WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — A North Carolina women’s college is working to meet a series of demands made by students after protests that lasted for more than a week, the school’s president said.
Salem College president Lorraine Sterritt told the Winston-Salem Journal that the school is committed to the value of diversity, and that bias and intolerance must have no place on the campus.
Sterritt issued the statement shortly before student organizers ended a protest, which included occupying the first floor of the main hall for more than a week. That protest ended on Tuesday.
Sterritt said in her email that she and other college administrators met with student leaders to discuss their concerns.
“We acknowledge that this is a time of heartfelt emotion and pain for our community,” Sterritt wrote in part. “As a learning community, Salem is committed to the value of diversity – diversity in ideas, experiences and opinions.”
Some students at the school said Salem College, with an enrollment of around 1,100, fosters a culture of racism, sexism and elitism. Other students complained about poor living conditions and the lack of wireless internet connections.
Salem College was founded in 1772. Figures from the school show that, in the fall of 2015, 51 percent of its students were White, 20 percent were Black and 15 percent were Hispanic. The remaining 14 percent include Asian-Americans, students who identify with two or more races and Native Americans.
