Dear Duke Parents and Family Members,
You may have received an email earlier today indicating the Duke University administration’s take on the sit-in and protest going on inside and outside the Allen building, the main administrative building on campus. Of course, many media sources will account for variations on what is going on, but the administration at Duke University represents only one side of these facts. While not every individual student and staff member has the same reasons for protesting, it is clear that the concerns go far beyond “labor”, as the University claims. Broadly speaking, we are concerned with the hostile environment and unjust working conditions that are racially coded and perpetuated by the University, especially by the three officials whom we have demanded that the University remove. This environment was precipitated by the incident in which Executive Vice President Tallman Trask III injured Shelvia Underwood by running into her with his car and using a racial slur, exposed in this article.
We have very specific demands, and intend to remain in the hallway of the Allen building as well as on Abele quad. Our protest is peaceful and nonviolent, predicated on radical compassion and love. The movement at neither location disrupts the usual function of the Allen building. What disrupts daily activities, rather, is the University’s choice to shut down the entire building when protesters occupy only a single hallway on the second floor.
The University abandoned negotiations when the students sitting in requested that workers (those who these discussions affect the most) be brought to the table. They have refused to resume the conversation until the occupiers leave the building. You can find a full account of the occupiers’ statement following these negotiations on this link. Below is a list of our demands, which are also visible outside the Allen building.
- Immediate termination of EVP Tallman Trask III, VP Kyle Cavanaugh, and PTS Director Carl DePinto.
- Full legal and medical reparations to Ms. Underwood.
- Impartial investigations into how PTS, OIE, and DUPD handled Ms. Underwood’s case, as well as on discrimination complaints from PTS employees.
- Transparent reform of Duke’s employment policies to ensure equitable treatment of sub-contracted workers.
- Transparency and community input in the recruitment and selection of Duke administrators.
- A $15/hr living wage for all Duke workers.
In its email to you, Duke University has asked you to be skeptical of what you see on social media. However, there have been incidents of the University attempting to restrict media access on campus, even while allowing press conferences that the administration directly arranges and controls. This has potentially deprived the movement of “legitimate” press. Therefore, social media is one of the only trustworthy methods for student protesters and activists to disseminate information and share their narratives. Therefore, we ask that you please engage with the DSWS Facebook page for more information about what we stand for.
Sincerely,
Duke Students and Workers in Solidarity
Duke Students & Workers in Solidarity 