Editorial | Chapman can do better

Photo illustration by SAM ANDRUS Photo Editor

In our last editorial, we expressed our frustration with Chapman University and our resignation to individually rise above our flawed institution once we graduate. 

However, all of us, no matter what the university has been through, can appreciate Chapman at its best: the liberal arts education, the fantastic facilities, the tight-knit community. We have hope for the things that are important to us; we want to see them improve. 

“We are a collection of 12,000 people from all parts of American society, so we reflect what American society is,” President Daniele Struppa told The Panther Aug. 17. “We reflect the racist side of society; we reflect the bigotry side of society.”

Perhaps the most patriotic way to celebrate America is to reflect on how it can be refined. Conversely, as Chapman is a microcosm of America with its flaws and freedoms, being proud to be a Panther often means reflecting on how Chapman can do better. 

Under intense scrutiny from the media, the students, the faculty and the staff, we’ve found ourselves at a crossroads. To the left, the institution can easily call out law professor John Eastman’s opinion on birthright citizenship as racist and receive a standing ovation for doing so. To the right, the institution can resign itself to blame free speech for its lack of public condemnation. 

Struppa is walking a tightrope trying to appease all parties and constituents aligned with the university. Deans of Chapman’s individual schools are balancing communication with both the larger senior staff and the students by reshaping or adding to their programs. This is what we as students don’t, or can’t, always see. From long-time conservative donors to high school seniors interested in Chapman, thousands of fragile alliances can be shattered at this moment in time.

In Struppa’s campus-wide email Aug. 19, he noted the actions multiple colleges within the university are taking to improve our campus’ diversity and inclusion. To name a few, some achievements include an increasing number of student acceptances from diverse backgrounds, film and lecture series on the significance of race, scholarships, outreach programs for underrepresented communities and the hiring of more BIPOC faculty.

In some cases, these actions may certainly be performative. Yet, it shows our calls for reform aren’t falling on deaf ears. These aren’t just empty apologies for past wrongs, or vague promises to become more proactive on issues students care about.

Of course, the items in Struppa’s email are not enough. In order to increase trust and transparency with the student body, a laundry list doesn’t entirely demonstrate long-term commitment. What does demonstrate devotion is providing concrete benchmarks, dates administrators can hold themselves accountable for. Another is creating an email list for those who are interested in receiving tangible progress updates on the university’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Lastly, it’s crucial for administrators to initiate conversations with student organizations like the Black Student Union rather than those same organizations pulling all the weight. Prove to us that the current initiatives are more than just a short-term fix.

We’re all equally disappointed with the campus climate, and there’s so much more terrain we need to travel before we reach our goal. There may be more incidents of racism on campus, there will likely be disagreements along the way and it’s a given that tension will remain as we continue to push and pull. But we can agree on a couple things:

We are so much more than John Eastman. And we really, really want to see Chapman do better.