ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (WAVY) – “Welcome to the Caucasian Student Group.”
This was the title of an invitation to a private email group received by more than 700 students at Elizabeth City State University Thursday that has caused controversy at the HBCU school.
ECSU junior Keegan Williams showed 10 On Your Side the email from Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion Dr. Tiffany Hinton.
“I just think this was a poorly thought out idea and it was executed in a way that hit very deep with all of us,” Williams told WAVY.
In the email, it stated the group’s purpose to be one in which Hinton could share important school-related and identity-based information with students – including student association, scholarship and inclusion group meetings.
It noted that people who received the email were added to the identity group “based on your admission demographic information.” It said inclusion was an institutional value and that ECSU sought “to move diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts forward.”
“Honestly, it seems more exclusive than inclusive,” said ECSU student Lauren Jackson.
Said Williams: “To see, you know, an important official of the school basically take the demographics off our application from when we were just freshman, and use that to group us together… it was a little degrading to say the least.”
Hours after the email group was created, ECSU sent out another email to students ending it, saying that while the groups were developed “to create space, build community and promote a sense of belonging within the ECSU student body,” it would suspend the use of identity-based affinity email groups in order to get more feedback.
“The Office Of Diversity and Inclusion created identity-based affinity email groups for students at their request,” said an email from Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Interim Vice Chancellor for University Advancement Dr. Gary Brown. “In response to our students, the University has suspended the use of identity-based affinity email groups so additional feedback can be collected to further support diverse communities.”
University officials said it is committed “to ensuring our environment is and remains an inclusive and welcoming campus for all students, faculty, staff and visitors.”
The university also sent WAVY a similarly-worded email about the suspension of the groups and said the school looked forward “to continuing and broadening diversity, equity and inclusion conversations at ECSU.”
While Jackson is glad to see the group shut down, she also would an apology.
“I would have been fine with it if they said “hey, we messed up” but their response only tried to justify their actions.” she said.
Williams hopes it’s different in the future.
“I would like to see the University focus on things more pertinent to running a University,” Williams said, “and let the student body kind of handle themselves.”
Statement from Elizabeth City State University
Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) is committed to ensuring our environment is and remains an inclusive and welcoming campus for all students, faculty, staff and visitors.
Today, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion created identity-based affinity email groups for students at their request. The groups were developed to create space, build community and promote a sense of belonging within the ECSU student body. The email groups were not intended to separate or marginalize any person or group.
In response to our students, the University has suspended the use of identity-based affinity email groups so additional feedback can be collected to further support our diverse communities.
We look forward to continuing and broadening diversity, equity and inclusion conversations at ECSU.
AYANA D. HERNANDEZ
Associate Vice Chancellor for Strategic Communications
Office of Communications and Marketing
