A publicly funded university held an event that excluded nonwhite students.
The University of Michigan, Dearborn, Center for Social Justice & Inclusion held a non-POC cafe as a “space for students that do not identify as persons of color to gather and to discuss their experience as students on campus and as non-POC in the world.”
The virtual cafe was held on Tuesday, and students were invited to “discuss experiences as non-persons of color and hopefully brainstorm solutions to common issues within the non-POC community.” The event was moderated by a non-POC staff member “to ensure that discussions are kept safe and respectful.”
The university apologized for the terms used to describe the event in a statement to the Washington Examiner, saying that they were “not reflective of the university’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.”
The school said the intent was to provide students from “marginalized communities a space that allowed for them to exist freely” without “harming or relying on students of color to educate them.”
The school has removed all trace of the event from its website. Most of the school’s events and classes are being held virtually amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The University of Michigan was rebuked by a judge in March, who declared the college’s Title IX policy “unconstitutional.” Judge Arthur Tarnow found the University of Michigan’s policy of withholding “any form of hearing or cross examination” in a sexual assault case was a violation of a student’s due process.
