4legs – Trinity and YOU! » What does the latest racist incident say about Trinity? A Response from Professors

What does the latest racist incident say about Trinity? A Response from Professors

Submitted by admin on Monday, 25 April 201131 Comments

Dear Colleagues:

Perhaps you are not aware that many students of color are deeply distressed
and intensely angry about this latest racist incident. They do not believe
that these are isolated incidents of bad behavior that indicate nothing
broader or deeper about the College. What they now say to us, and have said
over the years, is that these incidents are simply the public face of an
atmosphere of insult and denigration that they must deal with as they live
and work on our campus day in and day out. Their experience is that racial
bigotry and racism are pervasive. They want their experiences on this
campus to be acknowledged and taken seriously.

Such sentiments are shared by many women on campus and by many gay and
lesbian students on campus, who feel that acts of sexual violence, misogyny
and homophobia/heterosexism are routinely dismissed. A culture of sadism is
allowed to proceed as if it were the rites of passage for some students.
These too often forgiven students are the subjects, who are allowed to
objectify others. This must not be permitted.

While our student of color and others are certainly pleased to know that the
perpetrators of these racist incidents are punished when they are known, our
sense is that they feel that such punishment addresses symptoms and not
causes and constitutes failure of the College to confront openly and
publicly the prospect, that is very real for them, that some sort of
sickness pervades our student culture. When they say, to us and to others,
that the College does not take these matters seriously, we believe that this
is what they mean and we do not doubt their sincerity. And if we do not
take the wider questions of social sadism (misogyny and homophobia)
seriously, it is unlikely that we are addressing the core problems.

Decisively following our institutional protocols for responding to bad
conduct, while absolutely appropriate, is insufficient. What about the
culture of our College enables a student, likely a very bright student who
has been taught here and elsewhere about the evils of racism and other forms
of intolerance, to believe that throwing beer and hurling racist insults is
okay? That this is about that particular student is very true but what is
it about Trinity as an institution that gave him the sense that he could do
this and then walk away as if nothing untoward had been done? What does the
fact that a student like this feels entitled to behave as he has say about
the nature of Trinity as an institution? What have we been collectively
blind to that we need to acknowledge and address? These are the kinds of
questions that we believe that our students of color and other students wish
to see the College discuss and do so openly, honestly, and intensively.

We believe that we must begin to ask these questions. If we do not, then we
are guilty of dismissing the experiences of our students of color, and of
all our students.

However, we do not need another report. Many have been written over the
years. Instead we believe that the College needs to review the many
proposals to address these matters that have been made and to explain which
ones have been implemented successfully, which have failed, and which have
been passed over or ignored.

We have supported efforts of the College to recruit students of color and
have encouraged students of color to avail themselves of a Trinity
education. The status quo makes it impossible for us to continue to do
this. Indeed, we may find ourselves having to tell prospective minority
students that Trinity is not the place for them.

Another cycle of outrage and return to the status quo is unacceptable. And,
the College¹s response must not be limited to these last few weeks of the
academic year. It must extend into next year and beyond and given the
highest possible priority.

If you share our concerns, please do not remain silent. Let our
administration, our faculty colleagues, and our students know this. The
College’s Mission Statement calls on us to confront “parochialism and
prejudice.” Now is the time to do so!

Please feel free to add your name to the list if you are agree with
the views expressed in this letter. As of 1AM on Monday, over 85 faculty members have signed in support.

Also, response from Professor Kassow: here

Guest
“They (people of color on campus) do not believe
that these are isolated incidents of bad behavior that indicate nothing
broader or deeper about the College. What they now say to us, and have said
over the years, is that these incidents are simply the public face of an
atmosphere of insult and denigration that they must deal with as they live
and work on our campus day in and day out.”
This is unsubstantiated, it is merely a guess. I highly resent the fact that individuals are assuming there is some sort of unspoken racism here on campus. It is entirely possible that there are a few bad apples here, but to say that there is a widespread racist attitude is present is an unfounded accusation. It is also possible that there is infact a racist attitude here on campus, however I will not hear such accusations based on intuition and random encounters where somebody said something racist. Wild accusations need to be backed up. It is unfair for individuals to assume that one or a group of individuals is racist due to intuition or sparse off color remarks, no matter how terrible they are. It is inaccurate to assume that one is racist after making one racist remark or making one racist joke. I completely understand the weight that racism carries, and the pain that it induces. I understand the longing for individuals to go out into the world and be comfortable around their peers. The magnitude of the issue at hand however does not make it ok to jump to conclusions. Being labeled a racist is one of the worst things that can happen to somebody who is not actually a racist individual. The stigma of being a “racist” is a terrible one these days. People do not want to be called certain things especially when they don’t deserve it. People need to realize that accusing one or a group of individuals of racism without substantial proof has similarities to calling an individual a pedophile without proof. Balk at this comparison all you want, but the truth is that once you label somebody a racist there is pretty much nothing they can do to change their reputation.
I know many individuals, many of them friends who would be labeled a racist according to the criteria that many people seem to be using. Many accepting non-racist people will make off color jokes. People will say things they don’t mean when they are drunk or angry. There are certain words that should not be in anybody’s vocabulary, however the fact is that they are and this does not inherently make them racist individuals.
Let me give some personal insight on this issue. I am a white middle class male who was brought up in schools that highly emphasized issues around race, class, and social justice. It has pretty much been ingrained into my head that there is absolutely nothing worse than calling an African American the N word. It has been stressed that racist individuals are ignorant and mean spirited, to a level where it would not be unrealistic to say that we have been taught to see such individuals as being evil. It is at a point where there is an irrational level of terrible-ness attached to racist remarks, as if making a racist remark is up there with stealing food from the hungry on some hypothetical list of the most terrible things once can do.
I do believe that it is important for society to teach all individuals about America’s segregated history as well as it’s racist elements, past and current. I also think that this sort of moral education around racism and social justice has had some effects that have not been properly addressed, and often overlooked.
There is a tendency for educators and society as a whole to stress the importance and injustices related to racism in the modern world. As it is something under the surface, people often try to describe ways in which racism is present without being careful. Another result of racism being “under the surface” is that people tend to assume that individuals are racist based on small insignificant gestures and/or comments, because most racist individuals in today’s society will not come out and publicly state their racist beliefs. Just because it is not likely that a racist individual will expose themselves an in obvious manner does not in any way make it ok to accuse people of being racist based on intuition or insignificant remarks or gestures.
I want to emphasize that it was wrong for this individual to throw beer and say what he did in this latest incident. This goes beyond making an off color remark in a moment of anger or frustration. This is also a situation that may very well be an “isolated incident of bad behavior that indicates nothing broader or deeper about the College”. This also may have been a drunken idiot who said something stupid and terrible. I can personally say I know a few people who I believe are capable of doing something of this sort when intoxicated. I do not know a single person who would outright do something like this because they are a racist individual who believes that they are doing the right thing.

