Students Against Racism held a forum to update the university’s response to their list of demands Tuesday night.

The meeting began with the Students Against Racism acknowledging that the university is on stolen land, following the group went over its list of demands.

The list of demands include: 

• Expel the students who chalked neo-Nazi slogans, who vandalized the Bean house and students in the future who threaten or use neo-Nazi language violating the zero-tolerance policy

• Shut down the Students for Trump club that attached neo-Nazi slogans to their political writing as continued harassment and interference in the academic life of hundreds of students

• Fire the Student Government adviser who wore blackface and future staff engaging in intolerant behavior 

• Add a zero tolerance to attack against marginalized communities, hate speech including chalking, getting rid of hate speech i.e. power washing and mandatory diversity training to all faculty and staff

Following the list, Iowa State administration reviewed a list of updates of the 10 actions in response to the students, including cultural competency training for campus leaders and requiring anyone who lives in a residence hall to take an annual online diversity and inclusion training. 

After the update, the floor opened for negotiation discussion between the student party and the administration party. The members of Students Against Racism questioned the consequences for students and faculty that commit acts of hate speech on campus for acts, one of them being a swastika etched into a door. 

“We keep talking about racism as if it is incidences, but that is not true,” said a member of Students Against Racism. “Racism is a system these incidences are perpetrated by a system that allows them to happen.”

Students Against Racism said that creating a zero tolerance policy would be a step towards dismantling that system. 

Iowa State administration said they are enforcing the code of conduct but the policy has to follow the law, referring to the right to free speech.

“We have been having the conversation for this past year about actions we are taking to be sure that we have the kind of climate that we want to have at Iowa State University […] we want to focus on the actions that we can do that are legal within the law that will truly focus on changing the culture,” said Wendy Wintersteen, president of Iowa State University.