First Racial Incident:
A day after essentially dismissing student concerns of racial discrimination as unfounded, Purdue University officials are now investigating instances of hate crimes after the words “white supremacy” and a stick-figure drawing of a body hanging from a tree were found scribbled on a placard and left at the scene an equality march.
Still, school officials late Tuesday added they believe the placard incident was unintentional and the words in question were merely transferred from a sticky note used during an educational seminar. In a statement, administrators admitted police were only now investigating matters as a hate crime because school property was “altered or destroyed and the conduct was apparently motivated by bias.”
Armed with their own data, more than 200 angered students, faculty and staff members took to the streets of West Lafayette this week to make their disgust known. FBI statistics now rank the university second in the nation among public and private institutions for reported hate crimes.
“This is what diversity looks like,” students chanted just steps away from Hovde Hall and the Black Cultural Center, where the drawing was actually discovered. “The people are the power.”
Even Provost Tim Sands felt compelled to join in, later taking the microphone and admitting: “We are not an inclusive environment… I’m sorry Purdue is not yet a psychologically safe place to study for many people.”
This week outbreaks come on the heels of a two-year period beginning in 2011 when overall 19 hate crimes were reported on Purdue campuses, most of them targeting black students. The offenses ranged from assault to intimidation to vandalism of property.
“What this immediately says to me is that Purdue’s campus creates an environment that allows for certain individuals to feel comfortable to commit these hate acts,” said Tyrell Connor, president of the Purdue Graduate Student Association. “My dream would be to actually sit down with top university officials and work together on solving this problem.”
This week, protestors added yet another variable to any other such discussions. Demands also included calls by the Anti-Racism Coalition requesting that the number of minority faculty members be doubled over the next ten years and the requirement that all undergraduate students take at least one course on race and racism.
"All diversity means is difference, unlikeness," Christopher Warren, who instructs courses on African-American studies and sociology at Purdue, said during the protest. "Who cares about diversity when there is no equality?"
The office of Dean of Students Danita Brown also was investigating the incident as a violation of the student code of conduct that could result in expulsion, the news release said.
Second Racial Incident:
One of the largest and most storied Greek fraternities on the University of California Irvine campus is under fire after video footage surfaced showing members of the Asian-American Lambda Theta Delta organization parading about in blackface.
With the Justin Timberlake song "Suit & Tie" echoing in the background, the video clearly captures as many as four students dressing in suits and dark sunglasses. About a minute into the clip, another student, wearing blackface and apparently mimicking the role played by Jay-Z on the track, emphatically joins in...
Such lowlights hardly mark the first time UCI fraternity members have stooped to such discriminative exploits. In its fall 2012 recruitment video staged as a costume party, members were also recorded decorated in blackface as well wearing a sombrero and poncho. Frat members have since taken the video down, stressing that it was made by individual members and not approved by organizational leaders, but not before it garnered well over 10,000 views on YouTube.
"You're not sorry that you did it, you're only sorry that you got caught," Ainaria Johnson, Black Student Union co-chair, said of the frat's subsequent Facebook apology. "We told them the time to apologize and the time for conversation has passed. None of that can take back what you did."
Still others who likewise question the frat's sincerity point to the seemingly cavalier words of Theta Delta President Darius Obana, who explained it all away with the logic: "In a nutshell, it was pretty much just to play that role and be Jay-Z and kind of distinguish themselves from the other guys in the video."
At one point, the video was even re-uploaded to the fraternity's YouTube page, where it drew still even more attention before leaders were again confronted and forced to pull it down once and for all. If that's not enough, UCI student Allura Davis points out the video also came equipped with a disclaimer absolving it of all racist offensiveness. "Nobody should have or need a disclaimer about a video they make," she said.
School officials, meanwhile, have denounced the incident as "reprehensible" and add that the students in question are now under investigation. Those deemed responsible could face sanctions ranging from a verbal warning to full-fledged suspension.
