OUR DEMANDS

1. Cut ties with the Chicago police department.
Loyola University Chicago should cut all ties with the Chicago police department. The Chicago police department is known for being 17 times more likely to use excessive force than other metropolitan police forces. That does not sit well with Black students when that same police department is patrolling the campus. Various claims and reports have been made by Black students at Loyola and surrounding Rogers Park high schools (that have higher diversity rates) that Loyola-affiliated CPD has performed acts of harassment (I.E. forcing students to take our IDs, being more aggressive when engaging with Black students. etc).
Loyola University Chicago gives Chicago police officers a 25% discount for attending Loyola. Black students, who may receive a lower discount/scholarship, are paying to essentially be harassed while on campus. Loyola University claims that it is "the law under the private college campus police act" to have a partnership with the Chicago police department; however, that is not completely true. According to the private college campus act, "The board of trustees of a private college or private university, may appoint persons to be members of a campus police department." This means that CPD does not have to directly patrol our campus or work directly with Loyola's campus safety department. As long as the said person receives the required training, they are qualified to work on behalf of campus safety. Loyola could and should hire trained social workers and other qualified professionals to answer emergency calls. Chicago police department should be contacted for dire situations only.

2. Demonstrate more support to Black students and Black student organizations.
Black students are incredibly underrepresented on campus. Black student leaders have expressed feeling underrepresented, underfunded, and under-supported. We demand that the black cultural center be moved into a new, larger space, to adequately fit the needs of Black students on campus.
The following is a list of black clubs/organizations on campus:
Black Cultural Center
African Student Alliance
Afrodescent
Financial Flex
Black Graduate Student Alliance
Black Student-Athlete Alliance
B4E (Brothers for Excellence)
LUCES (Loyola University Chicago Empowering Sisterhood)
STARS (Students Together Are Reaching Success)
MAPS (Minority Association of Pre-Health Students)
Pre-Law Minority Student Association

3. Black Faculty and Staff Support.
For the Black faculty and staff that cannot protest with us due to contractual reasons, we demand that they too have a voice in these conversations. Loyola University Chicago should form a Black Faculty Union to have an organized tool for black faculty at Loyola University Chicago to be heard.
In addition, the university needs to hire more black professors and should actively seek out black professors to fill open spaces. The office of the provost of academic diversity needs to hire more black faculty members to properly function for the needs of the university.

4. Public forum with President Rooney and apology for lack of acknowledgment of Black struggles both on campus and in our world today.
We demand a public forum with President Rooney where we can discuss race-related issues and have an opportunity for Black students to share their frustrations, concerns, and desires. We demand a public, video recorded, apology from President Jo Ann Rooney for the lack of care and concern for the Black community at Loyola University Chicago, regarding her lack of a statement on Black Lives Matter and allegations from professors that President Rooney expressed in a conversation that she did not want to make a statement.

5. Public Statement from the University
We demand a public statement from Loyola University Chicago Emphasizing their full support of the Black Lives Matter movement. We demand a public statement from Loyola University Chicago emphasizing their full support of student protestors and their willingness to hear our calls to the university.

6. Formal recognition of Black History Month.
In February 2020 the student government of Loyola Chicago unanimously voted in favor of the black history month recognition resolution which formally recognizes Black History Month within the student government of Loyola Chicago. We demand that Black History Month becomes formally recognized and celebrated by Loyola University Chicago in honor of all that black people have accomplished in our school, our country, and the world.

7. Following through with the Black Cultural Centers' suggestions and recommendations.
On June 15th, 2020, the Black cultural center in partnership with other student organizations released a set of recommendations for the university. We demand that every recommendation is met to the fullest extend. We demand that the Black Cultural Center be compensated and celebrated for their free labor by providing an extensive list of opportunities for the university.

 

8. Fire Erin Moriarty, Dean of the Undergraduate Admissions Office   

On August 24th, 2020, Marcus Mason, Associate Director of Admission, Multicultural Recruitment at Loyola University Chicago penned his resignation letter. As a staff member, Mason sited many experiences, both personal and those witnessed, of racism, homophobia, and xenophobia throughout his department from the department head, Erin Moriarty. A department that is instrumental in the process of coming to Loyola should not be run by a person with bigoted values. We demand that Erin Moriarty be fired for the way she has behaved while employed as the Dean of the Undergraduate Admissions Office and per Marcus Mason's suggestion, we demand Todd Malone be promoted to Dean of the Undergraduate Admissions Office.