Weeks after Black students nationwide received anonymous racist texts, faculty members say that the University’s response is being limited by Senate Bill 129, as some call for a public statement.
SB129, a law that restricts university funding for diversity, equity and inclusion programs and restricts discussion of “divisive topics” on college campuses, went into effect Oct. 1, just a month before students reported receiving the texts on Nov. 6.
Since the texts were sent, the University has gone without a public statement addressing the text messages beyond statements sent directly to the news media, and it has not sent an institution-wide email or posted a statement on social media.
This comes even as Black students say the event is just one in a line of racist incidents they have faced at the Capstone, and as other universities, such as Clemson University, have publicly addressed the texts on social media.
Matthew Hudnall, associate professor of management information systems and president of the Faculty Senate, called the texts “absolutely horrendous.”
“No person of any race, religion, political affiliation, etcetera, no one, deserves to receive bigoted messages like that,” Hudnall said.
Hudnall said that the University should be a “safe and inviting environment for all,” and that as such the Faculty Senate, an advisory body to the University, decided to issue a statement expressing solidarity with students.
“There is no place for hatred or harassment targeting Alabama students, and we unequivocally condemn such acts,” the statement reads. “We are educators because we are committed to supporting students by creating safe, healthy learning environments where students can develop substantive knowledge and professional skills.“
The statement added that in addition to the Office of Student Care and Well-Being, faculty members are available to speak with students “harmed directly or indirectly” by the messages.
“We are confident that we can build a better future for this campus and work together to build a stronger community,” the statement concluded.
To Hudnall, work toward that better future begins with collaboration between students, faculty, staff and University administration.
“We have to set our ethics and standards as an institution, and we have to abide by those and whenever possible, voice what is and is not tolerable,” Hudnall said. He suggested that this come through consistent messaging with University-wide collaboration denouncing bigotry.
Deidre Simmons, executive director of communications for the University, said in an email statement that the University administration received the Faculty Senate statement and “appreciated their support of our students and community.” When asked, she did not explicitly say whether the University administration would be open to working on a joint statement with other campus leaders.
Simmons also did not explicitly give a reason for the University’s decision to not issue a statement directly to students through email or on a social media post, saying only that “It is inaccurate to say the University did not publicly comment.”
“The University issued a public statement to multiple media outlets locally and across the country that expressed disgust at these racist text messages and urged those affected to contact law enforcement and utilize campus resources,” Simmons said.
Hudnall said the University might not have released a statement to students out of a potential fear of sparking further incidents of hate, and though he feels that SB129 didn’t stop the University from sending a statement, other professors feel differently.
“Pre-Oct. 1, we could make a statement. We could also create programming to educate people not to reproduce these kinds of actions,” said Nirmala Erevelles, program chair and professor of social and cultural studies in education in the College of Education. “Now we can’t, or we are interpreting it as if we can’t.”
Similar to Hudnall, she said the University administration, students, faculty and staff have a “responsibility” to stand up for students and release a positive statement declaring what the institution stands for, such as intolerance of bigotry, hate speech and harassment.
The exact specifics of whether the University could make such a statement, and what that statement would look like, are unclear, Erevelles said. It’s part of what she believes is a purposeful “chilling effect” of the law.
This chilling effect has created a sense of fear among faculty members and University officials about condemning hate, said Sara McDaniel, a professor of special education in the College of Education and director for the Center for Interconnected Behavioral and Mental Health Systems.
McDaniel said that she joined efforts to write a message to education students that condemned the texts, but not all faculty members wanted their names attached to the statement.
McDaniel said University employees are potentially being “unnecessarily careful,” and that this fear is especially pronounced among non-tenured employees, whose actions could cost them tenure in the future.
But what is unsaid “speaks volumes,” McDaniel said, and though she believes like Hudnall and Erevelles that the University cares about students, she remains uncertain whether the University is truly prioritizing student interests. The University has previously said the safety and well-being of the campus community is its “absolute priority.”
As students deal with the racist texts, they must also adapt to other changes brought about by SB129.
The law’s effects have been wide-reaching, prompting the shuttering of the UA division of DEI, the Black Student Union’s dedicated office, and the Safe Zone Resource Center for the LGBTQ+ community and allies.
This trend is “troubling,” Erevelles said, as Black students must face the fear stoked by the text messages without the “safe spaces” they normally would have, specifically the BSU office and Safe Zone Resource Center.
“We are assuring students, ‘You are safe,’” Erevelles said of the UA community’s response to the texts. “It’s kind of contradictory that we took away the two safe zones that we have on campus.”
Hudnall suggested that moving forward, campus groups and administration work together to create events that open dialogue in which people confront their differences, but he said such efforts might be slowed down as a result of SB129.
Similarly, Erevelles urged the UA community to reinstate “safe spaces” for minority students that are open to all students and comply with SB129.
She said it was troubling that the University administration had not yet issued a positive statement directly to students explaining what the institution stands for.
“I’m not asking for radicality,” Erevelles said. “I’m just asking for reassurance.”
