ABS statement on SAE pledge incident
Dear Administrators, Faculty and Staff,
In light of the recent incident that occurred on February 26, 2013 involving members of our General Body and the current pledge class of Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE), the Association of Black Students (ABS) is deeply disappointed in the actions of our peers and wishes to express our concern on behalf of our members.
Washington University in St. Louis has a mission of welcoming students “from all backgrounds to create an inclusive community that is welcoming, nurturing, and intellectually rigorous…[and] to provide an exemplary, respectful, and responsive environment for living, teaching, learning, and working for present and future generations.1” The incident that occurred is not in accordance with the principles of the University, the expectations of the student body, nor the standards for a welcoming and respectful environment among members of ABS. As a result, we believe that everyone – the administration and students – must take unequivocal action in resolving this issue of ignorance and racism.
While this incident is not representative of all members of SAE nor the values of the organization as a whole, it is the standpoint of ABS that the members responsible for this reprehensible behavior must be held accountable for their actions. It is our expectation that the administration will suspend both the primary students directly involved in the incident and those that specifically gave the directive for the task of concern.
We feel that this is not an isolated occurrence but rather a microcosm of other events that have happened on campus; thus, it is essential that we move forward with developing a clear plan of action to address future instances of discrimination and bias. To that end, ABS is committed to being a strong partner in moving forward with our disciplinary expectations and specific requests for structural changes at the University. This includes, but is not limited to, the development of an Office of Diversity and Inclusion, an amended University policy plan that addresses issues of diversity, and a student review board for discriminatory acts that serves as an administrative liaison. We are currently in discussion with other student groups, administrators, and the leadership of SAE.
ABS members, along with our community partners, have expressed feelings of sadness and anger at the events that took place, and the ABS General Body is not only disappointed but extremely offended by the normalized culture in which this event occurred. Furthermore, we are committed to challenging and reshaping this culture at Washington University. At this time, ABS is focused on supporting the involved members and the General Body as a whole while working to ensure that such incidents do not happen in the future. We are greatly appreciative of the outpour of support from Vice Chancellor for Students, Sharon Stahl, Residential Life, Campus Life and Student Involvement & Leadership, as well as other student groups.
We also want to use this opportunity to remind our fellow students that it is up to us to create, foster, and uphold a respectful and inclusive community in which all students feel welcomed, supported and celebrated in their identities. ABS welcomes all groups wanting to collaborate with us on improving dialogue, implementing productive programming, and creating initiatives that strengthen the diversity and inclusion on our campus.
It is our organization’s mission to give voice and power to, address the needs of, and supplement the experience of Black students at Washington University. In doing so, we believe that we strengthen the entire Washington University community. For more information about ABS, please contact [email protected]
Sincerely,
Claudia, President
Ashley Fox, Vice-President
Why I’m Disappointed in ABS
ABS is an organization that was built by generations of strong Black leaders too address the issues that the Black Community has faced at Wash U and in St. Louis. So when this racial episode took place, I was almost excited that ABS would get a chance to be the organized voice of the Black struggle at this University. At last, every eye and ear of every member of this University (students, professors, alum, pre-frosh), everyone was going to read ABS’s statement, and for once ABS would be able to communicate the difficulties and individual struggles that the Black community faces on this campus.
This letter to the administration failed. It failed as an opportunity to provide those who have never know the struggle of an underrepresented minority on this campus. It failed as a chance to explain the hurt that one feels when as a target of racial harassment. Whether it be by accident or on purpose, logical or illogical, when a minority is targeted because of their race, and made to see their skin color, or religion, or culture in a negative, that person can’t help but feel hurt, angry, offended. The racial act isn’t what’s important, it’s addressing the feelings engendered by the act that becomes vital to moving forward, and ensuring that this doesn’t happen again.
So with the eyes and the ears of the university and the Wash U community finally for once tuned in to the Black Community’s response, ABS chooses weakness and failed leadership. ABS could have mentioned 1 of the million racial issues with this school, that most people turn a blind eye to, from the lack of minority professors, to lack of underrepresented minority students, to the historical lack of SU funding for minority-focused student events. Anything. Literally ABS could have given these “ignorant white” students a perspective into our lives, our struggles; ABS could have talked about why the n-word, when used casually by a white student to be cute or funny, is really offensive, and further marginalizes us in a White-dominated society. So much good could have come from this letter, but instead ABS wanted blood. They let anger get the best of them, and blind them from the true calling.
Strong leadership is in forgiveness. In my eyes, the strongest leader that ever walked this earth was Jesus Christ, and the last thing He did before He died was forgive His oppressors. The strongest thing ABS could have done would’ve been to forgive the students that committed this act and tried to open their minds to what they did wrong. Their can only be unity through forgiveness. Forgiveness would have allowed for real dialogue that could have opened their minds to the ignorant thinking that goes behind doing what they did.
Furthermore, ABS could have asked the administration to be creative in punishing these students. Instead of the simple “Diversity Office” and suspension solution that doesn’t serve anyone, ABS could have asked that these students lead a forum on what they did wrong, or do a report on the n-word, or anything to open their minds.
This was a golden opportunity for ABS to do something remarkable for this campus, and instead they wasted it.
