Student activists at Occidental College on Thursday continued a sit-in of the administration building to protest racial tensions and diversity issues on campus, calling for the resignation of the school's president.
The protesters join a nationwide movement where similar actions by students have led to administrator resignations at the University of Missouri and Claremont McKenna College.
At a rally last Thursday, the group who call themselves OXY United for Black Liberation, shared a list of 14 demands, including more funding for minority teachers, the creation of a black studies program and the immediate resignation of President Jonathan Veitch.
Students condemned Veitch's handling of diversity issues and gave university officials until Friday to begin meeting their list of demands.
"There have been many times on campus when late at night I've been stopped and asked where I'm going and what am I doing around here, where many of my white allies and friends can't really say the same," said Chance Ward, a student at Occidental and one of the organizers of the group protesting on campus.
In an email sent to the Occidental community Tuesday, Veitch expressed his commitment to working with students on issues of diversity and inclusion.
"For many years, our community has helped lead important discussions on diversity and inclusion,'' Veitch said. "Every person must have a voice and place to safely express themselves without fear of judgment or shame. Together we have confronted and worked through many challenging issues."
Veitch also said he was reaching out to leaders of the protest and inviting them to partake in a "conversation about diversity and inclusion.''
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On Tuesday, the Occidental's Board of Trustees expressed their support for Veitch and said it had "no intention of changing the leadership of the college."
City News Service contributed to this report.
