Recent Incidents of Intolerance and Hate on UC Campuses

This letter was sent to all UCSB students registered with a umail account. While the Daily Nexus editorial staff issued a staff editorial about ASUCSD President Utsav Gupta’s funding freeze for UC San Diego campus media(viewable here), this letter from Student Affairs leadership tackles the sentiment at the core of the issue.

March 4, 2010

Dear UCSB Student:

As in the lives of individuals, there come significant moments in every community that define what it stands for, what it believes in, what principles it espouses and lives by—moments that define how each and every member of a community should act and should be treated. The UC Santa Barbara community is experiencing one of those moments, one that demands that we take stock of ourselves—what we aspire to be and what we work to be as a community.

It is important to bring this moment into sharper focus with some details of the recent incidents of incivility, intolerance, hate, stupidity, and criminal behavior occurring across the University of California campuses. Among others, these include a racial “theme” party mocking Black History Month that was sponsored by a fraternity at UC San Diego, race baiting comments by some student media there, a rope noose found hanging from a bookshelf in the library, and a Klan-style hood placed on a statue on campus. These also include homophobic slurs spray painted on the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center at UC Davis. UC Santa Barbara has not been immune to such behavior as evidenced by a recent racial theme party, advertised as a “Gangsta Party” and sponsored by a few Isla Vista residents who might have thought such a party would be funny or cool. Such acts, whether motivated by ignorance, incivility, intolerance, hate or criminality, have no place anywhere in our society, much less in our university communities where we should be embracing and modeling tolerance and civility.

And let’s be clear—these recent actions are not matters of freedom of expression or speech, and we cannot pretend that they are. No group more jealously guards these freedoms than we do in the Division of Student Affairs! Most people in our university communities—students, faculty and staff—know the boundaries of common decency and respect. Everybody knows that it is not okay to mock groups—like African Americans, Asians, American Indians, and Chicano/Latinos—that have been historically discriminated against, sometimes through the force of law. Everybody really knows that it is not okay—even in the pursuit of a political agenda—to slur community members who happen to be gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, or Muslim, or Jewish. Just as everybody knows that it is not okay to sexually abuse or bully someone. And just because an act of intolerance is not technically illegal or a violation of policy does not make it okay. Just because you can do something does not mean you should!

These recent acts have been quickly and appropriately condemned by the Regents and the President of the University of California, as well as by the Chancellors, the Academic Senate leadership, and student leadership of each campus. The UC leadership has rightly and genuinely denounced these acts, but from our perspective public condemnation is not enough. A more important question is, What are we going to do about this?

Each individual or group in our community has the ability every day through actions, behaviors, and speech—good or bad—to define who we are collectively. Each of us bears personal responsibility to the rest to behave in a manner that supports the values of the community and respects each member. When we think about it, the actions of individuals really are what create the value, meaning, and character of our community, and each of us has a personal responsibility to uphold our community’s values and lift our collective character. This is our job—the responsibility of each one of us; we can’t pretend that this responsibility resides solely in the leadership of our institutions. In fact, it simply cannot work that way if we are truly serious about protecting fundamental community values.

Those of us in the leadership of Student Affairs have always been proud of—often in awe of—our UCSB students. Time and again, UCSB students have led the way in modeling respect, civility, and tolerance, in building a welcoming campus of which we can all be proud. But what we have achieved on this campus should not be taken for granted. Our community is always just one stupid or insensitive act away from damaging the extraordinary place that we and you, the students, have built. We cannot stamp out completely the kinds of hateful behaviors that we have been witnessing across the University of California, including right here at home; but we can certainly make them unwelcome. We can force them into the margins and crevices of society where they rightly belong. We can marginalize these acts by standing up for decency and tolerance and living up to the principles of community that have made UCSB a wonderful and welcoming place to live, work and study. It comes down to individual responsibility. And, once again, the choice is ours!

Finally, this is what we are calling upon all members of the UCSB community to do now to safeguard the integrity of our community:

1. We should refrain from initiating or participating in any activity, such as a theme party, that mocks, degrades, baits, humiliates, or threatens individuals or groups.

2. We should refrain from using emotionally charged symbols and language that mock, degrade, humiliate, bait, or threaten individuals or groups. That is, we should refrain from scrawling slurs, displaying objects, or otherwise vandalizing property in order to hurt or demean others, promote hatred, or incite disrespect or violence.

3. We should take stands against bigotry and hatred when we encounter them. We should use the power of social disapproval to counter the poison of hatred.

If we follow these admonitions, we will have the kind of community we can be proud of and can feel comfortable in. Once again it comes down to individual responsibility and personal choice.

