OU Unheard has released a report card for the ways the university has addressed its list of grievances in the past year, and no response received a grade higher than a "C."
The release of the report card comes exactly one year after the SAE incident that thrust issues facing minority students at OU into the national spotlight.
The cumulative GPA for the report card is a 1.14 on a four-point scale. The Daily is contacting different campus groups and administrative offices to get their responses to the report card.
Black faculty beyond the African and African-American Studies Department: D
The report says several new black faculty members have been hired in the past year, but there has been no progress in increasing the number of black faculty members with tenure. The report card also criticizes the university for not having data about the racial makeup of faculty readily available.
Retention rates among black students: D
The report card lists a handful of programs that have been implemented to help with retention and says there has been an 11 percent increase in black students at OU. However, the report card again criticizes the university for not having data readily available and says the rising cost of attendance will hurt retention rates among black students.
Financial assistance/scholarships received by black students: D
The report criticizes a new fee for admitted students that the report says will disproportionately affect black students.
Unheard leader Chelsea Davis said the fee is not yet official, but if it is finalized by the Offices of Enrollment and Student Financial Services, it would go into effect in April. Vice president and registrar Matt Hamilton said the description of new fee is "inaccurate and out of context," but incoming freshmen will be asked to pay a $1,000 enrollment deposit.
Supportive programs for black students: C
The report states two colleges, Price College of Business and College of Arts and Sciences, have created programs to help minority students and that all colleges have appointed a diversity officer to work with the Office of University Community.
The OU experience: F
The report says the concerns of black students and black student organizations were not taken into consideration with last semester's Must Stay Weekend, CAC Homecoming and Rap Battle events. The report also criticizes the OU greek community for cultural misappropriation in party themes.
Lack of a presence within executive hierarchy: C
The report card lists multiple new hires to address this issue, including Jabar Shumate, vice president for the University Community, and Stan Evans as assistant dean of OU College of Law.
Equitable funding for black student organizations: F
The report says the Student Government Association and the Office of Student Affairs have been uncooperative with attempts to address funding issues. The report also says the budget allotment for the BSA is inadequate and demands an outline addressing how SGA and Student Affairs will make funding changes in the next month.
This article was updated March 8 at 6:14 p.m. to include a statement from Vice President and Registrar Matt Hamilton.
