Past, Present, & Future: A History of BIPOC Student Support & Student-Led Protests at UVM

Authors

Nelizabeth Diaz, University of VermontFollow
Logan Henrique de Melo, University of VermontFollow
Maria Del Sol Nava, University of VermontFollow

Abstract

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University Leadership to have people in their corner that support students, representation and care for students at the university in higher level positions that could create change. There needs to be more Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) representation on this campus as a whole. Before making decisions, the institution must consult the populations that will be most affected and ask itself: are we doing more damage than helping? The goal was to look at how BIPOC students at UVM have been supported (or not) throughout the years, which includes looking at the historical context and using current student perspectives to shape our project. We conducted a series of 6 interviews, which lasted between 20-90mins. The folks we interviewed all had UVM affiliation and included: 2 full-time staff members, 1 staff/faculty, 2 current students, and 1 recent graduate. The questions we asked were mostly about student experience, major events that have happened, and how support for BIPOC students and faculty/staff has shifted throughout the years. We will also take a deep dive into university documents that outline some major events at UVM, regarding BIPOC student support and/or dissatisfaction. These documents include images and videos of the Waterman takeovers (1988, 1991, 2018). Our research is limited because we don’t know that many students at UVM. Additionally, BIPOC students tend to be busier and don’t have time for interviews. Of those that we did interview, we did not encompass all BIPOC identities or other forms of diversity such as gender, ability, religion, etc

Recommended Citation

Diaz, N., Melo, L. H., & Nava, M. S. (2022). Past, Present, & Future: A History of BIPOC Student Support & Student-Led Protests at UVM. The Vermont Connection, 43(1). https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/tvc/vol43/iss1/13