Students upset about the restructuring of the Office of Minority Affairs jammed the second floor of Bricker Hall and demanded that Interim President Richard Sisson give them a voice in the changes.More than 30 students, led by members of the Afrikan Student Union, prepared to spend the night outside Sisson’s office, after the building closed at 5 p.m.”We are not leaving until you answer these demands,” said Sakinah Love Ali, member of the OSU National Association for the Advancement of Colored People chapter. “We will stay here all night.”Barbara Rich, interim vice provost for minority affairs, announced plans to change the structure of the office in March, therefore affecting the reporting lines of the Frank Hale Cultural Center. Instead of reporting directly to the vice provost, students will now have to report to a director then reports to the assistant vice provost. The assistant, not the student, is the person who reports to the vice provost. Students are angry because they feel they are losing their direct link to the administration.Students are upset because they feel they have lost their input in the decision-making process.”We are unhappy with the Rich plan because it removes students from the administration and weakens our ability to communicate our ideas and concerns,” said Dara Cooper, a member of the Afrikan Student Union. “We should not be so far removed from decisions that affect us.”What was to be a small meeting between representatives from the Afrikan Student Union ended up filling the second floor of Bricker Hall to maximum capacity. About 100 people, including students, faculty, media and community members surrounded Sisson and Ed Ray, acting senior vice president and provost for minority affairs.A “Declaration of the Afrikan Student Union” handed and read to Sisson by Cooper and Love Ali stated changes made by Rich are unacceptable for the following three reasons:

  • The restructuring being done by the temporary vice provost is not proper when a newly-appointed vice provost and university president are about to take charge
  • The restructuring is harming units, services and staff essential to black student development
  • The restructuring has neither invited nor allowed the participation and input of the very students it affects

Bill Moss, Columbus School Board member, was informed of the meeting and attended after Cooper and Ricardo Wilkins, spokesman for the Afrikan Student Union, voiced their dismay on his weekly Saturday radio show. Moss agrees student input in the Hale Center and minority affairs has waned.”The administration at the highest level seems to be distancing itself from minority affairs,” Moss said. “Adding bureaucracy diminishes the power of the Office of Minority Affairs.”Sisson and Ray asked students for time to consider the demands. But as the crowd grew impatient and insisted their demands be met immediately, Sisson admitted he may reserve the right not to follow them.”I will be talking to you soon,” Sisson said. “I’m not going to say there is going to be a halt to the [reorganization] process.”Sisson’s response was “unsatisfactory,” and he dodged questions, said Wilkins.Rich let Sisson and Ray deal with the maelstrom of emotions. She walked past the crowd at least twice but would not comment on the sit-in. President-designate William Kirwan could not be reached for comment.Many students were shocked and outraged that Rich said a 12:30 p.m. luncheon was more important than they were.”She told us we can make an appointment like everybody else,” said LaQuita Long, a sophomore majoring in communications. “I asked her, ‘Aren’t students you’re supposed to represent more important than your luncheon?’ and she said ‘No.’ “She must have missed her luncheon because she stayed in her office until after 1 p.m., Long said.After a discussion of police intervention among group members around 3 p.m., some expressed their desire to do whatever it takes to further their cause.”I am willing to be arrested and be sent back to my country,” said T.J. Ghose, a graduate student in sociology from India. He said student apathy is being replaced by political activism.”People did not think we would be anti-war,” Ghose said. “Why else would government leaders hold a town hall meeting? We showed people then and we will show them again.”A printed statement, addressed to the union and released at about 5 p.m. after Bricker Hall closed, stated that Rich and Ray will be available to meet with six representatives from the union today at 11 a.m.”I think tomorrow’s meeting will be a positive move in expanding communication and will provide a better understanding of the situation,” said Josh Mandel, the newly-elected president of USG.Rich later said she had no knowledge of the meeting with Sisson and said she was never invited. She said she has an open-door policy, but must work within a tight schedule.She said the changes are part of a university-wide restructuring process and defended her record in the administration.”I think if you ask any administrator that I’ve worked with in financial aid, law, or minority affairs, I have a good track record,” Rich said. “I have raised $50,000 for the Hale Center extension and $50,000 for minority scholarships. I have increased minority enrollment.”