LBC continues to focus on List of Demands

LBC is seeking to increase black faculty and minority enrollment.

By Sangeeta Shastry

Published March 9, 2009

The Legion of Black Collegians is focusing on the structure of its organization and increasing the number of minority faculty members and students as it continue to work on its List of Demands.

One of LBC's initial goals was to bring a greater minority presence to campus, such as attempting to recruit black cheerleaders onto the MU cheerleading squad or hiring more black staff members.

Two years ago, two of the major demands accomplished by the LBC included MU awarding an honorary degree for Lloyd Gaines, a black student who applied to the law school but was denied due to his skin color, and the name change of the former General Classroom Building to Arvarh E. Strickland Hall.

Now LBC's goal is to make the "black experience" on campus more productive by moving the organization forward, LBC President Anthony Martin said.

"Underway right now are harder goals, such as getting more black faculty and staff," Martin said. "We're also always trying to get enrollment up to higher amounts, trying to create equality for the LBC and other multicultural minorities on campus."

Former LBC President Jabari Turner said although past demands were concrete, LBC faces more long-term issues.

"The ones that we were able to accomplish could have been done immediately," Turner said of the Gaines honorary degree and Strickland Hall. "Today's goals are an ongoing process and are going to take years of work."

LBC Vice President Jerusha Wells agreed, emphasizing financial aid for minority students.

"For the past five or six years, many black members of the faculty have left," Martin said. "There's no one to take his place now that there's a hiring freeze."

The economic crisis and the university's hiring freeze have put strict limitations on how much the LBC can accomplish.

"The hiring freeze has complicated things," Martin said. "But we are starting off by creating a survey to ask the student body if they feel like they really need more black faculty members and their relationship with existing black faculty."

Wells said that should opportunities for hiring arise, the LBC would request the university replace the black faculty members who have left. She said student awareness and opinions are key.

"We're talking to the student body to see which demand should be tackled next," she said. "We're still working toward (the goals), but it's dependent upon campus climate. The hiring freeze is an issue."

But Wells is cautious about any alternatives the LBC might offer.

"We've been brainstorming about it but haven't come up with anything feasible," she said. "We don't want to draw any negative attention to the problem."