On Thursday, an organization representing all Big XII schools issued a statement in support of students participating in the sit-in at Evans Hall, which has entered its second day.
The Big XII Council on Black Student Government tweeted a response letter around 11 a.m. Thursday, which read that the organization is “standing in complete solidarity with” the students currently participating in the sit-in, which was organized by the Black Emergency Response Team following repeat incidents of professors using the N-word in classes.
The Big XII Council on Black Student Government stands in solidarity with the students of the University of Oklahoma’s Black Student Association. #TheHateYouHire Below is our official response letter.@BERT_OU @OUBSA1967 @UofOklahoma pic.twitter.com/2BxJQL3DQj
— Big XII Council BSG (@bigxiibsg) February 27, 2020
“As a council, we support the actions and voices of the University of Oklahoma community in this unacceptable situation,” the statement read. “We expect the university’s administration to refer to its code of conduct in order to emphasize that there is no tolerance for discrimination, racism and/or bigotry.”
In the statement, the council wrote that it supports all demands made by BERT, including the resignation of Provost Kyle Harper, mandatory equity training for faculty, creation of a university multicultural center and creation of a semester-long diversity class for incoming students.
Many of the students organizing and participating in the sit-in recently participated in the council’s annual conference, which OU hosted from Feb. 20 to Feb. 23.
