Racism on college campuses is still an issue in 2018 and there is no excuse.
At California Polytechnic State University, a Lambda Chi Alpha member showed up to a party in April of this year in blackface. Several other members of the same fraternity dressed in stereotypically “gangster” clothing, according to The Washington Post.
In 2013, Duke’s Kappa Sigma chapter held an Asian-themed party. According to the Huffington Post, the fraternity promoted the party using a Kim Jong-Il puppet and the words “Hero Nice Duke Peopre,” mocking an East Asian accent.
The fraternities involved in these incidents claim the themes began as jokes and simply went too far. This is not a valid excuse.
A fraternity at Murray State hosted a social event on Sept. 21 with a “Cowboys and Indians” theme. The theme could be seen as offensive to Native Americans and resembles the theme of a 2013 Phi Sigma Kappa party at California Polytechnic State University titled “Colonial Bros and Nava-Hos.”
The fraternities involved in these incidents were probably imagining the outfits girls would show up in when they came up with the themes. This is not a valid excuse.
Racism extends beyond fraternities and their social events.
In August, a racial slur was written on a sign at the Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture at Duke University. According to an Associated Press article, Duke President Vincent Price called it a “cowardly and hateful act” and stressed the importance of acknowledging it.
In September, an anti-Islamic statement was written on the wall of Price Doyle Fine Arts Center at Murray State. This isn’t a racial slur, but it’s a hateful statement against a very large group of people. No one reported it for two days, but the University had it removed as soon as they were informed.
Universities have a responsibility to prevent discrimination or punish it once it happens. Acknowledging the problem is a good start but it does nothing to solve it.
A Native American family was on an admissions tour at Colorado State University when another parent on the tour called the police. The parent said the two boys “really stood out,” according to a statement from the American Civil Liberties Union.
The ACLU is demanding campus police policies and training requirements be amended after the incident.
The brothers were “detained, questioned and searched,” according to the press release. Because they were never suspected of a specific crime, the actions of the campus police violated the students’ legal rights.
According to the Coloradoan, CSU implemented a policy which requires tour participants to wear identifying buttons. They also trained police on engaging with visitors. This does nothing for the family whose rights were blatantly violated. This is not enough.
You may feel like racism doesn’t happen here, but it does. It happens here and in Colorado and in California and everywhere. Racist people exist on every college campus, and while universities don’t have the ability to prevent racism, they can prevent racist practices on campus. There is no valid excuse not to take a stand against racism.
