Loyola President Meets Protesters

In the wake of a student protest against alleged racism at Loyola Marymount University, President James N. Loughran met late last week with minority students who one week earlier had taken over his office for nine hours.

Although Loughran declined to comment on his discussions with the students until he had issued a statement to the Westchester university community, he said the meeting was mostly to confirm agreements made after the student takeover last month.

Loughran characterized his exchange with the students as “polite, civil and courteous.”

In a statement issued last week, Loughran acknowledged that insensitivity toward minorities is an issue on the campus.

“There is no doubt in my mind that there exist on our campus misunderstandings and insensitivities that need to be addressed,” Loughran said. “I want to make recent events the beginning of that process.”

The brief takeover of Loughran’s office occurred on April 27, when five minority students stormed into the president’s office, demanding to discuss issues concerning minorities, including allegations of racism among administrators.