"We'd like to point out that this blackface video isn't the first, nor is it the least, example of racism that's been shown on this campus," said Johnson, adding that some black students have already been forced to move dorms after they were repeatedly subjected to racial slurs from other students.
Asian students compose 49 percent of the UCI student body while blacks make up just three percent.
Comments
Diversity without equality
I am amazed that reports of hate crimes can be dismissed so easily when it is occuring against a person, and not until the university felt that they were being vandalized were any steps taken to investigate. It is difficult enough on minority students to attend school where they feel like they are alone or misunderstood, but when the institution takes no steps in ensuring your safety or even taking your concerns seriously, there is a whole other hurdle that students have to overcome. I wonder how many hate crimes are not being reported because the students feel like their report will be taken seriously. Some feel like the answer would be to make the campus more diverse, but I agree completely with Christopher Warren who stated, "Who cares about diversity when there is no equality?"
It’s hard for me to accept
It’s hard for me to accept that these issues are occurring on college campuses. In my opinion, college and universities should be one of the places that are safe from this. People participating in any form of higher education, in my opinion, should be competent enough to understand what racism is and what it does. One of the conditions that Purdue students are requesting are to have mandatory courses in race and racism. I think that is reasonable request and one that I completely agree with. I believe everyone should have a basic understand of how race is socially constructed. This education can only help to eradicate discrimination, racism, hate crimes, etc. I also found the second racial incident interesting because of the racial discrimination was from Asian Americans against African Americans. It makes sense in context because 49 percent of the Universities population is Asian American, but it isn’t the norm to hear about a minority discriminating against another minority. All I could think about while looking at the pictures is the “blackface” and how much harm that did in the past. They revived that idea, and in a college fraternity.
I was also shocked to see
I was also shocked to see that this is still an issue on college campuses. I like to think of college students as more forward thinking individuals than the older population that didn't receive a higher level of education. I was under the impression that most college students were open minded and have a basic understanding of racial issues. I don't think a mandatory class in race studies is an unreasonable request, but I don't know that it would necessarily solve the problem. You can make a student take the class as a degree requirement, but you can't force them to care.
I agree, requiring that
I agree, requiring that students take a basic race and racism course doesn’t solve the problem. I do think it is a good step in the right direction. This story shows that many college students, despite their higher learning access are still participating in ignorant racial thoughts, ideas and actions. Making it impossible for someone to graduate from a university without passing a class about race would change the way race is perceived on college campuses and college graduates. It’s a small step, but it’s a step.
I personally am shocked that
I personally am shocked that many of you are shocked that this STILL occurs on college and university campuses. I see this daily on campus whether it is inconspicuous or blatant it is still occurring daily on probably every college/ university campus in the United States. Also throughout history minority groups have created a hierarchy amongst themselves and blacks have always been on the bottom. Also college fraternities are not known for their exceptional behavior. We hear all the time about the many various crimes that occur in fraternities across the U.S.
It’s hard for me to accept
It’s hard for me to accept that these issues are occurring on college campuses. In my opinion, college and universities should be one of the places that are safe from this. People participating in any form of higher education, in my opinion, should be competent enough to understand what racism is and what it does. One of the conditions that Purdue students are requesting are to have mandatory courses in race and racism. I think that is reasonable request and one that I completely agree with. I believe everyone should have a basic understand of how race is socially constructed. This education can only help to eradicate discrimination, racism, hate crimes, etc. I also found the second racial incident interesting because of the racial discrimination was from Asian Americans against African Americans. It makes sense in context because 49 percent of the Universities population is Asian American, but it isn’t the norm to hear about a minority discriminating against another minority. All I could think about while looking at the pictures is the “blackface” and how much harm that did in the past. They revived that idea, and in a college fraternity.
Wow, this type of hate crime
Wow, this type of hate crime may seem like no big deal;it's just a stick figure, but it means a great deal actually. Purdue is a prestigious university which means the people that go there are typically rich white people who think their social status is of much more importance than others such as poorer people or people of color. So whoever drew this picture of the hanging stick figure probably thought it was no big deal, but look at all the hype it has already caused! There are so many more people out there today who are of all different races who care about equality and that's what we need to move forward in this country.