Thank you for confirming my hope that ABS’s bloodthirsty demand for punishment is not a representation of the entire black student body.
1) I would like to know why people want to use the N-word so badly? Is not using one word out of your extensive WashU vocabulary that difficult?
2) Since when did a rap artist become a spokesperson for my comfortability with the N-word? They are not representations nor validators for black culture. Do not treat them as such. As Dean McCleod said, each person comes with their own name and story, including a racial history that means something different to each person. Each black person is not a representation of the entire race. Please don’t treat us as such.
Where is your outrage directed towards Dr. Dre? He’s the one that constructed the song that you disparage.
No one is asking to use this word on a daily basis. There’s a fundamental difference between singing a song/reading a story/watching a movie with the n-word in it then saying it as part of normal, daily conversation. Furthermore individuals can only work off of societal norms in determining right from wrong. This song was accepted in the pop culture of society and therefore most people would consider its lyrics unoffensive. If hearing it offends you that’s fine but you cannot expect someone else to understand what you think and believe. That’s completely unfair. Rather you could kindly explain your position and ask that person politely refrain from doing the offensive activity. I think most people would respect such a request.
“Each black person is not a representation of the entire race. Please don’t treat us as such.”
I’m assuming you would agree that you aren’t the representative either. If that’s the case then you also have to accept that there are many opinions and perspectives within a single race. Therefore something that offends you might not offend someone else and vice versa.
1. “N—-” (not “N—–”) is used by so many black hip-hop artists in popular songs. It’s often used to mean friend, without strict racial connotations. For example, in “Wild for the Night” black rapper A$AP ROCKY refers to the white DJ/producer as “my n—- Skrillex”, meaning they are homies. People who listen to these songs want to imitate the artist or sing along, just like teenage girls want to imitate or sing along to Miley Cyrus.
2. Many black rappers are comfortable using the n-word in their songs, and they are aware that whites constitute a large portion of their audience. They are essentially saying that it’s okay to refer to your close friends as “n—-”, as long as all parties are comfortable and understand the word’s friendly meaning.
However, you are correct that rap artists do not represent your comfortability with the N-word. I respect the hardships of oppression and racism that blacks have endured from whites in America. The last thing I want to do is to hurt someone on such a sensitive subject. So while I may call a long-time friend as “my n—-,” I would never say it to random people in public because I respect the possibility that they may take offense to the n-word, regardless of their race or my intended meaning.
I hope my comments help answer your questions.
Wow. That’s the first word that comes to mind. ABS seems to be doing everything it can to make this a black and white issue of blacks versus whites. This is only in part an issue about race. This more an issue of fraternity culture and Wash U student attitudes towards scandals. The call for quick a decisive action before hearing all the facts is appalling. ABS feels the need to comment on how this incident reflects the entire black race at Wash U. There is no white student organization to counteract that (that, of course, would be “racist”), merely the single fraternity involved. Which is the way it should be. The issue should be limited to the students who did the supposedly offensive activity and those who felt offended. Stop making this issue bigger than it is.
If you couldn’t already tell, I’m white. Right now, I can guarantee people are making all kinds of assumptions. I’m white, I may have gone to a “prep school,” I may be from a normal middle class family. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t felt the affects of being judged negatively by my race. In high school, I was one of two girls and two whites in a mostly Asian male math class. Did that make me feel different? Sure. Did I feel as if my teacher treated me differently? Not on purpose, but yes. I had an English teacher for a semester in high school, who was a racist. And he was black. He clearly favored minority students, and made every issue a race issue. No theory that didn’t involve black oppression was valid. That is what ABS is doing here. They’re discounting the idea that any alternative viewpoint is even a possibility.
To more forward, we need to remember the past, but grow. Dwelling on race everyday is just going to make people more focused on it.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. -Martin Luther King, Jr.
Calling for suspension feels like hate to me. I would think that welcoming “all groups wanting to collaborate with us on improving dialogue, implementing productive programming, and creating initiatives that strengthen the diversity and inclusion on our campus” would include those who presumably need to work on these things the most: the pledges involved.
Has ABS done anything besides plan to exact their revenge? I have seen other diversity groups spreading flyers to raise awareness about racial prejudices. One read “I’m offended because people keep asking what kind of Asian I am,” and I will admit that I had not previously know that a question like that was offensive. Does this make me ignorant? Maybe. But since then I have had enlightening discussions with Asian friends of mine and now have a much deeper understanding and awareness about questions like that.
How will suspension of my fellow students enlighten me about cultural diversity and the viewpoint of our African American students? So far the message has been: NEVER say the n-word! Or we will kick you out of school! It in fact makes me afraid to bring up racial issues with black students. Very afraid. I’m disappointed ABS. Your reaction to this event has pushed the progress of your cause backwards.
Now what should you do? Retract your statement! Will people think that you no longer take this event to be a serious offense? Of course not. Admitting that this request (or expectation as you put it) was the wrong approach to forward progress, and frankly a mistake, is the first step to bringing this campus back together. The pledges involved have admitted their mistake, albeit it was an unintentional mistake. In fact, I believe they admitted it was a mistake several several times, and apologized several several times! Now its your turn ABS.
