LMU Responses to Community Demands

Note that this section’s responses will not include links to the strategic plan due to the nature of establishing solidarity between the efforts of different student groups.  University responses, however, are still provided.

1. The #BlackatLMU demands must be met in their entirety
   The university leadership has been engaged in dialogue with leaders and members of #BlackatLMU since June 2020, reporting where progress has been made in relation to the #BlackatLMU demands, and noting areas where university actions will not be taken, along with the reason.
   
   
2. The creation and staffing of a DREAM Center at LMU
   The university will be addressing this issue through the creation of a working group to examine how LMU may update the support services offered to undocumented students in light of the change of the U.S. administration. The idea of a DREAM Center will be considered, along with other alternatives that may strengthen undocumented student support while addressing broader student population concerns, especially for the Latinx community. Any concerns or ideas that APISC brings to this group’s attention will be welcome.
   
   
3. Acknowledgment and fulfillment of the demands of student athletes
   The university takes seriously student complaints made about their experience on campus, including their treatment as student-athletes. Investigations are currently underway and the university’s Bias Incident Response Team (BIRT) has met and confirmed that all university processes and protocols are being followed. The university will wait until the investigation is complete and recommendations have been made before taking action. 

The university consists of many different offices, with services and support offered to students, faculty, and staff in different ways.  The university is more than a statement from its top leader, and also includes the actions and words of all its different parts.  The university values its API students, desires to be inclusive of API voices in important discussions and to provide clear explanations, as appropriate and possible, for its actions.  We support APISC’s desire for consistent communication and transparency regarding API student data and decisions. 

1. The Administration of Loyola Marymount University release an apology for the year-long complacency and delayed acknowledgment of anti-Asian sentiment
   LMU renounces all forms of anti-Asian hate and violence against members of its diverse communities which represent a wide range of cultures, languages, immigration histories, and experiences of trauma, including trauma associated with intersections between API ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, and national origin. Anti-Asian sentiment has been recognized and acknowledged by different units and individuals in the university, including through university-wide columns or contributions (April 2020; February 2021; April 2021), a webpage, and college/school-based special events, in addition to President Snyder’s formal statement. The university administration consists of many leaders, not just its top leader, and has neither been silent nor complacent in this regard.
        
2. A concrete plan of action to address all the demands in this statement
   The university’s concrete plan of action is embodied in its strategic plan. The president has made broad commitments in the areas of hiring, climate and culture, and education, which will form the contours of university-wide outcomes. The APISC demands will be evaluated in light of these three commitment areas and will be used to inform the strategic plan. While a space for including student consultation as part of the design of the implementation has not yet been created, we commit to doing so, to enable students from different groups, including APISC, to engage in shaping the implementation plan. By the end of May 2021, we will return to APISC and other student affinity groups, with a specific plan for engagement.
   
   
3. The definition, expansion, and clarification of LMU’s hate speech policy
   LMU is committed to educating the LMU community about our collective responsibility to create an environment that renounces hate speech, and to supporting students as they report their experiences of discrimination or bias. As part of its mission, the university is committed to building campus capacity to be inclusive and welcoming of all its members.
   
   LMU has the following policies and procedures in place that address APISC concerns: LMU’s Freedom of Expression policy expresses the university’s commitment to protecting students’ right to freedom of expression, as well as its commitment to an inclusive, equitable anti-racist campus community; the non-discrimination policy that includes definitions of hate crimes and bias-motivated incidents; as well as a process for reporting discriminatory harassment. These tensions are difficult to manage, and the university must be intentional about its efforts to do so. Hate speech cuts deeply against LMU community norms and the university mission and will not be tolerated. Student Affairs regularly engages students and staff in dialogues and programming around this issue and will continue to do so.
   
   Tag:  Climate and Culture (recognition and responsiveness)
   
   
4. The disaggregation of student admissions data and statistics
   The university leadership has charged a working group to provide recommendations for the identification, collection, sharing, and dissemination of disaggregated data. Following the DEI Data Working Group recommendations, a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) dashboard will be developed to facilitate sharing of DEI information and promote equity-oriented decision-making at LMU. The group has been meeting bi-weekly since early November to address a range of questions for how to create variables, including those identified by APISC, as well as how to standardize data collection across different campus-based surveys. The group expects to make its recommendations before the end of the spring 2021 semester.  Once the system is fully operational, all campus data will have the flexibility to be disaggregated, including student admissions data.

