University of Oklahoma provost and senior vice president Kyle Harper, who has been accused by students of ignoring racism on campus, will step down from his position and return to teaching, the institution announced Wednesday according to its campus newspaper OU Daily.
Kyle HarperEarlier this year, students staged several sit-ins during which they called for Harper’s resignation for failing to speak out against racist incidents on campus.
University president Joseph Harroz however made no mention of students’ demands and said that Harper had “asked (him) for the opportunity to return to scholarship and teaching,” over a year ago.
Many in the campus community, though, are glad Harper is stepping down, said another article in OU Daily.
Eduardo Campbell, a recent graduate, said he’s now more hopeful about the university’s future.
“(Harper) represented (a) sexist, homophobic (and) systemic practice within the administration,” Campbell said.