I understand that people were hurt and mistakes were made, but going on a witch hunt asking for the suspension of all even just tangentially involved is not the right way to go about this. First off, it seems to me that the picture taken of the pledge (when considering the scavenger hunt list) didn’t have anything to do with race. And had the 2nd event not happened, we probably wouldn’t even be considering the picture of the pledge in the corner (which sounds like it was just an inside joke within the fraternity). Second of all, it seems that there were 2 separate groups of pledges for 2 different events, meaning there wasn’t some kind of group conspiracy to be racist. It also sounds like there was a wide time gap between the 2 events. It’s looking more and more like there were one or two insensitive mistakes exacerbated by unfortunate consequences. Lastly, everyone is yelling that no one did anything to stop it, but it sounds like, from many reports, that at least one pledge actually recognized what was wrong and came over to the table and stopped the song (probably stopping the situation from escalating to fight or something like that). It also sounds like there were multiple apologies afterwards once pledges recognized
people were offended due to their actions.
Once again, people were hurt and some foolish actions on part of SAE are to blame, but asking for suspension of all involved is wrong. There are 2 issues here.
One is between the pledges involved and the students offended. That should have been and still can be resolved in small scale group, with deep intimate discussions and written apologies. Going to StudLife and the internet only inflamed the issue (also StudLife’s cropping of the image of pledge in the corner didn’t help). As far as punishments go, there is a judiciary council for a reason. Let them find out the truth and figure out where culpability lies (I’d venture to say it doesn’t lie on everyone involved).
The other issue is general racial tension on campus, which isn’t going to be resolved by punishing everyone who has ever walked through the door of the SAE house. Instead, we need to have programs to address these issues. 40 suspended students and a fraternity kicked off campus isn’t a mature way to solve anything.
I’m not vindicating SAE and those involved of all wrongdoing. There are people who deserve to be reprimanded, but there are also many others who don’t. Therefore, the suggestions in this letter are most definitely not the right way to handle this situation.
I HAVE FOUND A MOLE HILL. LET US CONSTRUCT MOUNTAINS OUT OF IT.
In no world should this be a punishable, let alone suspendable offense. In no world should a student group expect to hold sway over the university decision-makers over an event like this.
It was stupid for these guys to do what they did, and where they did. Hell, they might even be hard core racists, I don’t know. But they have a right to say whatever they want, wherever they want, and to whomever they want. You can find it reprehensible, disgusting, insulting, demeaning, etc, but it’s not a hate crime (or a crime at all) unless they cause physical harm, and not something to suspend anyone over.
First Amendment. That constitution thing of ours, it even protects the ultra-racist, because speech of all kinds, whether true, false, or some mix of the two benefits mankind, if only insofar as we engage in discussion to counter false statements (John Stuart Mill).
So while no, I don’t think the SAE pledges are racist, I think they’re stupid, even if they were they’re entitled to their opinions and they’re entitled to say what they want. It might hurt, but maybe adversity is best countered by acknowledging it and promoting oneself in positive ways in response instead of using it as a crutch to excuse all the ways in which it’s hard to do X because your skin is Y.
I entirely agree that while highly unfortunate, the idea of someone getting suspended over this is ridiculous. ‘Punishment’ should come in the form of perhaps a formal discussion between the student and those who felt offended by the action but actual punishment will likely do nothing but strengthen the negativity seen on these comments.
While I respect the right to one’s freedom of speech, I would hope on a highly regarded, intelligent college campus such as this, we have more respect for each other that we choose not to make comments that could be hurtful or perceived as inflammatory. Paying good money to be here, I’d like to think that I can feel comfortable on campus without the potential of an ‘ultra racist’ or anyone else for that matter making a potentially hurtful comment. I’d like to think most of my peers have enough respect for diversity and each other that this simply would not happen here at WashU.
Finally, though I suspect your comment about ‘using it as a crutch to excuse all the ways…’ is geared more towards the writers of this letter, please know that there are plenty of minority students on this campus who do try and promote themselves in positive ways. Not everyone is using this event as a crutch and plenty of us work hard and do wonderful things for this campus and the greater Saint Louis community.
Regardless, I hope the pledge and his fraternity do not get suspended etc as this letter calls for, but I do hope that they and the rest of the campus can grow from this unfortunate event.
Keeping things brief… point by point, though I expect I will ramble with this one…
1. I would hope the same. We should have respect for each other, and watch our mouths. This is an ideal I’d very much like to see realized. But you do yourself and, to misquote a dead president, the ‘moral/silent majority’ a disservice to force compliance in these sorts of matters (and before anyone brings up the numerous times forced compliance has been necessary, such as the 13th amendment, I would respond that forced compliance is good when you are correcting an evil against humanity, not a social evil). Newton’s first law translates perfectly to these sorts of social situations.
2. The crutch comment. Yea, I might get flak for it. Oh well. But I don’t just refer to black people. I refer to Jews, Muslims, latinos, asians, women, indians/native americans (I find both terms there to be inherently inaccurate and a little insulting, and I’m not sure which one is the accepted PC term, so…), LGBT’s, and pretty much any other minority that has suffered injustices and adversity. You dig yourself a hole or fabricate barriers to your own advancement in society if you continue to call attention to yourself because of your minority status.
