Disciplined by Missouri State University, diversity official Juan Meraz apologizes
Hours after a student made public the details of her complaint against Juan Meraz, the Missouri State University diversity official issued an apology.
Meraz, assistant vice president for multicultural services, acknowledged that he was disciplined by MSU in the matter and vowed to make students feel "welcomed and valued" going forward.
"It was never my intent to hurt this student or other students at Missouri State with language that was unprofessional and offensive," Meraz wrote. "As a member of a historically excluded group, I have felt the sting of words and actions many times in my life, which is why I understand that I let the students down with my words."
Meraz's apology was part of a larger statement the university released to the News-Leader. In it, MSU officials acknowledge room for improvement, say they view the ongoing discourse as a "learning opportunity" and will remain open to meeting with students.
The apology does not directly respond to other allegations leveled against Meraz, including that he sent inappropriate text messages to a student.
MSU officials refused to disclose the nature of the discipline, saying it was a personnel issue, but confirmed Meraz will remain employed and keep his title.
At 4 p.m. Thursday, the student-led Springfield Coalition for Minority Advancement — which has repeatedly called for Meraz to be fired — held a news conference in the Plaster Student Union.
It was a forum for Monica Villa Meza, a junior in sociology, to detail her concerns and express frustration that her December complaint against Meraz appeared to go nowhere. At the time, neither MSU nor Meraz had divulged the disciplinary action.
She announced plans to seek a remedy outside of the university but would not elaborate on what steps she had taken. Earlier in the month, the coalition stated that if Meraz was not fired, it would consider taking legal action.
"I no longer have any faith in Missouri State University when it comes to handling these issues," Villa Meza said. "They have shown they are more concerned with protecting the university's name than students and it makes me question how far they are willing to go to protect someone who has clearly violated the policies put in place and goes against everything the university is supposed to stand for."
OUTLINING CONCERNS
Soft-spoken and clearly nervous, Villa Meza alleged Meraz — who has served as her instructor, mentor and on-campus work supervisor — engaged in a pattern of harassment and intimidation that made her feel isolated and powerless. She said he played favorites, shunned students who disappointed him and bragged about being untouchable.
"He made sure to let students know he had a 'black list,' told us that we were not allowed to speak to specific students or, in his words, we would be dead to him," Villa Meza said. "...Meraz talked extremely bad about faculty, staff and administration, stating that he had them wrapped around his finger."
Villa Meza alleged that Meraz, a former MSU student and longtime employee, repeatedly made discriminatory and disparaging remarks about other racial groups, especially blacks.
She said he told her to avoid hanging out in the Multicultural Resource Center, which is open to all students but heavily used by black students, lest she become a "negative stereotype."
"He said many times that I would date and end up with a black male and seemed as though he had an issue with interracial dating," she said.
Villa Meza said when Meraz found out her boyfriend was black, he allegedly "threatened that he would tell my parents, because he felt it was disappointing."
She said his alleged interest in her personal life and affectionate text messages made her "question his intentions."
"I started feeling extremely uncomfortable when he texted me every morning with kissy face (emojis) or XOX and he would say 'TQM' which means 'te quiero mucho,' which in English means 'I love you very much,'" she said. "With all this, I had the feeling that Meraz had all this power.
"Meraz made us fear him and, at first, I feared to question him."
'FATHER FIGURE'
Villa Meza said she wrestled with the decision to file a complaint because of Meraz's prominence at the university — she noted he is viewed as a "father figure" by many Hispanic student leaders — as well as her cultural upbringing.
"It was extremely hard for me to question an authority figure, especially one who understands my culture and who I felt was more educated," she said.
Villa Meza explained she is a first-generation college student who grew up in a Spanish-speaking family in Monett. Her parents were not equipped to help her navigate the entry into higher education because of their lack of experience and language barrier.
She was awarded MSU's Multicultural Leadership Scholarship. She and other recipients of the scholarship were grouped together in an introductory first-year course taught by Meraz. She said it was the first time she had an instructor who "looked like me."
Villa Meza said Meraz handpicked her for the Latino Leadership Institute and she began to participate in many multicultural programs and activities where Meraz was the faculty adviser or played a significant role.
"I noticed patterns among the students that were hand-selected by him," she said. "Most of the students were females, first-generation and faced many of the same struggles that I did as a Latina."
Early on, Villa Meza said, she met with Meraz's director supervisor Dee Siscoe, vice president for student affairs, and Dean of Students Thomas Lane. She also spoke with MSU President Clif Smart.
"President Smart asked me directly what did I think of Meraz and I hesitated because I knew they had a close relationship ... and I feared Meraz," she said.
THE RECORDING
Villa Meza said as a final step, before moving forward with a complaint, she met with Meraz for about an hour. She said she recorded the conversation.
