"We just want to let people know that this is a problem and that it exists here," said BMG co-chair Emmanuel Ashamu '04.
Although they have said that the problem is greater than specific instances, members of the BMG most often cite the ID-checking policies of the athletic facilities and actions of the Campus Police as manifestations of such problems.
"If you look like an Amherst student you don't have to show your ID," said Travis J. Bristol '03, a member of the BMG.
"I was playing basketball with some Amherst College students and some kids from Amherst High," said Keon Webbe '04 of the BMG. "A cop came in and stopped the game, but he asked only a couple of black kids, including me, for their IDs. When I asked why he didn't ask any white kids for their IDs, he had no response."
"I am completely unaware of that," said Chief of Campus Police John Carter about the basketball incident described by Webbe. "If something like that happens, the person should come see me immediately."
"[Such behavior by Campus Police] would be inappropriate of course. The only exception would be if the officer knew every [other] person on the court, which is very unlikely," Carter added.
"I really do not believe that there is any overt racial profiling at all," said Director of Athletics Peter Gooding.
He explained that the resources of the athletic department are stretched when it comes to monitoring the athletic facilities. "There are a number of times when a student gets into the facility that shouldn't be here ... we cannot cover the doors to the gym on a full time basis," he said. He said that when someone is known or suspected to be unauthorized, he may ask that person to leave or call Campus Police to remove the individual.
"I haven't heard anything about this this year," said Dean of Students Ben Lieber about the issues raised by the BMG. "There was one student last year who came in to raise the issue, specifically about the gym, and I suggested that that student talk with Peter Gooding. I heard back from that student, that they had had a good conversation, and that he felt that measures were going to be taken to ensure that [racial profiling] wouldn't happen at the gym."
Carter said that he and Gooding had developed a policy about ID checks. "[The understanding was that] if we went in there that we'd have to check everyone's ID," Carter said.
Gooding added that, in the past, he has asked that only the IDs of adults be checked. However, many of the unauthorized users of the gym happen to be UMass, high school and junior high school students.
Gooding said that the ID checking policy is not racially specific. "It goes beyond the color of a person's skin, it goes to their status. Are they a staff member? Are they a student? Are they a spouse?" Gooding said.
"I can't imagine that there is a department in this College that tries harder to be supportive of all our students and our community," Gooding added. "It is disappointing that there is a group of students, no matter how small, that feels that we are the source of their discomfort."
Currently, College students bear much of the responsibility for checking IDs at the athletic facilities; they do so on an irregular basis to discourage unauthorized use. "It would surprise me that Amherst students would do this in a malicious way," said Gooding. He said that he and a committee currently evaluating athletics has considered making ID checking the responsibility of adults only.
Webbe cited another instance of when he felt singled out by Campus Police. "Last year, when the girl's basketball team made it to the NCAA championships, I was cheering them on with a group of students, both white and black. Two cops positioned themselves around me and told me to quiet down. It wasn't like I was the only one being loud," said Webbe.
"We don't feel like this is a welcoming environment for black male students. And that is manifested in reactions from Campus Police and reactions from students," said Ashamu.
Bristol explained that perceptions of what a typical Amherst student looks like exclude black men. "The assumption is that these black men don't fit the 'Amherst model,' which continues to change every year."
"There is a general sense of not belonging," said Ashamu. "The place where that is most apparent is at the gym," he said. However, Ashamu emphasized that "these incidents are not isolated to the gym."
Ashamu said that in making his choice to come to Amherst he was aware that his race might be more problematic than it would be at a larger school. "I didn't expect it to be an easy environment for me to be in ... I came in understanding that I would be in a vast minority," Ashamu said.
He added that as a new student there were some disconcerting incidents when he may have felt targeted because of his race, but that he began to perceive a problem with the repeated ocurrence of such incidents. "It is becoming substantially more tangible," he said.
Ashamu has emphasized that the student body contributes to the unwelcoming environment. "There are a lot of little things of people questioning whether or not you belong here or whether or not you are a student here," he said.
"I went [to an on-campus party] with some other black male and female students," said Ashamu. "We were in there for about five minutes and the woman hosting the party said, 'if you don't know my name and I don't know your name, get out.' That [comment] was addressed to us."
"This institution is not ready to handle diversity," said Bristol. "The admissions office ... admitted students with the assumption that the school was ready to handle diversity, it has not prepared itself."
According to the BMG, the College has been increasing the number of black students admitted in the past few years. Members have suggested that the growing number of black students necessitates a reexamination of policies that directly and indirectly affect these students.
Bristol suggested that Campus Police might undergo sensitivity training to make the campus more welcoming to minorities.
"It is actually something that we do," said Carter of sensitivity training. "Part of the academy training ... is racial profiling ... This is already part of their training." Carter added that the Campus Police office provides additional training to officers.
"We are tired of these instances and feel like we have been quiet for too long," said Bristol. "This institution is privileged to have us here but they need to start doing right by us."
"If someone has a complaint, I would rather hear from them," said Carter.
The BMG addressed many of these issues in a letter to the editor (see page 8). According to Ashamu, the intend of the BMG in making their concerns public is to "let people know that we do belong here and this needs to stop."
"[I want to] make sure that these concerns have a voice," Ashamu said. "From there, whatever actions people take I am sure will be for the best."