I am Jewish, and while I cannot say and will not pretend that I have experienced anything beyond minor stereotyping an occasional bullying as a result, I find it reprehensible when Jews cast themselves as victims in light of the Holocaust or any other tragedy our people have suffered. It happened, we suck it up and we try to move on, and when someone truly gets in our way, there are legal ways to get justice.
A hypothetical. A woman applies for a job and does not get it. She has a choice. She can blame the (outdated, though not completely inaccurate) company for not hiring her as a woman, or she can realize that perhaps she was not the most qualified candidate, and apply somewhere else. Persistence can be rewarding — just look at how many protesters are willing to stand against armed soldiers in Iran every day, or in Tahrir Square.
So when I say “crutch” I don’t mean all people, or even just the writers of this letter. I mean all people who choose the easier route of “well it must be because I’m [a] ______.”
We learned similar lessons when we grew up:
-The best way to stop a bully’s verbal abuse? Shrug off his insults and don’t let it bother you — he’s insecure and immature anyway.
-The best way to get what you want from your parents? If mom says no, ask dad. Then grandpa. And if all else fails, grandma — if one person won’t give you a shot, find someone who will and run with it.
-Jimmy won’t trade you his lunchables dessert for your jello pudding snack? Figure out what Jimmy will trade for, and meet him halfway — a compromise with string cheese is far preferable to an all out brawl under the monkey bars.
-Fall on the asphalt? It’s just a scratch, your knee just needs a kiss from mom or dad — minor inconveniences are just that.
-Only when George steals your holographic first edition Gyrados pokemon card do you cry to your mother — only when a real crime is committed do you go to the authorities.
From the mouths of babes. Crutches perpetuate the problem from the side of the victim. Learn to walk.
Again, I do not intend to refer to any group in its entirety, but to those of you that I am speaking to, you know very well who you are.
ok rereading what I just wrote, a couple of notes to avoid confusion. The parenthetical (outdated, though not completely inaccurate) was referring to the “71¢ on the dollar” statistic we hear so much. I took that out, but not the parenthesis. Whoops.
Also, the comment about not calling attention to your minority status — I mean in terms of being discriminated against. I’m all for being proud of who you are. I’m a proud Jew, you be a proud whatever if you want, more power to you.
That is all.
Hmmm… I understand what you are saying about the suck it up and move on approach, but that doesn’t solve the problem. That’s the problem. I know many people who live by this day in and day out. In fact it’s how many minorities were taught to navigate the world we live in. But there comes a time where you get tired of ignoring the problem and want to address it head on. You want people to finalize recognize that yes, there IS a problem, even though you’ve been so masterfully ignoring it for all these years. I think that is what ABS is trying to address with this part:
” To that end, ABS is committed to being a strong partner in moving forward with our disciplinary expectations and specific requests for structural changes at the University. This includes, but is not limited to, the development of an Office of Diversity and Inclusion, an amended University policy plan that addresses issues of diversity, and a student review board for discriminatory acts that serves as an administrative liaison.”
I’m not sure if this will be posted above or below the March 4, 2013 3:22pm post by Anonymous.. the website does not seem to want me to be able to hit “reply” on your message. But here is my response – and hopefully it will turn out shorter than my last post.
No, sucking it up doesn’t solve the problem. But the alternative does even less. Recognizing the problem, seeing the adversity, or as I put in my original post “acknowledging it and promoting oneself in positive ways in response” is the answer. That can mean activism. It can mean political campaigns, and awareness movements and marches and protests. It also means when you find instances of blatant adversity — when someone calls me a kike, for instance — you do what you can to evaluate the situation and decide if its worth your time or not.
Most hatred is born of ignorance, but you cannot change a culture of adversity if all you do is talk about the adversity. Education about cultural sensitivity and inclusion only works if there are enough people who are practicing the desired principles on both sides.
I would argue this is the case. I believe there to be more than enough minority members of society, as well as majority members, involved in positive reinforcement to the equal rights and equal treatment goal that you and I both want to affect this change over time. But social change speeds up as more people join the cause.. and again, this sword too cuts both ways.
I am speaking in the above posts to a small minority of the minority (any minority). Dragging your heels doesn’t help. And sucking it up is only the first step. Proving the doubters, the picketers, the unbelievers wrong is the next.
My prediction is that the pledges will not be suspended, but those in charge of the pledging (maybe including the SAE president) very well may be because of hazing, not directly because of the alleged racist act. I predict that the school will require the pledges/the rest of the fraternity to attend tolerance seminars, do community service, write a paper, etc. Basically perform actions that show that they are sorry about what happened. There would be a huge outcry against the school if the pledges were suspended because 1. they were told to do what they did by the fraternity and 2. the punishment would not fit the crime (sorry if you disagree).
The national organization is conducting a membership review AKA they will kick out a bunch of members to show to the public/school that they are doing something about the situation. This is basic fraternity protocol whenever a fraternity messes up like this.