   UPDATE Spring 2023: Data was collected that will be used to inform the creation of more inclusive data definitions, beyond IPEDS categories. Additionally, Westchester student and faculty dashboards went live on March 30, 2023.

   Tag:  Community (representation)

5. Acknowledge that these demands are living and breathing.
   The university recognizes that the concerns of different constituencies will shift over time and does not view any conversation, dialogue or set of concerns or demands as ever complete or fully addressed.
   
   
6. Meetings to communicate with the admin
   APISC students are invited to meet with the vice president for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to engage in regular dialogue around follow up to student demands. An invitation to meet with the VP for Human Resources to address concerns around HR transparency will be sent out, in coordination with APISC. In order that the president and provost may hear directly from students, an initial session with APISC student leaders will also be scheduled. However, as the university returns to in-person status and figures out its way through the pandemic response, we will identify ways for student leaders and university leadership to find ways to work together towards common goals, in which student demands are clearly reflected and echoed in the university strategic plan, so that the university may have a coordinated approach – with accompanying allocated resources, identification of metrics, and plan for accountability – to ensure that these community concerns are recognized. The university will commit to meeting with student leaders representing different groups and constituencies before the end of the semester, to identify a path forward for student voice, inclusion, and engagement in the implementation of the strategic plan.  
   
   Tag:  Community (representation); Climate and Culture (recognition and responsiveness)

Responses to this section are based on the 2020-21 LMU Equity Scorecard data.

1. The expansion of API faculty and staff
   While there may be five faculty members listed on the AAAS Department website, many other API faculty also contribute courses to the Asian American experience at LMU with coursework often cross-listed with AAAS, but based in other departments. While we agree that there is a clear need and presidential commitment to increase the number and proportion of faculty of color, we do not agree that white professors, or professors of any race/ethnic background, are automatically disqualified from teaching content of courses related to cultures outside their own by virtue of their race/ethnic background. All professors teach courses according to their disciplinary training and expertise and contribute to the curriculum accordingly. According to the 2020-21 LMU Equity Scorecard data, the representation of API tenure-track faculty (16.5 percent API for women tenure-track faculty; 13.3 percent API for men tenure-track faculty) is higher than the proportion of API students (9.6 percent API women; 9.8 percent API men).  This representation, however, does not consider the range of cultures represented under the API umbrella, so until the university has disaggregated data, it is not currently possible to assess whether the particular composition of LMU API faculty also represent the range of API cultures, as well.

   Tag:  Community (representation)

2. More diversity in higher administration
   In June 2021, the President’s Cabinet will be 25 percent non-white, all representing members of different API groups. The cabinet, however, needs to be more diverse, especially with respect to greater Black and Latinx representation. On the other hand, there are few API Board of Regents and Board of Trustees members, so the API representation on LMU’s governing boards is an area that can be strengthened. 
   
   Tag:  Community (representation)
   
   
3. More transparency about the Human Resources department
   OIA will host a conversation (to be scheduled before the end of the spring 2021 semester) between student leaders of different coalitions and affinity groups with the vice president of Human Resources to respond to questions about HR operations and to engage around student concerns.  
    
   
   
4. API representation within Student Psychological Services
   Addressing the mental health concerns of the LMU student community – especially as everyone returns to campus after an extended year of remote studies and social distancing – is a major priority for Student Affairs, of which Student Psychological Services is an important component. Currently, SPS consists of seven permanent staff, along with three post-docs and two part-time staff. Out of the 12 full- and part-time staff available, two are API (16 percent), while six are white, three are Latinx, and one is Black; in sum, 50 percent of the total staff include staff of color. One position is being advertised for an additional staff member who can assist students in addressing the trauma of racism, especially anti-Black racism. The demographics of students utilizing SPS roughly matches staff characteristics. For instance, in 2019 API students made up about 12 percent of all the students who visited SPS. All students are able to ask for a person of color to work with them if they so choose, but the majority of students who do express any therapist preference at all, tend to ask for a therapist by gender. The SPS director, Dr. Kristin Linden, will closely monitor the utilization of services by students, especially in this upcoming year, and will recommend any needed changes to the SVP of Student Affairs.
   
