Coe Board of Trustees responds to the Coe College Black Alumni Association

For years, Coe College has been committed to making significant progress toward greater diversity, equity and inclusion on campus, with the goal of impacting and realizing real change in our community. President David Hayes and the rest of the college, supported by the board of trustees, has taken meaningful steps to advance our institution and make it a place where all voices are heard, and where everyone who studies, teaches, and works for Coe is fully supported and valued.

Recently, this included:

As we collectively move forward, I want to acknowledge ongoing concerns expressed by members of the Coe College Black Alumni Association (CCBAA) regarding former Coe College Trustee Darryl Banks and an incident that occurred at a Board meeting in October 2021.

To briefly recap, in October 2021, Darryl Banks voluntarily resigned from the Coe College Board of Trustees, despite having every opportunity to remain on the Board. He did this after he felt another Trustee disagreed with him in an inappropriate way during a meeting. At that time, we communicated the board’s position on the issue — and because it was a closed meeting, we did not reveal the identity of the board member or other pertinent information relating to the event. It was our hope the two individuals involved could work it out between themselves and this board matter would stay within the board, as it really is not a campus issue. That has not occurred.

In a recent open letter, the steering committee of the CCBAA identified Kristin Strohm as the board member involved in the incident that proceeded Banks’s resignation. The incident occurred after Banks alleged the voices of female members of the presidential search committee were ignored during the search process. Since Strohm, who served on the search committee, felt his broad statement was an inaccurate characterization of the facts, she called it “a baldfaced lie.” Banks did not respond directly to her statement at the time and did not address the board regarding this matter any further. Rather, in conversations with other board members, and within earshot of others, Banks made vulgar, sexist, and threatening remarks regarding Strohm and her family.

(Note: Banks denies these allegations in a Gazette story published March 30)

Immediately following the board meeting, Strohm offered to talk with Banks, but he never availed himself of this opportunity. Later, she sent him an apology note, which she shared with the board, while also apologizing to the board for her sharp language. To be clear, her apology was for her choice of words — she still believes the broad statement made by Banks was inaccurate and misleading. The other current board members who also served on the search committee agree that his statement was inaccurate.

It is extremely unfortunate that this private exchange has become a matter of public concern. It is also inappropriate that the steering committee of the CCBAA named Strohm in their letter to the community — particularly, as none of the signers of the letter were present at the closed board meeting and don’t know all the facts. More troubling, the login credentials of Banks and Alan Anderson, another trustee who resigned, were used to access a password-protected database of the board of trustees after the date of their resignations from the Board. This activity, in the aggregate, is damaging and diverts the Board from the important work of supporting the delivery of the first-rate liberal arts experience our students richly deserve.

As unfortunate as it is, the resolution with respect to Banks is that he voluntarily resigned from the board, removing himself from the ability to impact change most effectively, and directly, at Coe College. He will not be asked to rejoin the board.

The letter from the steering committee of the CCBAA acknowledged that Coe College has been recognized by an independent source as one of the leading colleges and universities in the country for diversity. This is the result of the dedication and hard work of many individuals and groups on our campus. The board’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is bigger than any one person and there is much work left to do as we continue to take meaningful steps to create a positive and supportive learning environment for the entire Coe family.

Carson Veach chairs the Coe College Board of Trustees.