Higher education’s role in helping college campuses and their communities find answers and solutions to the string of tragic confrontations between police and civilians grew in significance this past weekend as deadly violence erupted in Baton Rouge, rattling a Louisiana city that was already trying to make sense of a police-civilian shooting a week ago.
The presidents of the city’s two public universities, both urban institutions, expressed concern about the impact of the violence on their community. They said, in letters to their employees, students and their parents, special steps were being taken to enhance campus safety and security. They also said counseling services would be made available to staff and students in light of the incidents in Baton Rouge and other cities.
Last Friday, Southern, Baton Rouge provided facilities for a crowd of nearly 5,000 people who gathered there for the funeral services of Alton Sterling, a Black resident of Baton Rouge who died as the result of a Baton Rouge police shooting earlier this month.
“It has been a difficult two weeks for the city of Baton Rouge and for the nation,” said F. King Alexander, president of Louisiana State University (LSU), told Diverse. “All of the Baton Rouge community is grieving, and our hearts go out to all those who have been impacted by these tragic events. LSU is committed to working toward a peaceful and inclusive community.”
Belton and King said their respective institutions had activated special emergency measures that enhance campus security and are offering counseling assistance for employees and students who feel that they may have been affected by the tragic incidents.
A similar appeal for civility was made by veteran political leader Kip Holden, a Southern University graduate who is mayor of Baton Rouge and parish president.