In a five-minute excerpt of that meeting, which is all that has been released publicly, Meraz offered his opinion about the racial tension and subsequent protests on the University of Missouri campus.
He states, among other things, that MSU's Multicultural Resource Center is "a hostile area to anyone who is not black" and that black students "look at me like I owe them money and I don't owe them s---."
Also on the recording, Meraz said: "We've got Latinos being lynched more than black people in the South, still to this day. Everybody is 'Oh well, black lives matter' — I understand that. What about everybody else?"
Villa Meza said following that meeting, Meraz "shut her in a room" with his assistant and "angrily" asked if she had disclosed the contents of the "confidential" conversation with another student.
"I was caught off-guard and scared and knew then I had to do something about it," she said.
SEEKING HELP
In early December, Villa Meza turned to MSU's Office for Institutional Equity and Compliance for help.
She met with Wes Pratt, the director of the office and the university's equal opportunity officer. She said Pratt, who was recently named MSU's chief diversity officer, told her he was friends with Meraz, went off on tangents about other topics and offered to mediate the dispute.
"I felt as though I was being discouraged from filing a complaint," she said.
Villa Meza said she learned she could pursue a formal complaint or an informal inquiry — the apparent difference being the amount of paperwork involved — and admitted she found the process confusing.
"I stated that I did not want the process to be informal and that I wanted it to be treated as a formal case," she said.
Xavier Torres-Ghoston said he accompanied her to the meeting to provide support and backed her version.
"She wanted it to be done formally because we wanted to have the paperwork and to make sure there was something on the record — and this didn't go under the rug," he said.
As part of the complaint, Villa Meza said she provided the university with text messages, emails and the recorded conversation. The longer version has not been released publicly.
MSU officials said Villa Meza provided the names of alleged witnesses, some of whom failed to show up for the interviews. The university said "many witnesses denied Villa Meza's allegations."
In mid-February, in response to a News-Leader request, MSU officials released a statement that the results of the informal inquiry had been shared with Villa Meza and, following her decision not to file a formal complaint, the matter was now closed.
They also stated the report was forwarded to Meraz's supervisor for review and any action taken would not be made public.
Asked if she declined to pursue a formal complaint, Villa Meza said she was told by investigator Melissa Berry that there were "no findings, only findings of bias" and, with that result, pursuing any additional steps within the university seemed futile.
"They were going to make me go through the same process again," she said, adding there was no reason to be optimistic the results would be different.
Villa Meza said Berry told her Pratt was the one who decided that the informal process would be used.
MSU officials said Berry explained that the informal process takes place first and either party can request a formal process if they are dissatisfied with the outcome of the informal process.
In the statement, officials said Berry "discussed in detail" Villa Meza's remaining options, including the request of a formal investigation. According to the university, "Berry had forms ready for Villa Meza to sign that would immediately initiate the formal process. Villa Meza declined and said she wanted to think about it."
Villa Meza and other coalition members also addressed the MSU Board of Governors meeting in mid-December. At that time, Villa Meza expressed concerns about Meraz's leadership, although she didn't go into the detail disclosed this week.
Villa Meza explained this week that she didn't immediately go public with the depth of her concerns because she feared retaliation. But, her decision to file a complaint was well known on campus.
"I am no longer associated with a lot of the Hispanic community because they are very hurt ... They can't believe it," she said.
She said she has withdrawn from participating in many campus events because Meraz is involved but will not drop out.
"I have to get an education," she said. "That is the most important thing."
THE RESPONSE
In the MSU statement released following the news conference, officials said Villa Meza's description of her "experience and confusion" in filing a complaint made the university realize that "even our best intentions to provide support can sometimes result in confusion."
They added that it was their hope that Meraz's apology for his "language and tone" in the recorded conversation with Villa Meza would be a "first step to begin the process toward a resolution."
"I have been disciplined by Dr. Siscoe and I accept it as an appropriate university response to my actions," Meraz said in the statement. "This has been a regrettable but powerful learning opportunity for me and I will continue to strive to ensure all students on campus feel welcome and valued in my presence.”
The university stated the coalition has not filed a complaint "through any of the university’s established policies or procedures."
The coalition is led by many students who were involved in writing and submitted a list of demands to the MSU administration in November. A series of protests have taken place in the months since.
MSU officials said the university remains open to meeting with students to improve diversity and inclusion efforts to make the campus a more welcoming place to all students.
The university noted that Villa Meza and another coalition member, Ravyn Brooks, accepted invitations on the President’s Diversity Council, which first met on Feb. 19.
"Since student protests began in November, President Clif Smart and other leaders within the university have also sent emails and otherwise reached out to leaders of SCMA to invite them to meet in person to discuss the issues of concern," MSU officials wrote in the statement. "While the students have not responded to these communications, President Smart and Dr. Dee Siscoe, vice president for student affairs, remain open to meeting with them."