Marquette postpones New Student Convocation due to student demonstration

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

If you go throughout the university one would find short staffed departments. It’s a reality in higher Ed right now. My employer has 80 empty positions throughout the campus departments. Having to wait to get an appointment is not racism and MU has shown effort to address these grievances and shortcomings, but it’s never enough.

Moved my daughter into UVM yesterday.  She was told Saturday move ins we're not happening this year due to staffing so the wife and I hear to take Friday off

[mu_hilltopper]

I suppose some data would be good:

https://employment.marquette.edu/postings/search

153 openings at MU .. 103 staff + 50 faculty.

2 positions are open (posted June 10th and Aug 9th) for Black/African initiatives.   One wonders if these two positions had been filled before the protest, would there have been a protest?

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

So we’re admitting we don’t know if there are legitimate concerns, but we’re going to slam the minorities for wining because they’ll never have enough? Interesting viewpoint.

Exactly.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Right.  And we don't disagree.  I think my main question is .. Has there been a time when a diverse student asked for assistance/tutoring/support/counselling and was told, sorry: no.

Sure, maybe there's a line, maybe they need to make an appointment.  And sure, if wait times are 3+ days, ok, that's a problem.   I would bet the farm that's not the case, and any student, regardless of color, can get help in a reasonable timeframe.

So .. what's the protest about, again?

Yeah that’s not really a good way to judge “support.”  It’s a little more proactive than that these days.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

To follow this up, there is a lot more early intervention these days. Schools use programs to track everything from class attendance, to grade, to code of conduct...to even things like meal usage and failing to show up for a student group meeting.  The goal is to identify students really early who might be in trouble. Professors, RAs, student employers, etc. are expected to be WAY more proactive than they were in our day.  Very often the people who intervene for underrepresented students are those from the office that these students are protesting over.

If that work has even a 1% impact on retention, you are talking about a low to mid six figure impact on the University's budget.  On to of that, they plan programming, accept appointments, etc.

Again, I have no idea what the staffing situation is at Marquette. But if you are going to recruit a significant number of underrepresented students, you are going to have to ramp up programming to make sure they are retained. As an admissions friend of mine once said, without it you are heating the house while keeping the windows open.

[jesmu84]

More is never enough?

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

More is never enough?

Well of course at some point it is. But again I have no idea if MU is at that point or not.

[Lennys Tap]

More is never enough?

Human nature and experience say “true”.

[Macallan 18]

Kimo and Company dropping the ban hammer on the disruptive students. Maybe they should become Scoop moderators.

Some students have to pay a fine of $300, write an apology letter, complete 20 hours of community service and write an educational program on the demonstration policy. If a student is placed on probation, they will likely have to step down from any leadership role.

https://marquettewire.org/4082040/news/convocation-consequences/

There was a student walk in support of the students this afternoon.

The Provost released this in response -
https://today.marquette.edu/2022/09/a-message-on-campus-climate-from-provost-ah-yun/

[rocket surgeon]

The Marquette University Police Department was present at the demonstration. This led to confusion about whether the police were called on the demonstration or not.

University spokesperson Kevin Conway said since the convocation is a larger event, MUPD was already planned to attend the event.

“I think it’s nothing from the usual that Marquette does,” Teresa Godinez, a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences and MUSG legislative vice president said. “We came here peacefully demonstrating and protesting and here they call the police. We didn’t do anything violent so I don’t know why that was necessary and canceling the event … This isn't the end, this is just the beginning."



   so what if MUPD was present.  maybe that was part of the reason the demonstration was as peaceful as it was reported.  teresa godinez seems to take offense at this but states that "it's nothing unusual that MU does".  so what's the big deal?  if all hell breaks out for whatever reason, the same people who would question why MU wasn't prepared to protect or keep the area safe.  so many things could have gone wrong, but thankfully did not as far as i am aware. 

  for me, i would have welcomed the fact that security was present AND if this is just the beginning, they better expect at least the same amount of security if not more.  the veiled threat as it seems, kind of encourages MU to be proactive for the protection of ALL involved.  kudos to MU for getting that part right

[Hards Alumni]

The Marquette University Police Department was present at the demonstration. This led to confusion about whether the police were called on the demonstration or not.

University spokesperson Kevin Conway said since the convocation is a larger event, MUPD was already planned to attend the event.