By the way, I don’t think anyone is saying what they did was illegal. Just because something is legal under our constitution doesn’t mean that it’s legal under the school rules. WUPD can violate the 4th Amendment and search dorms without a warrant because of a contract the kids sign. Since Wash U is a private university, it can basically do whatever it wants. Also, this is nitpicky and unrelated, but even the constitution does not protect you from yelling “fire” in a movie theater when there isn’t one.
OK I don’t very much enjoy lengthy articles (brevity is the soul of wit), so I will attempt to be brief and to the point, point by point.
1. The suspended comment is what ABS called for, not me, but yea, I agree with you on 1) and 2).
2. SAE nat’l probably will, true. That’s their right as a private organization.
3. My comment on crime/legality extends only so far as the numerous people who have called this a hate crime in their comments. Nothing further.
4. As to “fire” in a movie theater, you make a true, albeit cliché, point. Which brings me to:
5. Yes, as I said above at #2, Wash U has every right as a private organization to do what they will and violate what I consider to be sacred rights while we are on campus. They, and many other universities, have suppressed free speech in the past. Very interesting article on that, btw: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323894704578115440209134854.html
But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to protect ourselves and each other from those sorts of intrusions. Simple as that.
Wow, not a recommendation, but an “expectation” that the students get suspended. How dare you? He apologized before this became a huge scandal. Can someone explain to me why that is not enough?
I feel sorry for the school because people will be angry at them no matter what they ultimately decide to do.
I don’t feel sorry for the school; they blew it. They never should have sent out that mass email before having the facts from BOTH side of this controversy. Sharon Stahl’s defamatory email, together with StudLife’s inflammatory and incomplete story, created this mess. I predict that if anyone is suspended, there will be a mass revolt by current students and alums. WashU, do the right thing and ‘fess up!
As an alum I have written a letter to the administration detailing my pledge to cease all donations if these punishment demands are met by the University. I have spoken with fellow alums and they intend to do the same.
While I was a student, I was always under the impression that the African American students segregated themselves within the WU comunity. Now they are adding fuel to the fire? S— be cray.
The ABS has completely marginalized any credibility it had. They have called for the suspension of multiple SAE brothers for what is clearly a misunderstanding. There is no first-hand account of the events that even remotely imply that the SAE pledges attacked the African American students directly. Anything short of an official apology would be unacceptable
No student group should think they have the ability to influence or demand judicial action. As an alumnus who graduated in 2001 and was not in a Fraternity, I am deeply embarrassed that StudLife is using this incident to promote their newspaper, ABS is using this incident to promote their platform, and that the school has implied that the SAE chapter is guilty of racism before the real facts of the event has come to light.
Wash U has a serious issue on its hands, and the problem is not SAE or Greek Life, which is so often used as the punching bag.
http://www.wunderground.wustl.edu/articles/volume_9/sae.php
As an alum and former member of the ABS executive board, I was deeply disappointed to see this statement and embarassed by the response of the community. The reaction by students, alum, and Studlife have trivialized the actual issue at hand. This would have been a great opportunity to open up dialogue and discuss the racial climate at Wash U. An invitation to ALL students. I cannot imagine the divide this has created.
To the students and parents,I am surprised that no one has yet addressed a larger problem and how this happened: Unfortunately our kids are so numb to the offensive language heard in this music, that they never thought this would be a problem. Why doesn’t ABS (and women’s groups) take issue with the performing artists of these “songs”? Black artists use this same word in their own songs. Take issue with them. Or is it only a problem now because it serves ABS’s cause? I am sure the SAE kids had no intention of offending anyone- unfortunate timing at the Bears Den- but given that the rap culture is accepted as it is, why would they think they might offend someone? Look at the big picture everyone- it speaks so much about the music culture and effects. Sorry kids- but this is the truth.
This is incredibly closed-minded. If Washington University follows through with this request to suspend students I will be withdrawing all my donation pledges. I will make this clear in a letter written to the administration and I encourage everyone else to do the same.
Since when are students allowed to be judge, jury and executioner? “Demanding” these punishments shows a great deal of egoism and self-importance. How about we let the administration do their job (even though they’ve already botched it with premature e-mails and condemnations), and allow the freshmen a fair and just assessment of their actions. I understand being upset, but allowing your emotions to take over and completely dictate responses shows a distinct lack of maturity.
if you guys haven’t read this yet: http://clarkkentreflections.blogspot.com/
it’ll help you understand things from every perspective
“Dear Administrators, Faculty and Staff”…. so the letter was not addressed to the student body?
two letters went out – one directed to faculty/staff and the other directed more generally to members of the washu community. don’t know why studlife posted this version but both say the exact same thing.
ABS community, if you really cared about equality on campus, then you’d open up a dialogue about race in an attempt to promote change. Making an example of young students who clearly didn’t have bad intentions is not going to do this. Rather, it’s a myopic and feverish response that is only going to further divide blacks and whites at WashU. Good thinking…
Have you spoken with anyone that was at the incident or has been affected by this? Have you seen there emotions and the stress that you have caused? There are students who feel that they cannot talk to their non-black friends because of the racial tensions that this event has caused and the social media response. People are questioning if they should accept their race or not because of how harshly they are being judged. People are losing sleep and feel unsafe on campus. There were clear intensions about what happened because of the fact that the group came to the same area where the black students had been sitting for 30 minutes and then decided to do the rap there. If the student didn’t really do anything wrong, then why would his fellow pledges tell him to stop once they saw the black students react? Why would the perpetrator apologize to those that he wronged and say that he clearly understood the gravity of the situation? Suspension is a just call because it can bring peace to those and let the university show that it will do all it can to protect their minority population from feeling threatened while paying money, sometimes full tuition, to attend this school.