   UPDATE Spring 2023: SPS currently has a diverse staff, including the recent hire of a Black female therapist. All other updates from the last two years still holds true. We have also added a new tele-mental healt option – Student Psychological Services (SPS) introduced tele-mental health for all of our undergraduate and graduate and professional students. In addition to the in-person services already provided by SPS, students can now seek virtual services at no additional cost to the student. Students can select a therapist from a diverse pool and schedule an appointment in 48 hours or less. Student can also utilize a Chat Now feature, available 24/7/365 for crisis conversations. Students have been very satisfied with the services they have received from TimelyCare, are able to speak with therapists in the evening and on weekends. We have also been able to reduce the number of students waiting for in-person appointments.
   
   Tag:  Climate and Culture (Recognition and Responsiveness)
   
   
5. Job Security for API staff and faculty
   LMU highly values its staff and faculty, without who it would not be possible to achieve excellence as a university, and strives to create a climate and culture in which all members of the campus community are able to thrive. Faculty, especially tenured faculty, have full academic freedom to discuss and raise issues as they wish, including matters of racial representation.  While LMU takes seriously any charge of discrimination, harassment, or other forms of misconduct in the workplace, it does not, and cannot, make any guarantees about how individual members may feel about the perceived psychological safety of their environment.  

   Overall, there are a robust number of API faculty members in tenure-track positions at LMU, but these may not be reflective of the full range of cultural backgrounds that fall under the broad API category. Further, representation of API faculty can be strengthened in particular college/schools and programs. Disaggregated data will be able to help the university ascertain areas where greater representation and API expertise would be particularly helpful. 

   With respect to the needs of international faculty, these are addressed through HR. LMU pays for the costs associated with the faculty/staff member’s Non-Immigrant Visa and PERM processes. This includes attorney's fees, costs of advertising for the position if required, and filing fees. There are at times costs outside the normal process (expediting cases, dependent sponsorship) that are paid by the faculty/staff member. 

   Finally, while we recognize that some international faculty are from Asia, we also recognize the complication in conflating the needs of international faculty with API community concerns.  That is, we not wish to inadvertently perpetuate stereotypes of API community members as “perpetual foreigners” by our approach to these issues.
   
   UPDATE Spring 2023: Spring 2023: LMU has a long standing practice of funding non-immigrant and green card processing if not 100% then in a significant way. This includes attorney and processing fees. J1 Visas are handled through OISS. Historically we have only a few JA Visa holders.

   Tag:  Community (Representation)

1. Suspend all live attendance policies and require the recording of lectures by April 13th until LMU resumes in-person classes at 100 percent capacity.
   All faculty are highly encouraged by their departments and deans to be flexible to the needs of students, particularly international students, during this pandemic extended period of remote learning. OISS reports that this year, three of the top 10 countries of enrollment were in Asia, including China, Indonesia, and India. As APISC notes, differences in time zones present formidable obstacles for class participation for international students. In consulting with OISS, staff report that international students have exhibited great resilience in working in partnership with their faculty to make arrangements for their classes. We encourage international students to continue to talk with OISS regarding any challenges associated with these issues.

   Policies for classes during the pandemic are developed by an Academic Affairs Implementation Group. With multiple constituencies and shared governance processes in place, particularly around academic policy matters, there are no universal requirements for course attendance policies. Each college/school also has its own culture around live attendance policies. Given the limited time remaining to enact any changes in policy, this demand is neither feasible nor advisable this semester. At the same time, the principle underlying the demand – responsiveness to the needs of international students and/or students studying under remote learning conditions – is important to the university in creating an equitable, responsive educational experience for students.
   
   UPDATE Spring 2023: Completed. 

   Tag:  Education (High Impact Practices)
   
   
2. The expansion of API courses
   

   The AAAS curriculum is under the purview of the AAAS faculty and the expansion of the department from additional faculty lines results from discussions between the AAAS faculty and the BCLA dean, not the university. The BCLA dean has been highly supportive of the needs of all Ethnic Studies departments at LMU, including AAAS.
    
