A three-day sit-in led by OU’s Black Emergency Response Team ended with demonstrators declaring a victory but emphasizing that the work will continue.
It was a historic moment for OU, with BERT leadership participating in a hunger strike throughout the entire protest. Negotiations with administration took place on all three days before a compromise was agreed to and subsequently announced on Friday afternoon.
Here are four takeaways from the three-day sit-in at Evans Hall:
Takeaway 1: Harper will remain, but with greater accountability surrounding his position.
Provost Kyle Harper, whose resignation was one of the primary demands of the protesters early on, will remain in his position — but with new checks to his power as provost.
The agreement reached between BERT and OU’s administration will allow for a “360 review process for senior executive leadership” that will report to the Office of the President. This review will begin with Harper this semester. When asked during BERT’s press conference at the end of the sit-in, BERT co-director Miles Francisco said the review would be conducted by a third party and details will be finalized at a later date.
OU will also create a student advisory committee to give “insights and advice” to the office of the provost. According to BERT’s statement, this committee will be similar to the Vice President’s Action Committee, a group of student leaders tasked with advising Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students David Surratt.
Takeaway 2: Many of BERT’s demands will become part of OU’s strategic plan.
OU will create a committee to consider the feasibility of three of BERT’s other demands: the creation of a multicultural center, mandatory equity training for faculty and a semester-long course for students on diversity.
BERT’s statement said OU was fully committed to the creation of this committee. BERT has also announced that these projects will now be considered part of the university’s strategic plan, meaning these will be big issues on the table at OU for the foreseeable future. A university statement signed by Surratt said many of the demands were already parts of the strategic plan, and the provost’s advisory committee will be incorporated.
Takeaway 3: The administration will meet with BERT every two weeks.
According to the statement, Joseph Harroz has agreed to meet with BERT leadership every two weeks.
An agreement like this would ensure that Harroz and his team will be required to revisit the promises made to demonstrators, and that they would remain on the administration’s agenda moving forward. It will also mean BERT will continually have a seat at the table in the near future and potentially allow them to report back to the public on the issues discussed during the protest.
Takeaway 4: The Board of Regents are on deck when it comes to decision-making.
Legally, all of the things OU's administration agreed to have to be approved by the Board of Regents, which will have its next meeting March 10–11.
At OU and many other similar universities, the position of president is meant to be a largely administrative role, while major policy shifts are reserved for the board. This means that many of the decisions agreed to by OU and BERT are still technically in flux until the board meeting. But, frequently, the OU Board of Regents approves every item the administration recommends during board meetings. Given the highly public nature of the protest, though, there could be more discussion than usual.
BERT has encouraged community supporters to come to the board meeting and make their opinions heard. Regents’ meetings are open to the public, with the exception of executive sessions, subject to the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act.
