges and private schools, most of which launched since June. These pages typically feature anonymous stories and demands for change, putting racial issues on view.
A recent series of eight posts on the BIPOC at Marist page shared alumni stories about the Marist Theatre program. For instance, one anonymous alumnus recalled an acting class when a Black student sat at the front of the classroom. The instructor allegedly told the student, “Don’t pull a Rosa Parks on me.”
This story motivated Olivia Knox ‘21 to start an online petition to fire Matt Andrews, the theatre program’s director. Andrews did not respond to the Circle’s request for comment.
Dr. Martin Shaffer, dean for the School of Liberal Arts, told the Circle that an investigation is underway.
“As a result of the recent social media posts, an investigation regarding the allegations made about the Theatre Department has begun. The stories that were shared are very concerning and absolutely run counter to the kind of environment that our dedicated faculty seeks to create for our students,” Shaffer said.
Marist Theatre board members released a statement on July 11, encouraging Marist community members to report any incidents to the college.
Another story received particular attention, becoming the most-liked post on the BIPOC at Marist account. A recent graduate claimed a fashion instructor made a racial comment about an assignment.
At the School of Communication and the Arts, interim dean, Dr. James Snyder, and the fashion department’s new director, John Bartlett, told the Circle that they would be familiarizing themselves with the alleged incident, which occurred before either assumed their current positions.
“As the new Director to the program, it is critical to me that diversity and inclusivity are the lens through which we navigate going forward. It is my personal commitment to the students to always have an open door and to listen to them,” Bartlett said.
Likewise, Snyder invited students to contact him about issues of diversity and inclusion at Marist.
“We take any and all allegations of misconduct seriously, and the College will investigate any accusations of racism, discrimination, and microaggressions,” Snyder said.
Underwhelmed by the college’s and the nation’s response to racism, the anonymous account administrators took inspiration from similar accounts and sought to create a safe space for sharing stories.
“In a nutshell, we’d say the purpose of BIPOC [at Marist] is to give people a window to a different world, and to help BIPOC feel that they are really being heard,” the anonymous students said. “The BIPOC community at Marist stands with each other, and we want white students to stand with us as well.”
Source: BIPOC at Marist