WOOSTER — It was 1989 all over again, when College of Wooster students filled Galpin Hall on Wednesday to capture the attention of administrators with a list of demands for solving campus issues related to equity and social justice, including racism and sexual violence.

On April 20, 1989, a group of students also took over Galpin, "in an effort to draw attention to inequities facing students of color and other minorities on campus," according to a document by John Finn, former director of public information for The College.

Taking "inspiration from the takeover (of Galpin) in 1989," junior Robert Dinkins said Wednesday, this time they came with a list of specific demands for redressing grievances.

"What we were noticing," said Dinkins, is lack of progress in certain areas. Dinkins is one of about 300 students who filled the hallways, stairwells and offices at Galpin, the college’s main administrative building.

Participants for the Galpin sit-in and for visits to other administrative offices were recruited from various student groups, including multicultural organizations and the Black Student Association. The effort was initially motivated by reaction to racist statements and images posted by a senior who has been removed from campus while an investigation of his behavior is conducted.

But the peaceful protest encompassed much more, according to several students, including senior Meonyez Goodwin.

It involves "a plethora of issues," Goodwin said, "on how (the college) deals with matters of micro-aggression, racial profiling, derogatory statements in general (and other problems)."

"A lot of people have felt silenced," she said, that their "voices aren’t being heard."

Over the course of the day, student representatives met with Dean Scott Brown and other members of the administration to discuss "in detail those demands," said John Hopkins, associate vice president for college relations and marketing.

Asked to comment on steps taken by President Sarah Bolton to deal with the issues raised, Goodwin said, "I think she’s the most involved president we’ve had."

Bolton, who will be joining the conversation, according to Hopkins, released a statement.

"We share our students’ concerns, and deeply appreciate their engagement with this critically important work," Bolton said.

The incident with the racist remarks made by a fellow student on social media is "the reason why we’re here," said senior Aaron Roberson, but student frustration extends to the bigger picture of inequities and injustice of which "we need to rid our campus."

Roberson wants "accountability and a plan of action" for promoting cultural competency, hiring staff of color, providing equitable space and keeping promises long made to students of color. There are also "new demands," he said.

"I’ve been working on Title IX for the past four years," said senior Vy Vu. She highlighted the problem of sexual assault and cited lack of educational programs or support groups run by the college itself.

Vu is part of what she called a "working group for sexual violence, prevention and responsibility," but said while serving on it, she has "experienced micro-aggression from people I worked with" and that no other members of color are part of the group. Conflicts of interest also exist among staff members involved.

"I am an international student from Vietnam," Vu said. Among her concerns are the lack of "accommodations for learning English" and "the need for a diverse faculty on campus."

Vu said that in working on her independent study concerning racial tension in America, she has lacked broad perspective from staff advising her project. 

Wednesday’s protesters, who sat quietly throughout Galpin in the early afternoon as they chatted, ate and did school work, represented "a collective of different (student) groups," Vu said.

The sit-in took a week in the making, according to Dinkins, who said organizers sought out "what minority groups needed" in coming up with the summary of administrative demands.

"From there, it kind of snowballed," he said.

Some of the issues reflect "a cycle that never ends," said junior D’Khorvillyn Tyus, pointing out the recent racial slurs posted on social media were "not an isolated incident."

Issues have surfaced, requests to resolved them have been made, and then they have faded from administrative attention, in the opinion of Tyus.

"We refuse to let it be forgotten again. The school has to abide by this," he said.

Nate Addington, director of civic and social responsibility for the Center for Diversity and Inclusion; and Alex Serna-Wallender, chaplain for Interfaith Campus Ministries, brought provisions for the students camped out in Galpin.

"I’m just taking care of students," Serna-Wallender said. "Part of our job is to care for students."

At 5 p.m. on Wednesday, students were continuing to congregate at Galpin, and leaders from BSA and other multi-cultural organizations on campus were meeting with college administrators with the goal of dealing with concerns before students would leave the building.

"We’re here for the long run," said senior Evan White.

Reporter Linda Hall can be reached at lhall@the-daily-record.com or 330-264-1125, Ext. 2230. She is @lindahallTDR on Twitter.