William J. Kemble is reporting for the Daily Freeman a growing group of SUNY New Paltz alumni are calling for President Donald Christian to resign over unresolved racist incidents that have left students feeling that insults, threats and ongoing tension are not taken seriously. The concerns are being raised in advance of an online session to address racism August 11, between campus administrators, students and graduates. On July 31, SUNY New Paltz Alumni for BLM members spoke with SUNY state Associate Provost for Student Affairs and University Life John Graham and presented five demands for administrative changes. “We were asked to present our demands in the form of phases and wait for the SUNY chancellor to be selector to begin discussion on possible implementation,” said the group's spokesman Jonathan Espinosa. Espinosa said alumni consider Christian to be a part of the problem. “He’s had nine years to figure it out as the president of a SUNY institution,” he said. “We give him an F on this issue of diversity. Black enrollment has not increased substantially at New Paltz.” Officials at the university declined to address the specific demands or the comments suggesting that Christian should step down. Instead they issued a statement noting an ongoing series of events intended to address issues of racism. “The college is holding the third in a series of town hall listening sessions this summer with the campus community titled ‘Dismantling Racism,’” they wrote. Alumni released a petition with their demands and included statements from current and former students describing hundreds of incidents over the years, including reports of constant insults from some students to threats that ranged from subtle to overt. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.