A Florida college student was denied access to group therapy because he was not part of the black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) population.
After seeing that none of the “Understanding Self and Others” (USO) group therapy meetings worked with his schedule, University of South Florida student Andrew Davis asked USF’s counseling center on Oct. 3 of 2022 if he could instead attend a meeting classified as BIPOC, since it fit his schedule.
Davis sent an email to the counseling center saying, “I am interested in attending a USO group meeting after completing the pre-group appointment but the only day/time that works for me is Wednesdays during the BIPOC students-only group. I am not a BIPOC student but was wondering if I would still be able to attend?”
“Unfortunately, we do need to keep this space specific to BIPOC folks … Hopefully you’ll be able to catch another one either during Winter break and/or next semester,” the USF Counseling Center responded to Davis.
After getting this rejection, Davis filed a complaint with USF’S Office of Compliance & Ethics last fall. On February 8, Davis got a response to his complaint.
Davis says that during an Oct. 18 information-gathering meeting regarding this issue, Equal Opportunity Officer Kenneth Thomas “was accusatory” and “asked me if I even knew what BIPOC meant and if I understood the importance of those groups having their own discussion. He did not seem concerned about my complaint and was more worried about the University’s ability to continue these groups.”
But when the Office issued its decision months later on Feb. 8, it declared that the “Counseling Center will not prohibit any category of student [from] participating in specialized counseling groups unless specific exception, or a medical mandate is identified that may support exclusivity.”
The University of South Florida has had a big focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. A document gathered in the investigation states, “Knowledge about the ongoing history of institutionalized, structural racism and white supremacy and their interactions with other forms of oppression is critical to building a just, equitable, and democratic future for the United States.”
