As the country reacts to the conviction of Derek Chauvin, student and faculty activists at the University of Illinois say their conversations have taken on a new tone.

Most importantly, they say they find themselves grappling with what the future holds for policing and race relations at the university.

The conviction of Derek Chauvin was a relief to many who protested against systemic racism this past year. 

Angela Ting, a Master’s student at the university, says it’s easy to feel relieved by the verdict — but says the trial has not brought lasting justice.

“It’s really hard not to feel vindicated when a bad person like Derek Chauvin who has hurt, not only George Floyd, but his entire family, and all of us who care about people who are disproportionately affected by police violence,” Ting said. “But at the same time, as someone who doesn’t believe that the criminal justice system produces any justice, it doesn’t make anything better.”

“It’s easy for the system to legitimize itself through things like this.”

Ting says the University of Illinois Police Department should be stripped of its funding. 

Naomi Paik, a professor and an activist at the university, agrees. She says big changes are needed and doesn’t think Chauvin’s conviction alone will lead to change.

“So healthy food, education, mental health resources, job training and job opportunities, all of these kinds of things need to be part of the conversation. But when we focus on a trial and a conviction, all of that stuff doesn’t come into the picture,” Paik said.

“Real justice looks like systems where something like George Floyd’s death could never have happened which requires a complete reimagining of what it means to be publicly safe.”

Last year, the university said it would tackle systemic racism with a plan named “The Call to Action.” Working groups would suggest how to overcome racial disparities. 

This week, after Chauvin’s conviction, university officials issued a statement in which they pledged to dismantle systemic racism. 

Paik says the statement made her angry. She says she has never seen that kind of action on campus. 

“If there is follow-through, that provides an opportunity for us to actually make a change. I’m just not confident that that is actually going to happen.” 0:10

Rebecca Ginsburg, a professor trying to find alternatives for the justice system, says Chauvin’s conviction hasn’t even begun to change the system.

“There is no accountability, there is only punishment.  The fact that he made someone else suffer and that he killed somebody else makes me want to pry more deeply into the forces and the structure and the systems that allowed such a thing to happen. It allowed a police officer on the streets of Minneapolis in broad daylight to reject the offers of assistance and the appeals for intervention and continue to kill a person.” 0:33

Still, Ginsburg says she is optimistic that the university will address race and policing on campus. 

Like others, she says  Chauvin’s conviction can be a first step forward.