I am sorry but just because they came back to an area with black student near it does not mean it was intended against us. There was clearly no ill intention involved just a mistake. The people sitting there had a strong reaction to the word did you ever consider that was exactly why the other pledges told him to stop? Maybe some of them didn’t think he would say the word? maybe some of them didn’t know the song? He is a young kid you can’t expect him to understand the hurt that word can cause if he hasn’t really felt it before like us. He clearly came back because he saw it affect you. no where on that list did it say it had to be done in front of black students. I am sorry you were hurt so much and lost sleep. But think about how much sleep these kids have also lost because now people think they are racist and did a hate crime. How much sleep they are loosing because everytime they go to class they think this will be the last day at wash u for the semester. How uncomfortable and scared they must be to walk around campus when they see other students look at him thinking he is a terrible person. Do you honestly think this kid will hurt you if he isn’t here? do you honestly think suspending him and others will make you feel better? Will it make the conversation better? NO IT WILL NOT! it will make everything worse. It will make the hate worse. No discussion will be had at all after this because of how this has gone down thanks to stud life and the administration and this statement. And all my minority students will feel the affects of this unfortunate situation that has been artificially created.
“There are students who feel that they cannot talk to their non-black friends because of the racial tensions that this event has caused and the social media response.”
- black student
Hi black student, the racial tensions you mentioned are caused by people like YOU demanding suspensions! If you threatened my livelihood and education, I would be mad as h— and I am mad that ABS (a student group) has assumed power of judicial punishment. I feel obligated to stand up for the pledge, who now seems to be the victim of overzealous, bureaucratic student “leaders” like Claudia and Ashley Fox. Who exactly are you representing when you present your demands? Based on these comments, even black students and former ABS board members disapprove of your “leadership”, if we can even call it that. And the social media response has been outrage from students and alums directed towards ABS’s demand of suspensions. Had you not demanded such unfair penalties, the student body would probably be on your side in creating productive discussion. But your need to power trip has created a defensive reaction from the larger community and the tension your fellow black students are experiencing. You have no one to blame but yourselves for the escalations of this unfortunate incident. As a student group, you have no right to dictate judicial punishment, and I am offended that ABS leadership assumed such power. I implore you, ASB, to follow the lead of the SAE pledge: reassess your position and apologize for your mistake. It’s not too late
Does this mean we need to increase our already-high tuition to fund the “Office of Diversity and Inclusion?”
Whatever happened to forgive and forget? The power to forgive is a lot more meaningful and important than the power to punish.
“An eye for an eye will only make the world blind”
Maybe there was a misprint and ABS is the Association of Blind Students?
What is more ‘reprehensible’ in this situation? The pledges’ actions (especially in light of the newly released info) or the unforgiving and narrow-minded tone that this message ABS is sending out to the public. How does this statement attain their intended purpose to “create, foster, and uphold a respectful and inclusive community,” it seems more divisive and inflammatory than anything else.
I am a WashU student and it frightens and disgusts me that the organization that gives “voice and power to” the Black students at Washington University would be so aggresive in their response to an event where, as more and more info is released, seems to be not nearly as bad as what everybody initially thought (thanks to you StudLife, Dean Stahl, but that’s for another comment).
This statement makes me disappointed to be in the Wash U community. First of all, it is incredibly hypercritical and out of line. I have heard multiple members of ABS use the N word, and I have also seen twitter posts containing the word from its members. In those instances and in this one, the word was not used with malicious intent. I agree that this word should not be used, and therefore, based on the ABS statement, I expect members of their community to be suspended as well. The fact that a student group thinks they have the right to suggest such things to our administration, makes me think that ABS feels our administration is not capable of handling such an issue on its own — this fact is very disturbing. Further, I wholeheartedly disagree with the idea that anyone should be suspended. But as I stated, if people were, I would expect members of the ABS community would be suspended too.
As a student who is currently abroad, it makes me sick to see what has happened to our campus and sick to see this race war that has been started on our campus.
First of all as a white student i feel unwelcomed. 2nd maybe the reason there is a complacency with that word it is because the African american community (some not all) says that word.
also its called freedom of speech. may i mention that washu is completely self segregated. i mean i dont feel welcome in the black or asian community (as a whole) and some people may not feel welcome in the white community (as i would imagine)
The hypocrisy of all of this is awful. and no im not a privileged white kid, i do have student debt accumulating.
