According to an agenda, part of the meeting will be closed to the public.
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Missouri law allows the group to meet in a private “executive session” to discuss topics including privileged communications with university counsel or personnel matters, the statement said.
In response, university president Tim Wolfe promised to tackle the problem.
African American students have targeted the administrator over his handling of racially tinged incidents at the school’s campus.
The ConcernedStudent1950 protest organization has demanded Wolfe be removed and that the university overhauls the way it handles racial harassment.
At least 20 tents were set up, and many planned to camp out overnight amid temperatures that had dropped into the low 40s.
Protests on campus have been led by a group called ConcernedStudent1950.
“The way white students are treated is in stark contrast to the way black students and other marginalized students are treated”, said sit-in participant Abigail Hollis told the Associated Press. The university is working on a “systemwide diversity and inclusion strategy” that is due to be rolled out in April, he said.
“It is clear to all of us that change is needed, and we appreciate the thoughtfulness and passion which have gone into the sharing of concerns”, Wolfe said in a statement.
Students were reportedly outraged when it took the school’s chancellor, R. Bowen Loftin, a week to respond to the student president’s claim.
Wolfe said in a statement the day before the football players’ boycott that “racism does exist at our university and it is unacceptable”, but has made no signs that he will resign. Skipping the game would cost the university more than $1 million.
“White favouritism” – In a statement, the group of black players said: “The athletes of colour on the University of Missouri football team truly believe “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”.
Over 30 black football players for the University of Missouri football team have pledged to stop playing football and to avoid all team activities until Tim Wolfe, the president of the University of Missouri system, resigns. A black graduate student went on hunger strike last week to draw awareness to the issue and black football players joined the movement over the weekend, backed by their coach. His tweet read: “The Mizzou Family stands as one”.
A statement from Wolfe on Friday said: “Today I again had the opportunity to meet with MU graduate student Jonathan Butler who continues a hunger strike protesting the inequalities, inequities, and obstacles faced by students, faculty and staff at the University of Missouri”.
“Our focus right now is on the health of Jonathan Butler, the concerns of our student-athletes and working with our community to address this serious issue”, Pinkel said in a statement.
The faculty at University of Missouri plan to walk out of classes on Monday and Tuesday to support the ongoing student protests demanding action against racial incidents on campus, Columbia Missourian, a local newspaper, reported Monday. A majority of the 35,000 students at the university in Columbia, about 125 miles (200 km) west of St. Louis, are white. The state is about 83 percent white and almost 12 percent black.
Lawmakers and elected officials began to weigh in Sunday.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Higher Education, Steve Cookson (R-Butler County), is also calling for Cookson to resign.
The call for reform has reached the office of Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon.
The Columbia Missourian has a timeline of the alleged incidents here.
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It’s the latest controversy at the university in recent months, following the suspension of graduate students’ health care subsidies and an end to university contracts with a Planned Parenthood clinic that performs abortions.