“I think it’s nothing from the usual that Marquette does,” Teresa Godinez, a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences and MUSG legislative vice president said. “We came here peacefully demonstrating and protesting and here they call the police. We didn’t do anything violent so I don’t know why that was necessary and canceling the event … This isn't the end, this is just the beginning."



   so what if MUPD was present.  maybe that was part of the reason the demonstration was as peaceful as it was reported.  teresa godinez seems to take offense at this but states that "it's nothing unusual that MU does".  so what's the big deal?  if all hell breaks out for whatever reason, the same people who would question why MU wasn't prepared to protect or keep the area safe.  so many things could have gone wrong, but thankfully did not as far as i am aware. 

  for me, i would have welcomed the fact that security was present AND if this is just the beginning, they better expect at least the same amount of security if not more.  the veiled threat as it seems, kind of encourages MU to be proactive for the protection of ALL involved.  kudos to MU for getting that part right

Stick to teeth. 

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Kimo and Company dropping the ban hammer on the disruptive students. Maybe they should become Scoop moderators.

https://marquettewire.org/4082040/news/convocation-consequences/

There was a student walk in support of the students this afternoon.

The Provost released this in response -
https://today.marquette.edu/2022/09/a-message-on-campus-climate-from-provost-ah-yun/

I wondered if MU would take this route. While almost all universities including private ones guarantee first amendment rights including right to protest, they do have a limited ability to control when and where protests happen. Almost every university has some version of a "disruptive activity" rule which is there to keep a protest from happening in the middle of a class. I think using this rule to protect convocation is a legally safe one. I wasn't sure if MU would use it because sometimes punishing protesters can cause a public backlash and some universities decide it's not worth the headache.

The Marquette University Police Department was present at the demonstration. This led to confusion about whether the police were called on the demonstration or not.

University spokesperson Kevin Conway said since the convocation is a larger event, MUPD was already planned to attend the event.

“I think it’s nothing from the usual that Marquette does,” Teresa Godinez, a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences and MUSG legislative vice president said. “We came here peacefully demonstrating and protesting and here they call the police. We didn’t do anything violent so I don’t know why that was necessary and canceling the event … This isn't the end, this is just the beginning."



   so what if MUPD was present.  maybe that was part of the reason the demonstration was as peaceful as it was reported.  teresa godinez seems to take offense at this but states that "it's nothing unusual that MU does".  so what's the big deal?  if all hell breaks out for whatever reason, the same people who would question why MU wasn't prepared to protect or keep the area safe.  so many things could have gone wrong, but thankfully did not as far as i am aware. 

  for me, i would have welcomed the fact that security was present AND if this is just the beginning, they better expect at least the same amount of security if not more.  the veiled threat as it seems, kind of encourages MU to be proactive for the protection of ALL involved.  kudos to MU for getting that part right

You know that MU secrurity there because they have security at all large events right? They didn't call security because of the protest.

[dgies9156]

To follow this up, there is a lot more early intervention these days. Schools use programs to track everything from class attendance, to grade, to code of conduct...to even things like meal usage and failing to show up for a student group meeting.  The goal is to identify students really early who might be in trouble. Professors, RAs, student employers, etc. are expected to be WAY more proactive than they were in our day.  Very often the people who intervene for underrepresented students are those from the office that these students are protesting over.

If that work has even a 1% impact on retention, you are talking about a low to mid six figure impact on the University's budget.  On to of that, they plan programming, accept appointments, etc.

Again, I have no idea what the staffing situation is at Marquette. But if you are going to recruit a significant number of underrepresented students, you are going to have to ramp up programming to make sure they are retained. As an admissions friend of mine once said, without it you are heating the house while keeping the windows open.

Oh good God!

If a person can't handle basic daily responsibility -- eating, going to class, making grades, doing the homework -- then they truly don't belong on their own. I get there's always going to be someone who needs help but to build whole programs and intervention efforts around monitoring basic living is just a bit much.

Gosh, the nanny"state" is becoming a bit much.

[tower912]

You really need to get out more.   There are entire neighborhoods, small towns, trailer parks, where basic daily responsibilities aren't being met.   Bad parenting and lack of life skills are being passed from generation to generation.   Anything that breaks that cycle in a positive way should be celebrated.

[Uncle Rico]

You really need to get out more.   There are entire neighborhoods, small towns, trailer parks, where basic daily responsibilities aren't being met.   Bad parenting and lack of life skills are being passed from generation to generation.   Anything that breaks that cycle in a positive way should be celebrated.

Freaking boomers

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Oh good God!

If a person can't handle basic daily responsibility -- eating, going to class, making grades, doing the homework -- then they truly don't belong on their own. I get there's always going to be someone who needs help but to build whole programs and intervention efforts around monitoring basic living is just a bit much.

Gosh, the nanny"state" is becoming a bit much.

Yes, it would be better to let students pay thousands of dollars and fail rather than trying to intervene when problems first arise and direct them to resources that may help them.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

The Marquette University Police Department was present at the demonstration. This led to confusion about whether the police were called on the demonstration or not.

University spokesperson Kevin Conway said since the convocation is a larger event, MUPD was already planned to attend the event.

