http://www.northern-iowan.org/ku-klux-klan-1.2188683
The Northern
Iowan put this Article on the front page; the Thursday before spring
break. If there is truly an idea or an
image that UNI is trying to preserve in saying Diversity Matters or UNI. It starts with us as students speaking out against
bigotry, racist ideology, discrimination, or being stereotyped. I truly understand
the 1st Amendment Right of "Freedom of Press/ Speech", but at what
cost is that freedom really freedom. If it shows a bias towards homosexual or
minorities, is it not an infringement on the rights of a people. We may not be
seen what the administration is doing but the fact that they are standing and
saying that these actions will not tolerated here on campus is a start, but
this massage needs to be sent to all department heads, and down the line but
mostly in the news paper where they feel that it is necessary to put this out
to the public.
Now that it was put out on the front page, shows that there is an active KKK organization here in Cedar Falls/Waterloo but across the state of Iowa in ten different cities. Now the subject and idea is actually out their instead of trying to deny it as they did in the past, it is up to the people to see where they want to go from here. Here on campus for the first time in history a verity of different organizations our coming together never to fight and stand for a just cause. We our tired of being underrepresented or feel that at times administration, is more worried about the mighty dollar rather than its students; and now we all have a voice as student who our standing against oppression.
I was surprised this article actually did show up in the Northern Iowan (normally I would think this type of issue wouldn't be written about at all). I agree with you that now that the article was written and on the front page, people cannot deny the existence of it. It is right there in black and white. It is up to people how they want to react to this though. Will people continue to deny the existence of racism or will people make a stand?
I think this issue goes back to what we talked about on Tuesday. The whole idea of interactions that can be perceived in totally different ways by the people involved. The whole "white denial" idea, that white people can just not "see" what is happening. I think this article can start us at least in the right direction. At least now the issue is out there, but obviously more needs to be done to truly address this issue.
Thanks Heather, For the past three weeks we have had meetings with different people (editor, jeff who wrote the article) there main concern is that they have the right stated in the 1st amendment in the bill of rights, to put a story out that was controversial to and extent. Which I do agree with. But when is it a violation and when does it become unconstitutional or hate speech for example in the article it state that "homosexual don't have the right to exists." and toward the end of the article it states that "that the are things coming" Within the GLBT community here at UNI they has been a heighten anxiety, during pride week, a couple of weeks ago a student was assaulted in the men's restroom while taking a shower, since that incident instead of taking care of the victim and the situations the university moved him out of Bartlett, and the former roommate and his friend that "assaulted" him are still attending classes here at UNI. If there is a zero tolerance here then why are this student still here on campus, is the question that we should all be concerned about. It shouldn't matter if one is gay/lesbian/transgendered/Muslim/christian/Jewish the fact of the matter is that equality should be the bases of what that university stand for and not victimizing the victim as if was his or her fought.
For the past 2 years i have been one out of six student who helped in getting the awareness out, and at times it is very trialing, but I do it for the just cause the UNI study circles is suppose to be a group of students to discuss open dialogues issues of race, stereotyping and discrimination but it has lead to forms, for the first time in history we have formed an alliance between groups that have never came together in some cases giving the students power to let there voice be heard, and i am one who really don't like to speak, unless I feel like i need to say something. In essence I feel that there is a trust issue between NISG/ the Administration and students that feel nothing is happening.
Everyone is entitled to and opinion, to my understanding things are changing little by little and we as students don't see it because we are us to seeing it right now and it doesn't work that way. the Education department is implementing changes, Department of residence, the school of business, and Modern language department, the transfer and freshmen origination programs are doing things differently from what I understand, for the others I can't speech upon because I haven't asked yet.
Back to the Northern Iowan they get $40,000 per semester, what happen to the cutbacks and the extra 100 dollars that student have paid, when money is being wasted on a BS paper and throws money away like its toilet paper. They do not have an advisory that looks over articles that get published (for a year already) student have been running it on there own. The person that is in charge of putting board members to overlook NI is Dean of Student Terry Hogan or John Buse.