   LMU has many courses on Asia, the Pacific, and Asian America throughout the university. Melody Rodari, Chris Chapple, Karen Enriquez, Amir Hussain, Arnab Banerji, Tyler Harlan, Meng Li, among many others, are some of the most respected and promising scholars in the country who work on various parts of Asia and the Pacific, not just East Asia. Nonetheless, faculty who contribute to East Asia and/or Asian American issues from different disciplinary perspectives (and who are not based in AAAS) are also important to recognize, including Constance Chen, Nadia Kim, Yu Li, Stella Oh, Gene Park, Ying Sai, Sung Won Sohn, Eric Haruki Swanson, and Paul Vu, S.J., among others.  Thus, while AAAS is an important center of coursework and scholarship for API students, there are multiple faculty and disciplines that express LMU’s commitment to teaching and research in this area of intellectual inquiry.

   Tag:  Education (Intellectual Work and Creative Activity)
   
   
3. Address anticommunist and sinophobic rhetoric in curriculums
   The Faculty Senate, University Core Curriculum Committee, as well as academic departments and programs across the university are committed to offering an education that takes racism and all forms of oppression very seriously. Further, the faculty and faculty processes have responsibility for the curriculum and content of their courses, rather than university leadership. If students hear rhetoric that is anti-Chinese in nature, they should alert the dean of their school or college. Note also that some colleges/schools have also hosted events that specifically address anti-Asian violence, independently of the curriculum offered by departments.
   
   Tag:  Education (Decolonizing Curriculum and Co-Curriculum)
   
   
4. Expanding wider API language courses.
   The Modern Languages and Literatures Department (MDLL) is open to requests to offer languages other than what are being offered in the current curriculum. However, there has to be sufficient student interest and enrollment to be able to offer such courses and, in the absence of a university language requirement, it is highly challenging to offer a wider range of languages. For instance, Tagalog used to be offered in the MDLL curriculum, but low enrollments over time made this option unsustainable. Developing a minor or major program in any area is strongly influenced by student enrollment and interest and cannot be offered simply in response to a stated request or demand. Students always have the option of taking a class in a language that is not offered in the department through LMU extension, Study Abroad programs, and/or at other institutions. Students are encouraged to contact the MDLL program for assistance and advising.
   
   Tag:  Education (Intellectual Work and Creative Activity)

1. Include APSS events in LMU Communications line
   APSS will be working with MarComm and the Student Affairs Programming Collaborative to address this issue so that APSS events are amplified. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is collaborating with faculty/staff affinity groups to highlight issues during their respective heritage months. During the month of May, the Anti-Racism Project column in LMU this Week will focus on API issues, in close partnership with the Asian American Pacific Islander Faculty Staff Association (AAPIFSA), just as it featured Black History Month (February) and Women’s History Month (March) this year.
   
   Tag:  Climate and Culture (Elevate DEI)
   
   
2. Separate Lunar New Year from the basketball game
   In the future, APSS will work with student leaders to ensure that this event exists independently outside of LMU Athletics.  In addition, the diversity of ways with which different API cultures celebrate this holiday will be acknowledged and honored.
   
   Tag: Climate and Culture (Recognition and Responsiveness)

1. Create both need-based and merit-based scholarships dedicated specifically towards API undergraduate students and graduate students.
   

   All domestic students are considered for both need-based and merit based aid. Low-income API students receive LMU grants and any merit aid for which they may be eligible. API transfer students are also eligible for the full range of assistance.   

   At this time, the only scholarships focused on specific groups are those given by the African American Alumni Association and the Latino Alumni Association. These are funded through a combination of donor support, with an incentive match by LMU. Currently, there is an API Alumni Ambassador Program, but not an Alumni Association. We will engage University Advancement and Alumni and Parent Engagement to identify what it will take to grow the API Alumni Ambassador program into an Alumni Association. 

