April 24, 1988
Open meeting held on Affirmative Action, student of color demands
Approximately 200 Smith College community members attended the open meeting “Affirmative Action: Moving to the Next Stage.” At the meeting, President Dunn announced that Richard Williams, the leading affirmative action officer candidate, had turned down the job offer. Members of Concerned Students of All Colors (CSAC) read a press statement and announced that if the College did not meet their short-term demands within ten days, they would file a formal complaint with the Hampshire County District Attorney. Their demands included the formation of a new selection committee with sufficient student representation, as well as the formulation of a civil rights policy, among other measures against campus racism. A big part of the meeting was also spent discussing the creation of a grievance policy. President Dunn said that the search for an affirmative action officer would begin again in the fall and that some work would be done during the summer.
The Concerned Students of All Colors press statement can be found here.
The full Sophian article on the meeting can be found here (1, 3).
[Last updated on October 31, 2018]