Racial Harassment
Analyzing the communique, the first issue discussed is the conflict between Black students and the Dormitory Administration, the BSU provided an example saying that “White Dormitory Administration culturally forcing Black students to accept White Dietary Habits (that White students won’t even accept), and when Black students protest they are fined and penalized.”1 This incident is interesting as it highlights a smaller employment of systemic racism within the University at the time that did target the Black student population. An added difficulty for these Black students was that they were confined to on-campus living.
The second major incident recorded in the document was the employment of a radio host to a federally funded radio station that wore Ku Klux Klan robes and who the BSU noted as being a member of the Ku Klux Klan. This incident was a more open and recognizable sign of racism on campus and was a bigger issue as this individual was also a security guard for the University and patrolled the dormitory where Black students had to live. These incidents of racism showcased that the University environment of 1974 was not as accepting towards students of color as it may have painted itself to be, which in turn forced the BSU to make a list of ten demands to establish a more secure place for Black students on campus.
This incident was important, not only as a security guard for the University was a member of the KKK, but also because North Idaho is an area known for its dark history with hate groups, especially the Aryan Nations. In 1973, the Aryan Nations had established a compound in Hayden, Idaho, only an hour and 40 minutes from the University. A well-known and documented hate group, they persisted in the North Idaho area until the 2000s, when they were kicked out of the region through legal action and bankruptcy. However, at their peak, they had a strong grip over the area. They were even declared a “terrorist threat” by the FBI in 2001, and they allied themselves closely with KKK groups in the area.2 With this given context, there is a greater insight into why the Black students on campus felt afraid and betrayed by the senior administration of the University. With a known member of the KKK on campus, someone who openly supported the KKK, the direct nature of the BSU’s message to the University certainly made sense.
The list of ten demands included in the document was as follows: (1) the hiring of more Black faculty in Admissions, Financial Aid, Faculty, and the Athletics Department; (2) an audit of the Financial Aids Department and Cultural Exchange program to check the allocation of federal funds under a three-man committee (Dr. Hartung, Ed Reed, and the State Attorney General); (3) an investigation into the hiring procedures at U of I; (4) research into the financial needs of minority undergraduate and graduate students; (5) immediate hiring of a minority as the Director of the Inter-Cultural Programs; (6) hiring of