White Supremecy????
What I don't get is the white suprememcy thing. I am a white guy, and the fact that my skin is of a lighter pigment has never given me the sense that I am somehow genetically or otherwise superior to other people. I hear how these supremesists rationalize how they are are superior, and I just feel like it's all crap. Why does having lighter skin make you better? And does that mean Albino's are the best people in the world? I jest to make a point, but the whole idea that your skin tone determines your superiority to other people is just absolutly ridiculous.
Superiority???
I understand your perspective but just as you said your perspective is that of a white male, for those of us who are minorities it is absolutely both true and apparent in our lives that this occurs daily. I absolutely don't think that skin color should determine superiority/inferiority but the fact is that it does ((perceived and actual)).
Unintentional?
I was physically taken aback while reading this article at the assertion that the stick figured drawing on a placard was unintentional. Are you kidding me? Unless someone is playing hangman and is a horrible stick figure artist, there is no way to confuse a stick figure hanging from a tree, which has clear implications for the African American community. What was unintentional - that the person who made it, didn't intend to leave it so close to the Black Cultural Center? That it wasn't supposed to be dropped at all?What a disappointment that the administration doesn't take these incidences seriously but rather attempts to treat them like accidents and the offended Black students as the ones who are doing something wrong by being offended in the first place.
I am shocked on how many hate
I am shocked on how many hate crimes happened at the Purdue University, that is not something I would expect happening on a college campus. That hate crime was out in the open, they wanted to make a statement. I also don't understand how they take the stick figure so lightly, an accident? That just doesn't make sense to me how they assume other aspects of the crime are more important than the stick figure, that is violence, that is pure hatred, and it dates back to 18th century lynching. College is supppose to be about learning about issues such as race and racism, about forming peace, and working together for a good cause, not about hate crime. I support their idea on doubling the number of the minority faculty members, and a requierement to take a course on race and racism. I don't know if that would stop the hate crimes commited by the same people, but educating people about history on race and racism I believe is very important for all.
I am astounded by the
I am astounded by the administration of Purdue seemingly brushing off the "white supremacy" comment and drawing. That is not ok, and it is not acceptable. It does not foster a safe and comfortable learning environment for the students, regardless of color. I believe the measures called for (ie taking a course on race) would be highly effective.
I greatly agree with you
I greatly agree with you comment. I think it is awful for a University to brush off an act of racism. Not only does it make the environment uncomfortable for students, but it also makes people see that acts of racism do not have consequences. Regardless of what race is experiencing the hate, it needs to be stopped and people need to realize it is not ok. Your response also made me question that had this act of hate been towards a different group of people or made with a different comment, would the issue be handled more seriously and with more force.
Color Blind Racism
It seems like hate crimes on college/university campuses are being treated in the same way as rape. Colleges/universitites are handling these issues internally. I wonder if its because they don't want bad publicity, they just don't care or a combination of both. In the case of these hate crimes there is color blind racism going on. These campuses assert that there is not racism so there isn't a problem. By ignoring the problem they are only contributing to it. These students committing the hate crimes continue to do so because there has yet to be any real consequences. Colleges/universities need to take a stand against these hate crimes. By not doing so they are supporting racism. This is disturbing because these colleges/universities are educating the leaders of the world. The message they are sending is that it is ok to do hate crimes and there won't be any consequences. And we wonder why racism still exists.
One thing that I found
One thing that I found interesting with this article is that with all the hate crimes that are being committed in that University, the students and faculty members are working together to address these hate crimes. I strongly believe that if we can be consistent and make a strong effort to eradicate racism in our colleges, we might have a chance. Another problem that an institution like colleges face is they also lack consistency when dealing with these hate crimes. Universities need to be strong and firm about their stance on racism. Also educating their faculty and students about racism and hate crimes should be emphasized more.
Wow.
