Martin University alumni are calling for the resignation of the university board chair after being “kept in the dark.”
Approximately two dozen members of the Martin University Alumni Association (MUAA) gathered on campus Dec. 17 for a press conference where they called for Joseph Perkins, chair of the Board of Trustees, to resign.
“We’re officially asking for Chairman Joseph Perkins’ resignation,” Dwight McGill, president of the MUAA, said. “Everything starts from somewhere. Joe has to take accountability. All year, we’ve been getting press conferences and different statements but never directly from him. Someone has to be accountable.”
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Although the university’s Board of Trustees announced its vote to pause operations due to financial and enrollment challenges on Dec. 9, McGill confirmed Martin University is still accredited and remains open despite not currently holding classes.
The university’s fall semester officially ended on Dec. 12, and McGill said there’s a chance classes might not resume in the spring. However, members of the MUAA wanted to reassure their community that they are “working right now to keep these doors open.”
Additional members of the Alumni Association stepped up to speak, stating that Perkins’ resignation was just the first, and that they would be requesting leadership changes across the board.
“All of the board members — they’re not safe either because answers must be given to us,” McGill added. “We have students, we have faculty, we have staff that are now looking for answers with no answers. So, today we’re asking for the first person to step down.”
John Bartlett, State Rep. for Indiana House District 95, and a Martin alumnus, said the MUAA made several attempts to reach out to the Board of Trustees and board chair Perkins with no response. In terms of crucial decision-making, including the former Martin University president’s resignation and the university’s temporary pause in operations, Bartlett said the Alumni Association had “no input.”
“The Alumni Association is held in the darkness,” another MUAA spokesperson said. “The Alumni Association is not a part of the disaster and the travesty that’s trying to take place at this university. We’re part of the fight. Bartlett said the decision to keep the Alumni Association out of meetings where decisions are being made calls the board’s motivation into question.
“We want Martin to be here and to survive. It’s the only predominantly Black institution in the State of Indiana,” Bartlett added. “We need Martin, and we must come together to do what is necessary.”
Clyde Posley, Jr., an alumnus and former Martin University professor, said the fight for Martin to stay operational must continue as the university has “served as a lifeline” to Black and other people of color throughout the city and other in urban areas.
“I literally am the first person in my family to graduate from college. … I’m a pastor, and as a result, about 20 of my members have graduated from Martin University; some have gone on to become attorneys,” Posley said. “It works. It’s producing viable, valuable resources to a city that needs them.”
However, as the Alumni Association continues to demand answers from the board of trustees as well as changes to leadership, Posely’s message to current students is simple: Be patient, and give them a chance to make things right.
“Give us an opportunity,” Posley said. “Please try to be patient with Martin. Give the voices here and other voices an opportunity to see how we can save the viability of Martin. Don’t just bail because there were times many of the students at Martin may not have had access to funding; Martin was patient with them. Please give Martin what we tried to give to you. Patience.”
Malik Simon contributed to the reporting.
Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.
Chloe McGowan is the Arts & Culture Reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. Originally from Columbus, OH, Chloe has a bachelor's in journalism from The Ohio State University. She is a former IndyStar Pulliam Fellow, and has previously worked for Indy Maven, The Lantern, and CityScene Media Group. In her free time, Chloe enjoys live theatre, reading, baking and keeping her plants alive.
