We at Washington University might say that we have been “deeply affected by an incident that took place last week.” And that now, learning from this incident, we can “continue to find opportunities to celebrate our differences.” Let me say that at Washington University, what happened was not “incident” or discrete or simple. There was no one student lynched.

By this point everyone who doesn’t live under a rock without any WUFI—which, admittedly, may be several people—has heard of the racial episode involving Sigma Alpha Epsilon pledges last Tuesday night that rapidly exploded into the biggest campus-wide controversy that I, as a senior, have ever seen. It outweighs outrage at attempts to bring Bristol Palin to Wash. U.

Dear educators, students and leaders of Washington University, The past week’s incident was brought to my attention in a seminar that comprises mostly black students.

This year, I’ve decided to be more offended. Not necessarily offensive, though I probably shouldn’t shy away from that either, at least not toward those who deserve it. “Why so PC?” the offended hypothetical bigot whines. Because you’ve been offensive, that’s why.

While most Wash. U. students pride themselves on their intelligence and human decency, Halloween can be an exception to that rule. It’s a time to let loose, masquerade as someone or something you could never be in real life and hopefully impress everyone with your command of visual humor—assuming, of course, your parents aren’t coming into town. But there’s a line.

While reading Matthew Curtis’s column in Monday’s paper, “The need for self-defense on [sic] the Loop,” I was stirred with quite a bit of emotion. I was happy that the column was published because it caused me to reflect on why I felt so strongly about what it was saying.

Recently, Stephanie Eisner, a cartoonist for The Daily Texan, the student newspaper at University of Texas at Austin, was forced to leave the staff over a cartoon that editorialized the Trayvon Martin case.

On Thursday, Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., was escorted off the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives for wearing breaking House rules by wearing a hoodie while the body was in session. But even though he broke the rules, Rep. Rush did the right thing.

Three weeks ago, Trayvon Martin was walking to his father’s home in a gated community. The black 17-year-old was returning from an errand from a nearby convenience store, carrying only a cell phone, a bag of skittles and a can of iced tea.

On Sept. 26, the University of California, Berkeley College Republicans created a nation-wide controversy by holding an intentionally racist and sexist bake sale; women and those of ethnic minorities were charged less per pastry than were their white male counterparts, with Native American women receiving their confections free of charge.