First off, I'm shocked Purdue is 2nd in the nation for hate crimes! Just goes to show you, racism is far from over. I think it's great that they are punishing those responsible and hiring more staff to teach race and racism classes. I was surprised that Purdue sort of dusted the sticky note of a hanging man off their shoulders, but when there was some vandalism they got all offended about it. However, at least they are trying to do something to change the way things are going there. I hope they are successful in changing the way those students think. It's hard enough to get into a good college, but then to be mocked should be sanctioned to the utmost degree, school should be a place of learning and understanding, not one of bigotry.
To be honest I think racism
To be honest I think racism will be in our society for a long time. No mater what people will always embrace stereotypes and hatred for other people. Is sad to say but I think its is true. Of course we can try to minimize racism, but there will always be people who have issues with other races. The question is, how long will this continue, and will it ever stop?
Racism in Colleges and Universities
I don’t think that many colleges or universities would be overly anxious to accept that this type of behavior occurs on their campuses. The fact is racism takes place everywhere and ignoring its existence only makes matters worse. In this specific instance I think it is more than evident that it was intended to incite a negative reaction based upon the fact that the drawing in question was found in the Black Cultural Center. Instead of the college or university acting as if there is no problem, these types of issues must be handled with seriousness and swiftness so that it doesn’t give the perception that the school tolerates this type of behavior. I think that the Anti-Racism Coalition in one of its proposals and wrong in the other. I do feel students should be required to take a class on race/racism but I do not think that requiring the minority faculty to be doubled is necessarily a good idea. First, when you make this requirement some teachers would not be hired based on merit; therefore, they may not be the best qualified for the position. Second, being forced to hire minorities could result in a hostile work environment for these teachers. I don’t think that these demands take into account the overall result for everyone involved.Second Racist Incident:I do believe this was racist incident; however, I am not entirely sure I think this was done out of hate, I do however think it was insensitive and stupid. Either was it was wrong and the university itself or the fraternity should not allow this type of behavior to continue. Ultimately it is the governing body (fraternity or school) to make sure that these things are handled properly in order to ensure an environment conducive to learning, after all that is the reason they are there. What I find disturbing is how minorities have also created a “hierarchy.” In my opinion this tells you how truly far we are from dismantling racism.
I have always found it
I have always found it interesting when the authority figures of an institution state that there are not any racism problems then something happens. I think that many of them have ostrich syndrome so they don't have to deal with the problem. In many of these cases, I don't necessarily think that the students are racist, I think that they are just stupid. They think they are being funny and don't realize, or don't care, if they are being offensive. I do think that they should be held responsible for their actions, especially when they don't care.
University Racism
It is so pathetic that racism is still going on today at the rate that it is. The fact that people still believe that somehow they are above others is pure ignorance. It is a good thing that the school is putting effort into changing the conduct of their students, but I am sure just as any other place that has racial issues, it will take a lot of time and effort to make any significant change. I honestly cannot think of any effective ways to help change this problem, because typically this is the way the students have been brought up or have strong beliefs about. Making harsher punishments against hate crimes can be a start. The most important thing is to keep the safety of the students regulated. Students should never have to feel uncomfortable at their own school that they are paying for. I was especially surprised to see that it was Asians who participated in the crime, because typically all anyone will hear about is white people committing hate crimes on race.
I think the fact that these
I think the fact that these students are asian only goes to show how deeply embedded racist ideology is in our society. It is almost as if people rate themselves on a scale of oppression, often thinking "well I'm not as bad off as that group" and therefore justifying racism to those groups perhaps as a defense mechanism to divert attention from their own oppression/race. But I agree that this is shocking, ideally those who are racial minorities would be more sensitive to these issues.
I agree it is disgusting that
I agree it is disgusting that this still happens. No one has the right to disrespect anyone for any reason. I am glad to see Purdue is trying to do something about this. Even getting it out there for people to see will hopefully help the situation.