How do you, as a white student on a campus that is majority white, feel unwelcome in this community? Just because some tolerate the word does not mean that those who are offended by the word should silence their feelings. You are free to say what you want, but you should also be aware that you are to be held accountable for their words. This whole WashU is ‘self-segregated’ claim is so played out. Everywhere you go people will surround themselves with people who are like them, whether that is enjoying the same activities, coming from the same place, or being of similar cultural backgrounds. I think it is an issue that people feel uncomfortable integrating into groups outside of their own, and I think we as a university need to work to move forward as a whole community to heal the wounds this has caused.
In reference to your concluding remarks, white privilege has nothing to do with student debt. There are plenty of black students accumulated student debt as well…
Nobody’s talking about silencing their feelings. They had every right to be offended and deserve the apology they got, as well as a more formal one, plus, perhaps, some kind of formal dialogue about the event and the role that race plays across campus.
Where people take issue is with this overbearing and ridiculous statement, that’s arguably more inflammatory and divisive than the incident that happened in the first place. The reaction is knee-jerk and overblown, and the disciplinary request completely ridiculous.
The ABS had a chance to use this as an opportunity to foster positive change in the Wash U community, and this statement shows that they’ve instead chosen to further divide the student body and perpetuate a hostile environment between races on campus.
Really hope they also sent a letter to Dr. Dre
I am shocked and horrified by the deplorable manner in which the university has bungled the handling of this matter.
After reading about the ACTUAL events, not the exaggerated and unsubstantiated claims recklessly disseminated beforehand, I am questioning our family’s choice of this school for our child. All this talk of feeling “safe” on campus is ridiculous when 18 year old freshmen ate vilified for taking a picture!! What about the “safety” of those kids? Has anyone stopped to consider the damage to the accused kids, most of whom did NOTHING MORE THAN TAKE A PHOTOGRAPH OF A PLEDGE?
Speaking of pledges, I just received my “Pledge Reminder” for the donation I had planned to make to WashU. It’s going in the trash.
I am another upset parent and couldn’t agree with you more! Where is the accountability for the irresponsible reporting by the newspaper’s editor to begin with? Why does WashU allow this sensationalism reporting? Look at the damage it has done. ABS- you just took your group back 50 years in time- you have definitely divided the student body and parents. Dear WashU Admin- someone please step in and put the brakes on this before more harm is done. This is out of control. This was not a hate crime- naive and ill thought, but not malicious. Kiss and make up.
To the Angry Parent: “After reading about the ACTUAL events, not the exaggerated and unsubstantiated claims recklessly disseminated beforehand, I am questioning our family’s choice of this school for our child. All this talk of feeling “safe” on campus is ridiculous when 18 year old freshmen ate vilified for taking a picture!! What about the “safety” of those kids? Has anyone stopped to consider the damage to the accused kids, most of whom did NOTHING MORE THAN TAKE A PHOTOGRAPH OF A PLEDGE?”
- Isn’t this a serious, SERIOUS oversimplification? Do you really believe that students and the administration would react to “no more than a photo of a pledge”? I also don’t think it’s fair to create this air of innocence for the pledges involved (such as “18 year old freshmen” and “…what about those kids?”) as if these are children and as if they don’t deserve ANY critique of their actions; but yes, their behavior was childish; they did not handle the situation maturely. This is not to say their feelings shouldn’t be considered – they should, and that’s why I personally don’t agree with suspending them. If students are really expected to grow in this environment (grow to become ‘the future world leaders’), we should find ways to foster this growth (suspension might not be the step in the right direction – the suggestion of it DOES highlight the outrage of students who feel hurt). Overall, I think the plaintiffs FELT EXPOLOITED. Initially, students were unknowingly used for this scavenger hunt…isn’t consent and respect important? the goals of the scavenger hunt was mostly shrouded in mystery the only explanation came from the “rapper”, who came forth to apologize – why do you think he needed to apologize if you feel no harm was done? I’d say, first sign of a guilty conscience…would you STILL assert that no harm was done? My hope is that people under pressure (in this case, to complete a scavenger hunt) should still THINK for themselves…this event is a result of the priority of a scavenger hunt over the feelings of others (who didn’t ask to be involved).
- Please consider this, does checking off an item on a scavenger hunt override the feelings of exploitation felt by others (look at the other items on the scavenger hunt…think about why some are censored)? Having a discussion about this (not just the event, but of related issues) may be one of the best ways to heal from this experience.
I am so sick of people crucifying this kid because he had the decency to apologize. And, as for the photo, people were not exploited; the photo taken is of the pledge, not them. Are you saying that white kids do not have the right to take a photo if there happen to be black students nearby? What’s next? A segregated dining hall?
i’ve lost a lot of respect for ABS after this
Wow, ABS. Nice job turning what could be an excellent learning opportunity into an us-versus-them firestorm.
An important part of justice is that the personal characteristics of the accused are not taken into account when the punishmentt is decided. In this case, if the student(s) in question were black, they would not receive much of a punishment, if any. The students are not black, so severe punishment (suspension on their permanent record!) is on the table. If you have any sense of right and wrong, this is absolutely absurd. Sometimes the correct action is no action.
