University of Missouri faculty members pressed Chancellor Mun Choi for answers on the future of diversity and politics at MU on Wednesday.
A question-and-answer session at the general faculty meeting pushed Choi on his decision to exclude Mizzou Students for Justice in Palestine from the Homecoming parade. Attendees also questioned the future of academic freedom after the dissolution of the university’s Division of Inclusion, Diversity and Equity.
Preserving academic freedom
The future of equity and inclusion at MU came up in several faculty questions.
The Welcome Black BBQ name change continues to be a point of concern, as one faculty member asked Choi if he had a message for Black students, faculty and staff who are losing trust in his leadership.
“We will strive continuously to be a place that is welcoming to all individuals, including Black students, faculty and staff,” Choi said. “There are strong institutions within the university that support the faculty, staff and students that are Black and African American, whether that is the Legion of Black Collegians, the Black Culture Center or the Black Studies Department.”
Choi also said he is “open” to conversations with LBC and the Black Studies Department about “a picnic that celebrates Black culture.”
Larger questions about academic freedom soon overtook the discussion. College of Education and Human Development Professor Chuck Munter asked Choi if the administration will ensure faculty aren’t pressured to change their teaching now that the IDE division is dissolved.
Munter said at least one faculty member in a majority of units has described “pressure to change aspects of their teaching or scholarship to reduce the focus on IDE-related issues,” citing conversations the Faculty Affairs Committee and the IDE Committee have facilitated with policy committees in each academic department.
Choi asked for a specific example, and in response, a professor on the College of Education’s IDE Committee said it’s considering a new name due to fears it is “not OK to have that name anymore.”
Choi said faculty have academic freedom as researchers and are able to pursue research without any interference and that the committee’s name was within the purview of the Faculty Council.
“There’s a ‘but’ though,” Choi said. “There are limits, there are restrictions. ... Pursue your research, but also understand what the restrictions are.”
“Academic freedom, rights or privileges,” Choi said, apply only within one’s academic discipline. “I think that if you are a mechanical engineering professor, talking about politics in your class — that is not within that person’s latitude in terms of his or her academic freedom.”
Homecoming parade floats
The future of political floats in the University of Missouri Homecoming parade is uncertain.
“We will be evaluating whether we will have political floats in the parade in the future,” Choi said. “We have not made any decisions yet, but we are going to evaluate it.”
Tom Warhover, the chair of MU’s Faculty Council, asked Choi about the policies behind his decision to exclude MSJP and noted that many political groups were permitted in the parade, some of which were accompanied by armed police officers.
Choi said sponsors of floats with a police presence directly requested it from the Columbia Police Department and that the university was “not aware” that would be a part of the parade.
Choi also acknowledged the lack of clear policies related to participation in the Homecoming parade, saying, “It turns out that there are not many rules around it.”
“There have not been set policies related to how you select the participants,” Choi said. “Going forward, we will be working with (the Mizzou Alumni Association) in determining what policies we need to put into place.”
MSJP applied to be in the parade in early August and said it attended all of the mandatory meetings in preparation. A few days before the parade, Choi informed the organization via email that it would not be allowed to participate.
MSJP was, in part, barred from the Homecoming parade because of “significant disturbances” that have occurred at Students for Justice in Palestine events around the country, according to Choi’s email to the organization.
At the Oct. 24 Faculty Council meeting, some expressed the need for greater transparency on the decision and on MU’s parade policies.
“It would be nice to know when there is transparency about what the policy or process looks like if there are little asterisks that there is a concern for public safety,” said Liz Harrison, a member of the Faculty Council, in October.
Choi did not discuss policies on student safety at the general faculty meeting but noted MU did not receive any information of threats of violence at the parade.