And then there's this
Just today I was writing a paper about overt vs covert racism and I talked about the idea that while overt racism has been lowered, covert has not. Then there is this article here and it feels like a slap in the face to me that my fellow students (and I use the word fellow very broadly here)are still this racist/ignorant that they would do such things. I feel as though a University should be a prime place to learn about what diversity should look like and what its benefits are. It is sad to think that some places are missing this lesson. Perhaps, we hear the things we want to and ignore the rest and the schools ARE actually teaching it. For some people it takes sanctions of various forms to begin to learn that these things are unacceptable.In terms of requiring students to take a class on race and racism and doubling the number of non-white teachers, I have mixed feelings. As one student said, it could cause people who are not the best person for the job to be hired. However, even in saying that, it sounds a bit racist. One issue I have not seen mentioned is that there may not be many non-white people apply at schools like Purdue. What might be beneficial is to mandate that these schools actively advertise in areas with a higher minority population in order to solicit capable candidates of multiple ethnicities. The more minorities in the pool, the greater the likelihood they will get the job, IF the school is legitimately open to that. I do agree that all students should take a race and racism class.
I think it would be a good
I think it would be a good idea for all students to have a diversity class. then at least it would be known that even the smallest remarks can hurt other peoples feelings. Where would these non-white teachers come from? I feel like you can only hire the people who want to do the job, if the teachers are not there to be hired how does this problem get solved?
"Color Blindness"
Your mention of covert racism reminded me of something I learned this semester.Color blindness is essentially a social construct that allows whites to express negativity towards minorities without sounding racist (Ferber, Jimenez, Herrera & Samuels, 2009). Color-blind racism flourishes on the idea that race is no longer an issue in this country and that there are non-racial explanations for the state of inequality in the U.S.I mentioned the latter part on another article, but it's relevant here.
Who is to gain?
I look at these incidents and I can't help but to wonder who is benefiting? I don't understand how a fraternity making a video for YouTube is benefited by one of the members wearing Black face. I don't get how it makes the video or the people in it any better. What I do understand is that when events like this occur, it is mentally damaging to the people who understand the meaning behind the events. I believe there are two types of people when dealing with incidents like this, the people who commit the act and the people who are affected. Neither of the groups benefit and one is mentally damaged. I can't see why these acts happen except for the fact of ignorance. Which makes me agree with the statement in the article that suggests College students should be required to take a class on race and diversity. In the book White Privilege by Frances Kendall, she talks about an experience where she starts having "crucible" moments that open her eyes to racism and discrimination in the world. There is a quote from White Privilege that I think will pertain to this issue when Kendall says “ Once we began to notice racism we could never not see it again.”. I think students in college could have this same experience and more graduates would be better off understanding the ignorance that they once carried.
The events at Perdue whether
The events at Perdue whether they were intentional or not need to be addressed. Having 19 reported hate crimes in a two year period is a lot. I would not feel safe at that school, it seems to be never ending. I do think that the students should have to take a course on race and racism. I also think that the administration and staff should have to take the same class so they can better aide in the stopping of it. The class could put the seed in thier minds about whats not ok.
Whether people realize this
Whether people realize this or not racism is still very prevalent. I am shocked that Purdue had 19 hate crimes. I feel like situations like this need to be addressed to the public. Before reading this I had no I idea that this happened. Im sure there are plenty more situations such as this. The question is what do we do about this?
Why does it keep happening
The fact is that although we have accomplished so much we as a society still haven't been able to overcome racism. Everyday if you listen close enough you can hear racism on a college campus. Wether or not it is meant for humor doesn't matter. The fact is we as society see each other as colors and not individual people. Of course we've come a long way from where we were but we still haven't been able to overcome racism. It's sad that instead of forging a new path of equality college students are promoting racism wether it is meant or not.
Psychologically safe environment
I thought the most interesting part of this article was that the Provost admitted that the campus does not provide a safe place for minority people. I can't believe the University would dismiss allegations that they had racial problems on campus when in the last two years there were 19 other incidences of hate crimes. I think the video with blackface was just stupidity on the part of the frat boys. I don't think they know how racially bad this is? They seem just stupid and having a good time and not thinking about their actions. However, as a minority student I would have no desire to attend the school after reading this article.