   Tag:  Community (Resources and Retention)

2. Create an APAM scholarship for students
   The existence of an ASPA, but not APAM, scholarship reflects the merger of these two programs into a single department. The ASPA Laffin Scholarship comes from the Laffin Trust; it was established in 1991 and is awarded to outstanding students who major or minor in Asian and Pacific Studies at LMU. At the time of its establishment, there was no APAM program, so the award is not inclusive of APAM studies. In order to establish an endowed scholarship, a benefactor needs to be willing to fund it. In the meantime, we will investigate the possibility of working with the trust to inquire whether the Laffin award may be extended to cover all AAAS, not only ASPA.

3. Give APSS and API-affiliated RSOs more monetary support for major cultural holidays, API Overnight, and API heritage month.
   The funding for API-affiliated registered student organizations (RSOs) comes from the Student Activities Fee Allocation Board (SAFAB), governed by students serving on its Advisory Board and ASLMU. Funding is governed by the Advisory Board and is capped for each RSO. There are also SAFAB caps on funding provided for any single event. Cultural RSOs are can discuss their funding needs with the SAFAB Advisory Board or discuss their funding concerns with Student Leadership Development.

   The Funding for API Overnight comes from a different source, Admission/Enrollment Management, while the APSS budget is set by EIS and Student Affairs. For the next fiscal year, the student programming budget for APSS and other EIS offices will be reviewed by EIS, with recommendations to be provided to the broader Student Affairs division, as appropriate. Note: Finally, given the timing of commencement, there are usually no student activities planned for API Heritage Month (May), although there are weekly planned communications specifically oriented towards API Heritage Month. 
   
   Tag:  Community (Resources and Retention)

4. Ensure that 40 percent of SAFAB funds go to RSOs dedicated to marginalized communities, such as Queer Film Club, Na Kolea, BSU, etc.
   RSOs are funded by SAFAB, including support for RSO programming. Criteria for requesting funds are clearly stated and can be obtained from Student Leadership and Development (SLD) or from ASLMU. If RSOs do not receive the amount they requested, the SAFAB committee provides a rationale as to why the full amount was not provided. The SAFAB committee has been intentional about its commitment to equity and inclusion in decisions related to cultural RSO support and is currently compiling data on its funding distribution, but ASLMU distributes funds based on fees collected from all students. Cultural RSOs are invited to connect with ASLMU to advocate for the redistribution of SAFAB funds or to discuss SAFAB funding with Student Leadership Development, since any change in this procedure begins with ASLMU.

5. Give EIS and APSS a larger budget without withdrawing funds from staff income and student programming.
   Budget decisions for operations are not connected to budgets for salary. As is the case for all campus units, the salary and operations budgets for EIS and APSS are completely separate from each other, so that funds from one type of budget are not used to support actions in another. As in No. 3 above, for the next fiscal year, the student programming budget for APSS and other EIS offices will be reviewed by EIS, with recommendations to be provided to the broader Student Affairs division, as appropriate. The director of APSS and associate director of Student Leadership and Development are available to provide APISC with more general information related to this demand.

6. Create more T-work positions and merit-based and need-based scholarships dedicated specifically for international students
   Funding for international students is limited, with applicants required to demonstrate that they are able to pay for their LMU education prior to their arrival. The admission office is fully transparent with international students through this process. While the creation of significant scholarships for international students is not part of the university plan, we agree that more T-work opportunities need to be created for international students. Such opportunities would serve to acknowledge and support their contributions on campus and potential shifts in their financial circumstances. Providing T-work funding opportunities is especially important in circumstances where international students would not otherwise be eligible for high-impact practices that may benefit their educational experience at LMU. The university will increase T-work opportunities for international students.

   Tag:  Education (High Impact Practices); Community (Resources and Retention)

7. Give API staff and faculty a higher pay
   Pay is not determined by race/ethnicity. The university maintains job classifications, salary grades, and salary ranges for each position on campus. Staff positions are evaluated using set work criteria including scope, complexity, level of independent judgment required, managerial expectations, requisite qualifications (education and experience) and then, based on these criteria, are assigned a classification. Faculty positions are assigned a salary range based upon academic discipline. Both faculty and staff salary ranges are then periodically benchmarked against market data to ensure competitiveness. When indicated by these data, actual salaries are then reviewed and when appropriate, corresponding market adjustments may be made. 

   Tag:  Community (Resources and Retention)