Emotions ran high at the Riverside Lounge Wednesday as students and top University administrators discussed ways to address hate incidents on campus. Even as Vice-President of Student Affairs Todd Olson stressed open dialogue and the accurate reporting of hate incidents, several students demanded that the University take greater action to combat a perceived atmosphere of intolerance.
The panel discussion was held in the wake of several high-profile racist incidents that sparked controversy on campus. In early March, Black Student Alliance leaders received a racist email message and organized several large protests to demand changes from the administration.
The discussion began with several students relating stories of hate incidents on campus. Maher Bitar, (SFS ‘06) who is of Palestinian and Egyptian descent, told of an incident in his freshman year in which a student told him that all Palestinians should be relocated to Saudi Arabia. Jane Kim (CAS ‘07) observed a general trend of racial insensitivity on campus. “In the street I hear references to bananas, coconuts, and oreos, and they’re not talking about food,” she said.
Members of the panel included Olson, Vice President of Safety and Security David Morrell, LGBTQ Coordinator Chuck Van Sant, Director of Student Conduct Judy Johnson, and Cheryl Kravitz, the Executive Director of the National Conference on Community and Justice.
“Although sometimes it’s genuinely intended to be hurtful, never attribute to malice what can be explained by ignorance,” Johnson said.
Olson agreed, but he added that the current University policy regarding hate incidents is inadequate and sustained attention to the issue is needed. “Issues of intolerance and hate are widespread in our society and we’ll be dealing with them for a long time,” he said.
The panelists’ emphasis on communication and planning, however, did not fully satisfy all members of the audience. Jessica Rucker (CAS ‘05) said that the university is not doing enough to ameliorate what she termed “an entire system” of self-reinforcing racism. “I’d like to see more diversity in the curriculum. I’d like to see any professor being considered for tenure undergo diversity training, and I’d like to see administrators become more involved,” she said.
The discussion, along with this week’s Raffle against Racism, was sponsored by Leaders in Education About Diversity, a student organization that aims to create a more tolerant atmosphere on campus. According to discussion co-moderator Tanisha Douglas, (SFS ‘07) the panel discussion was an important part of that initiative. “We got the panelists so that we can have a more educated discussion about what a hate crime is, and what students can do about it,” she said.
