Students held a peaceful sit-in in the main lobby of Whitmore Administration Building on March 24, following a rally on the steps of the Student Union where some speakers warned that actions are being considered that would leave activists facing possible arrest. Several students attended a March 27 civil disobedience workshop held in Earthfoods Caf , while another group met with members of the Board of Trustees, including the panel's chair, Robert Karam, in a March 25 closed session. Scott has maintained that the changes in admissions practices, which administration officials have said were made in response to the possibility of legal action, will be carried out. He added in a statement issued following the March 24 rally that there would not be a moratorium on the implementation of the changes, which several opponents have suggested as an alternative while the issue is debated. The chancellor said, however, that the time had come for all groups to work together to move the campus forward.
Students have a right to express their concern and disagreement with the administration's decisions.
That is to be expected in a public institution. Support for the openness of the discussion was seconded by Karam, in an interview a few days after his visit to campus to meet with Scott and student leaders. I know it is the full intention of the campuses, the trustees and the President's Office to do everything we can in this new reality to reach out to, retain and graduate a diverse student body. Karam also said that he would be returning to campus next week, and is scheduled to speak to the Faculty Senate during its meeting on April 8. Karam said that he was impressed with the emotion and the passion that were expressed by students at the meeting, and that he hoped his visit had been a step towards having the trustees earn the students' trust.