Last week on Twitter, an account affiliated with Ball State University posted a video that showed the campus police responding to a call from a white male professor. Shaheen Borna, a marketing professor, called to complain about an African-American male student who refused to move to a seat closer in front of the classroom. The student, Sultan Benson, can be heard off screen explaining his refusal to change seats: “My laptop is …charging,” he says in a fearful tone. “I was scared I was gone get shot, I was gone get tased, get beat, arrested. I didn’t know,” stated Benson to news reporters in a video posted by CNN.
The officers gave him the option either to move his seat or to leave the class, which Benson then protests. In the last half of the video, one officer is seen asking the class if Benson has been “disruptive”, which numerous students immediately come to his defense and answer no. The video ends with the officer telling Benson to “Take it up with the Dean” and to grab his backpack.
The now viral video has sparked outrage, especially on Ball State’s campus, with students protesting and asking Borna to retire. They have also demanded “diversity and conflict training, according to The Chicago Tribune. The professor has since emailed an apology to the class, including Sultan Benson. The President of Ball State, Geoffrey S. Mearns, called Borna’s actions a “gross error of judgment” and an “unwarranted reaction” in a letter to the student body obtained by the Daily Mail. According to the student, this is not the first time Borna has done or said something insensitive. “He says a bunch of off the wall things,” Benson states. “He’s stuck in the past.”
Racist incidents seem to be common in many PWI’s (Predominately White Institutions). Recently, Colby has had its own issues of racism on campus. During the first week of January, a student reported an incident where a group of white males were shouting the “n” word in his dorm’s common room. The school has since released an email stating that someone has claimed responsibility and will be disciplined.
What is alarming to me is these issues continually occur and people repeatedly speak up about incidents where they have been racially discriminated against, yet little is being done. I do applaud Ball State, as well as Colby, for releasing letters and emails addressing the situation. However, I would love for the administration both at Colby and at other institutions to become more involved in the work needed in order to make campuses more inclusive. There should be zero tolerance policies for discrimination of any kind, and it should be announced that repercussions are guaranteed for both faculty and students who wish to violate those rules. This will give the impression to minority students that we are seen and being heard when we speak out about our experiences with bias. I can’t say it enough: it is imperative that PWIs take extra care of students of color. There is a major difference between an institution stating that it is inclusive and an institution taking action to ensure its inclusivity. As a black woman at Colby, I can firmly say that I do not feel included.