Coe College Black Alumni Association: An open letter to the Coe College Board of Trustees

In the February publication of Diverse Issues in Higher Education, Coe College was identified as one of the leading colleges and universities in the country for diversity. This was the third time since July 2021 that Coe College has been recognized by that publication.

As alumni of Coe College, we are proud of this achievement. For several years Coe College has been making strides in increasing the numbers of faculty and students of color and attempting to make the campus a more inclusive environment. The persistent support of Darryl Banks and his fellow members of the Coe College Board of Trustees, Alan Anderson and Bill Schalk, working in alliance with the enlightened leadership of then President David McInally and College Provost Paula O’Loughlin, were significant contributors to making these achievements a reality.

Yet today there are troubling concerns that must be addressed about how some of these trustees have been treated.

From our point of view, it appears that money matters more than character to the board. We find that to be abhorrent.

In November 2021 there were two articles in The Gazette about dissatisfaction among students, faculty, staff, and alumni. This involved an incident that occurred during a meeting of the Coe College Board of Trustees in October 2021. Darryl Banks, Ph.D., an esteemed alumnus of Coe College and Rhodes scholar, who had served on the Coe College Board of Trustees for more than 40 years was insulted during Board of Trustees meeting. During a discussion of the presidential search process and the input to the search decision from Black and Brown members of the search committee, Kristin Strohm, who happens to be the daughter of a life member of the board of trustees who has contributed substantial sums to Coe, made a disparaging and insulting remark about Darryl Banks. This event and the anemic response of the board motivated Darryl Banks to resign from the board of trustees. Alan Anderson, Ph.D., a fellow member of the board of trustees also resigned in support of Darryl Banks.

From our point of view, it appears that money matters more than character to the board. We find that to be abhorrent.

Furthermore, the Coe College Black Alumni Association has concerns that this incident, and the discussions surrounding it, represents a reneging of the pledge that the college has made to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion — which brings us to a crucial juncture. How should we support an institution that we love, when it appears that incrementalism — at best — is going to limit the progress that has been made? Or, perhaps at worse, is this another example of white privilege and deep pockets trumping decency? For example, how can the board of trustees claim that an investigation into the events surrounding Ms. Strohm’s derogatory statement was conducted when multiple people involved were never interviewed and at least one female member of the search committee agrees with Darryl Banks’ observation? Or let’s ask another related question, if Coe College is proud of its accomplishments in increasing the presence of Black and Brown students and faculty, why has this not been part of their marketing outreach?

How do we move forward? We are concerned that the current leadership at Coe College would rather sweep this incident under the rug. If so, then that means that they expect that we are going to accept it. We are not!

There is a need to provide an acceptable resolution with respect to Darryl Banks. There is a need to provide the campus community with transparency regarding the presidential search process. Finally, there is a need for the board of trustees to reaffirm their commitment to racial and social justice by advancing policies, procedures, and concrete actions that support diversity, equity, and inclusion matters at Coe College.

In the interview that was published last week in Diverse Issues in Higher Education, Provost Paula O'Loughlin’s last statement says if Coe receives a national certification for diversity, “It would be an affirmation of the work that we've done and inspiration for how much more we need to do.” The Coe College Black Alumni Association is of the opinion that we cannot move forward without having an acceptable conclusion to the disrespect that was directed at Darryl Banks.

Members of the Coe College Black Alumni Association steering committee include Mark S. Johnson, MD MPH, Violet Travis Ricks and Carolyn A. Williams Meza.