Sincerely,

The Leadership of the Division of Student Affairs

Katya Armistead, Assistant Dean of Students/Director, Office of Student Life

Rachel Arriaga, Analyst, Divisional Policies and Human Resources

Allyn Fleming, Director, Planning and Administration, Student Affairs

Debbie Fleming, Senior Associate Dean and Executive Director for Student Life

Lupe Garcia, Assistant Dean for Student Academic Support Services

Yonie Harris, Dean of Students

Mary Jacob, Senior Associate Dean and Executive Director for Student Academic Support Services

Deborah Scott, Executive Director for Student Financial and Technology Services

Christine Van Gieson, Senior Associate Dean and Executive Director for Enrollment Services

Michael Young, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs

The Arrogance of Power

The nuclear option has been decided on. President Obama and the Democrat majority leaders in Congress have decided to use the parliamentary procedure known as reconciliation to pass their unpopular health care reform bill, a bill that the Republicans oppose, a bill that some liberal Congressmen oppose for not being liberal enough, and a bill to which the majority of the American people, according to most polls, are vehemently opposed.

Here, you can see a compilation of leading Congressional Democrats lambasting the procedure… when Republicans tried to use it back when they had the majority and the Democrats tried to filibuster every bill and nomination they could. Pot, meet kettle.

My favorite quote is the one by Harry Reid. The “arrogance of power” is an apt summation of the main problem facing the United States; it is applicable to not just our politicians, but the unions and big business. (more…)

Best of UCSB 2010: Polls Closed

The polls for this year’s Best of UCSB have closed. Look for the Daily Nexus‘ “Best Of” issue on February 16th!

Thank you to everyone who voted! Look for the Daily Nexus‘ “Best Of” issue on February 16th!

Vote for the Best of UCSB 2010

It’s that time of year again! On Feb. 16th, the Daily Nexus will have its annual “BEST OF” issue.

We need YOU to VOTE for what you think is the BEST of the BEST in the following categories. Click below and fill out the poll and see if YOUR picks win, and enter your U-Mail address at the end of the poll for a chance to win prizes! And hurry — polls close Feb. 3rd! Thank you!

Click here to fill out the survey.

Obama as Bad as Bush?

“I emphasized that this has to be a point in time in which we begin to write a new chapter based on improved governance, a much more serious effort to eradicate corruption, joint efforts to accelerate the training of Afghan security forces so that the Afghan people can provide for their own security.”
-President Barrack Hussein Obama

You just have to love how Obama stands by his principles! Ahmadinejad steals an election in Iran, and the most “the greatest orator of our time” can manage is a tepid wag of his finger. The people of Honduras peacefully (and by legal means) expel a Castro-Chavez-wannabe for trying to illegally alter the constitution, and Obama cries bloody murder. And now the Afghanistan re-vote, called because of rampant fraud in the first one, is cancelled, giving Karzai the presidency once more (and less democratic legitimacy than George W. during his first time), and Obama is all smiles and praises. Finally, when a Muslim Army Major kills a dozen people, rather than focusing his whole speech on it, he gives it a passing mention, after an off-script “shout out” to a man he claimed had won the Congressional Medal of honor, but who had, in fact, actually won the Medal of Freedom; it’s surprising mistake for Obama to make, especially seeing as he was the one who presented him with the medal. [1]I tell you, this guy is already as disgraceful as George Bush, and it’s only his first year! (more…)

Happy Halloween 2009 From Student Health

My relationship with Halloween is what you might call “complicated.”  I love the creativity and positive energy of our students dressing up.  I love this Gaucho spirit and unity.  Only at UCSB do you see your Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor, and Dean of Students come out to greet the crowds of students on D.P. on Halloween night.

I don’t like the violence, ass grabbing, fighting, property damage, and all the trash.  Last year, Halloween fell on a Friday.  In spite of the rain, over 45,000 people came to I.V.  There were over 230 arrests made and 560 citations given out (instead of treats). 55 people were transported for emergency care and over 50 cars were towed. Two people fell off the cliffs.

This year we will have around 250 police officers on the streets, on horses, and conducting DUI checkpoints.  But, if we have the same or more visitors as last year, it will take more than just the police to keep the peace over the weekend.  Here are a few simple things you can do to help: (more…)

Unnerved by Responsibility, Democrats Signal a Yearning for the Minority

Our country’s pathetic excuse for an “organized” left, the Democratic Party, has once again begun to disappoint, much to the dismay of those that the party so vigorously claims to represent. Although time and again the Democrats have promised massive change and reform for America, the postwar and post-FDR left in the United States is somehow still reeling from an identity crisis that subverts its platform when viewed in the limelight. Aside from the four years of Carter and the twelve years of Reagan (ok, and Bush), the presidency has pretty much followed the eight-year cycle of alternating stewardship shared by the Democrats and the Republicans since the end of the Second World War. (more…)

Welcome to the Twilight Zone

On October 3^rd, 2009 Saturday Night Live mocked President Obama as a man elected “to bring this country change we could believe in”, but who has thus far accomplished “jack and squat”. Less than a week later, President Obama is the “surprised and deeply humbled” recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. According to Alfred Nobel’s will, the Peace Prize is to be awarded “to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.” (more…)

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