On Nov. 24, 2014, a grand jury in Ferguson, Missouri, decided not to indict officer Darren Wilson for shooting and killing 18-year-old Michael Brown. Brown’s death in August of that year led to much unrest around the nation.

At MU, incensed students banded together to form MU4MikeBrown. [Events held by this organization and](https://www.themaneater.com/stories/2015/3/13/campus-demonstration-ends-loftins-doorstep/) others, combined with growing tension nationwide, prompted administrators to hold a series of forums on campus.

The following race relation forums are not placed in any particular order.

**1. Ferguson Listening Session, December 1**

Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin hosted a [Ferguson Listening Forum](https://www.themaneater.com/stories/2014/12/2/students-implore-administration-take-proactive-act/) on Dec. 1 in Memorial Union after students expressed their frustration that administration had yet to address campus race relations. The event featured students’ impassioned pleas for a proactive administrative response to growing racial tension on campus as opposed to a reactive one. Overall, administrators said they were moved by students’ stories. Loftin released a [statement the following morning](https://www.themaneater.com/stories/2014/12/2/loftin-vows-continue-racial-discussions-amid-criti/), in which he vowed to continue listening and create action plans based on student feedback.

**2. Snowed in**

Another open forum was scheduled for Feb. 16, but it was canceled when [campus was closed due to snow](https://www.themaneater.com/stories/2015/2/16/mu-cancels-classes-13th-time-history-due-snow/). Administrators initially postponed the race relations forum, but it was eventually canceled after administrators claimed they could not find a suitable space to hold the forum at a later date.

**3. Open forum, March 18**

Anger was the overtone of [this forum](https://www.themaneater.com/stories/2015/3/18/dministration-criticized-lack-action-race-relation/). Students criticized administrators’ lack of action since December’s listening session. Faculty Council established a [committee on race relations](https://www.themaneater.com/staff/view/quinn-malloy/), but it hasn’t held its first meeting by this time. Students seemed to key in on and criticize MU’s lack of diversity. Loftin said that there are “far too few faculty of color” at MU after pointing out that fewer than 10 of the school’s 2,000 faculty members are Hispanic. Since this forum, MU has published a transparency website with the goal of sharing information about progress on initiatives to improve campus climate.

**4. Call to Action Progress Report, April 29**

Conservation Auditorium was barely half full when Loftin began his [presentation April 29](https://www.themaneater.com/stories/2015/4/30/administrators-give-race-relations-update-answer-s/). Roughly 30 minutes of the hour-and-a-half-long Call to Action Progress Report forum was dedicated to presenting how administrators have responded to student requests. Administrators from various departments talked through PowerPoint slides, highlighting several steps they’ve taken to improve race relations on campus, including discontinuing the university’s One Mizzou marketing slogan and making more efforts to recruit marginalized students from the “inner city.” After administrators were finished with their presentation, student queued up to ask questions on either side of the auditorium. Student after student challenged administrators on their presentation. They approached the mic with pages of feedback and powerful or insightful comments were met with snaps. The administration went to great effort to directly address student requests, but only one thing was clear by the end of the night: There is still much to be done.

**5. Next forum: TBD?**

It is currently unclear whether another forum will take place during the summer or fall semesters. One student at the March forum suggested that forums not only continue but extend to other areas of campus, specifically to Greektown. However, Loftin did not allude to a future forum during April’s meeting.