This is why this statement is deeply disappointing to me. After an incident like the one that happened on Tuesday, I think there are two very different things that must happen. First, we, as a community, must work on implementing mechanisms to help ensure that something like this does not happen again. Second, the individuals who were responsible for the incident must face some sort of disciplinary action. While I fully encourage ABS to use its position as a cultural group on campus to work on the former task, and I support any programs, structural changes, or educational components that the University can implement to work on moving forward as a community and ensuring that every student at Wash U is educated on diversity and cultural awareness issues, I think that that is where ABS’s focus should stay. The second component of the necessary reaction–the discipline piece–is something that should be between the Office of Student Conduct and the students involved, and as long as the facts are reviewed and an investigation is completed, I believe it is Student Conduct’s right to impose whatever punishments–from restorative justice programs or mandatory education to probation or even suspension–it deems fit. When ABS calls for specific and harsh disciplinary actions, it seeks to insert itself into a process between the University and the students involved in which it does not belong, and, frankly, the group comes across as presumptuous and entitled. As such, I would encourage ABS’s leaders to use the power that they have to, as I believe Dean McLeod would have said, ensure that this becomes a teachable moment–not just for the students involved, but for the campus community as a whole–and to work on devising programs, initiatives, and changes to further that goal, rather than focusing on the punishment of the particular individuals involved.
So, after thinking about this a lot last night, I’ve come to the realization that I strongly believe that to have the productive dialogue that we, as a campus community, need to have in order to heal and move forward, authors should be encouraged to identify themselves if they feel comfortable doing so. I think this is true both because having a sustained and productive dialogue requires the ability to respond, clarify, and ask questions and also because having an expectation of anonymity gives individuals the ability to cavalierly express offensive, obnoxious, and hurtful comments. So, in that spirit, I’m going to take ownership of the comment above (the one originally posted by “Worried” that begins “This is why this statement is deeply disappointing to me”), and I want to note that if you have any issues that you wish to express with my original comment or questions that you want to ask, please feel more than free to contact me.
-Sean Janda
This statement, not StudLife’s decision to publish it, makes me humiliated to be a member of this community. You are handling this situation immaturely and doing nothing to “strengthen the entire Washington University community.” By making such horrendous recommendations based on a situation you have refused to reassess since word broke that -something- happened Tuesday night, you are showing the world that this community is intolerant and narrow minded, eager instead to listen to the voices of its loudest individuals (no matter how obnoxious or offensive they themselves might be).
I am deeply disappointed in the ABS community, one I considered to be kind, gentle, and loving. I would have hoped that with the new information, this statement would have been drastically different.
Should the students be let off the hook completely? Not at all. But should a STUDENT group at WashU be advocating for the suspension of students, especially in an incident that was intolerant, at most?
I’ll let the administration and judicial to decide that, as it is not my role. However, I have hard time believing that WashU is overall unsafe by having these individuals on our campus.
I’ll take ownership of this comment, as others have done of their own comments above.
-Ammar Karimjee
As a white student, I no longer feel welcome at this University, rather I feel others are discriminating towards my race.
This is the funniest thing I have EVER read.
As a fellow white student, I think that’s ridiculous. You are in no way being discriminated against. The statement by ABS has many troubling aspects, which “worried” above detailed well, and the situation itself is equally troubling for reasons many others have listed– but we are members of a definite majority here. The real discomfort white students here should feel is in the fact that minorities at Wash U do not feel as comfortable as we do. That is where action needs to be taken.
I have never been more embarassed of studlife and this school. If suspensions happen, the s—-storm that occurs will far eclipse what has already happened.
The use of 1 word at 1 time with no malice means that 4 people should be suspended from wash u and have their lives ruined. Makes. Sense.
I would advocate the ABS remember that you are student group: not the monolithic voice of the black community, not the monolithic voice of the people affected and offended by this incident, and most certainly not the Office of Student Conduct. Your calls to action ring of a presupposed authority not granted to any student group. I urge you to remember this as you attempt to speak on the behalf of those whose voices you have not heard.
Hi Ashley,
I’m curious why you label the act of reciting the lyrics of one of the most influential musicians of our time to be “reprehensible.” Would you please provide some clarification? Is the act reprehensible simply because of the skin color of the performer in question?
I hope to God that this was written before the Studlife article that came out today, and that the authors are horribly deluded and think that blacks were targeted with racist behavior by pledges acting on the instruction of the brothers.
Per the WUSTL Judicial Code:
“Suspension: removal from student status in the University for a specified period of time. This sanction will be permanently noted on a student’s official transcript.”
In light of the evidence presented in today’s printed article, suspending the students would be ludicrous. While what the students did was idiotic and ignorant, it was not malicious and certainly not worthy of losing an entire semester over.
Seriously – calling for that is over the top.
I agree. While I believe that the behavior of the pledges involved was problematic and disappointing, a suspension won’t solve the underlying issues that allowed this incident to occur. Instead of throwing these students out of a learning environment like Wash U, in this case, it seems like a restorative model would be a much better way to make sure that the people hurt by the situation can express the harms they felt and the students who sang the song could actually learn WHY it was such a problem.
If the students are just suspended, what are they going to learn? If they can grow and show they have learned from the situation, will that not also make people feel safe again? I personally would feel like the campus environment would be healthier and safer if we open dialogue first and allow these students the opportunity to heal the harm they’ve caused.