“I think it’s nothing from the usual that Marquette does,” Teresa Godinez, a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences and MUSG legislative vice president said. “We came here peacefully demonstrating and protesting and here they call the police. We didn’t do anything violent so I don’t know why that was necessary and canceling the event … This isn't the end, this is just the beginning."



   so what if MUPD was present.  maybe that was part of the reason the demonstration was as peaceful as it was reported.  teresa godinez seems to take offense at this but states that "it's nothing unusual that MU does".  so what's the big deal?  if all hell breaks out for whatever reason, the same people who would question why MU wasn't prepared to protect or keep the area safe.  so many things could have gone wrong, but thankfully did not as far as i am aware. 

  for me, i would have welcomed the fact that security was present AND if this is just the beginning, they better expect at least the same amount of security if not more.  the veiled threat as it seems, kind of encourages MU to be proactive for the protection of ALL involved.  kudos to MU for getting that part right

First, I really doubt the part you highlighted in red is a veiled threat of violence.

Second, I agree with you that there is a lot of Monday morning quarterbacking here. Campus security is provided at all large events - as it should be. But this is one of the drawbacks going to a full police force versus the campus safety model.

I wondered if MU would take this route. While almost all universities including private ones guarantee first amendment rights including right to protest, they do have a limited ability to control when and where protests happen. Almost every university has some version of a "disruptive activity" rule which is there to keep a protest from happening in the middle of a class. I think using this rule to protect convocation is a legally safe one. I wasn't sure if MU would use it because sometimes punishing protesters can cause a public backlash and some universities decide it's not worth the headache.

Yeah, this was clearly within Marquette's rights to do. But my guess is that they would have gotten plenty of backlash for NOT doing something. I'm not a big fan of convocation as a concept, but it is a big deal for a lot of people. Your right to protest does not include the right to shut down a University event.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Oh good God!

If a person can't handle basic daily responsibility -- eating, going to class, making grades, doing the homework -- then they truly don't belong on their own. I get there's always going to be someone who needs help but to build whole programs and intervention efforts around monitoring basic living is just a bit much.

Gosh, the nanny"state" is becoming a bit much.

Not everyone has you as parents Dgies. I'm sure you would agree that you and your wife were instrumental to preparing your children for success in college. Not every college student has that benefit. If you don't have these types of intervention programs, the alternative is that the student fails out, while still owing tens of thousands in student loans with no degree to show for it. That is potentially setting up an already struggling individual for a lifetime of debt and put them in a position where they have to rely on government assistance programs.

IMO, the true value of college is not in the technical knowledge that gets learned in the classroom but rather that it gives young people who (for the most part) have never had to live on their own before and have always had someone else directing their life, a place to learn how to live on their own and be successful while having access to additional supports that don't exist in the real world. Theoretically, college helps take someone who may have no idea how to live on their own and launches them into the working world as a fully (or at least mostly) capable adult.

[MU82]

Kids today!

(Said every oldster, generation after generation after generation.)

[rocket surgeon]

I wondered if MU would take this route. While almost all universities including private ones guarantee first amendment rights including right to protest, they do have a limited ability to control when and where protests happen. Almost every university has some version of a "disruptive activity" rule which is there to keep a protest from happening in the middle of a class. I think using this rule to protect convocation is a legally safe one. I wasn't sure if MU would use it because sometimes punishing protesters can cause a public backlash and some universities decide it's not worth the headache.

You know that MU secrurity there because they have security at all large events right? They didn't call security because of the protest.

   tamu, i actually applaud the fact that MU had their police there as they should for any event of certain size or potential volatility.  don't know what i said that you interpreted to mean anything contrary.  don't be like hards et.al. and put me on auto argue because, well, there goes rocket again.

[rocket surgeon]

Stick to teeth.

  i don't know where you get your chutzpah from, but for a "professional" taxicab driver, you sure do think your $hit don't stink

ok reeko, i'll save you the time- 10/10 a smiley face, a squish ball and a trophy

[Uncle Rico]

  i don't know where you get your chutzpah from, but for a "professional" taxicab driver, you sure do think your $hit don't stink

ok reeko, i'll save you the time- 10/10 a smiley face, a squish ball and a trophy

This is only a 7 out of 10.  You did you use air quotes which is nice and used an expletive.  However, I’m not sure why you felt obligated to call Hards a taxicab driver, as if that’s an insult. 

[Hards Alumni]

  i don't know where you get your chutzpah from, but for a "professional" taxicab driver, you sure do think your $hit don't stink

ok reeko, i'll save you the time- 10/10 a smiley face, a squish ball and a trophy

You need an intervention.

Again, stick to teeth.

[rocket surgeon]

You need an intervention.

Again, stick to teeth.

i think you and reeko need to get a room

[Uncle Rico]

i think you and reeko need to get a room

5 out of 10