UF students are fighting to save the Institute of Black Culture
The petition has 248 supporters right now out of the 500 needed
Six days ago, UF student, Adebola Adedoyin, started a petition to save the Institute of Black Culture (IBC) from being fused with La Casita
Adedoyin and other students learned about the plans after the town hall meeting on March 20.
In fall 1971, over 100 African-American students withdrew from UF after the administration failed to meet a list of student demands the Black Student Union presented to them in April that year. UF responded by building the Institute of Black Culture a “safe haven” for black students on campus. This semester they had no access to the IBC and rumors that it would fuse with La Casita began spreading.
The IBC on University avenue with La Casita in the background. (Photo from the petition on change.org)
During the town hall meeting Vice President of Student Affairs, Dave Parrott, stated that, “the IBC would still be the IBC and La Casita would still be La Casita,” when asked about the rumors.
After the meeting, Adedoyin and other students talked with Dr. Mary Kay Schneider Carodine, the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, who clarified that the two buildings were combining. The reason she gave, according to Adedoyin, was that “elevators needed to be put in both buildings and that they were expensive, giving the assumption that they are too expensive to be put in both buildings.” A later meeting with Dr. Parrott also confirmed this.
Adedoyin’s petition has 248 supporters right now out of the 500 needed
Most of them have deep reasons for supporting. You can find all the reasons and Adedoyin’s description here.
A few of the most popular reasons students had for signing the petition.