Elizabeth Agresta
I know many individuals, many of them friends who would be labeled a racist according to the criteria that many people seem to be using. Many accepting non-racist people will make off color jokes. People will say things they don’t mean when they are drunk or angry. There are certain words that should not be in anybody’s vocabulary, however the fact is that they are and this does not inherently make them racist individuals.
Yeah, but you do realize that saying something you wouldn’t say if you were sober still means it was in your head, right? And just because someone isn’t an up-front racist doesn’t mean that we don’t live in a culture where racism still abounds. It’s the attitude toward the issue that’s the problem – no one’s saying that EVERYONE at Trinity is racist, but rather that we exist in an environment where some people still feel like they can get away with calling someone by a racist slur and throwing beer on their car.
I do not know a single person who would outright do something like this because they are a racist individual who believes that they are doing the right thing.
Racism isn’t about righteousness, it’s about demeaning someone because they are different and you’re threatened or scared or, conversely, feeling superior because of it.

Guest
I truly don’t think that these incidents were racially motivated.

http://www.facebook.com/Nomadicism Kyle Alexander Mais-Beek
“I truly don’t think that these incidents were racially motivated.”
Please elaborate- how are these latest incidents not racially motivated?

Mic
“The stigma of being a “racist” is a terrible one these days.”
Oh, those poor racists. Who will think of their rights?

Guest
So a few small incidents that aren’t representative of the general attitude mean the whole college is racist? Is this simply because they happened on campus?
By that logic, why don’t we also complain how racist Hartford is, because it DID happen in Hartford… or how racist Connecticut is, because the incident definitely happened in the state?
In fact, this means that all of New England likes to throw beer at African Americans! Scary.
Seriously though, the fact is it happened. Bad things tend to happen, and I think some members of the Trinity community would rather blame the “atmosphere” at the college, rather than accept the simple fact that a small percentage of the campus population are ignorant, unkind people. Trinity didn’t make them that way. It is not fair to blame such a fine institution for the personal problems of certain students that in all honesty should not have been admitted. To blame behavior on the college atmosphere is a stretch at best. Terrible crimes happen every year on college campuses… does this mean that the campus climates cause people to rape or murder other students? Of course not, but although this is an extreme example, hopefully it shows how ridiculous it is to highlight a race-relations problem that really isn’t present.

http://twitter.com/chudleycannons David
It isn’t the campus climate that causes people to assault or rape people, but it allows people to get away with it without being punished; that’s why people want to work on improving the campus climate.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Lincoln-McMahon/9904234 Lincoln McMahon
I don’t see how the campus lets people get away with racism. certainly hasn’t since I came here in 2006.

Pablo Delano
As of 9:00 a.m., ,Tuesday April 26, One hundred and fifty-five faculty members have signed the letter above.

trinity ’12
unbelievable. I don’t know how you all go about collecting signatures, but I think that faculty politics must play a significant role, because this really is a poor and distasteful article.

Guest
I think it is pretty stupid, I think the chalkings were stupid, I think the rally was stupid. I also think that these things were the right way to handle the public relations disaster brought on by the media.

Adam Katcher
Interesting point. Can you expand on that — What was the public relations disaster brought on by the media? I’m vaguely aware that there was some local news coverage, but wasn’t it about the rally (and thus brought about by the rally rather than the racial incident itself)? I’m curious to hear more.

Trinity’11
Where is the list of signatures?

guest
I appreciate professors involvement in this issue, i really due, but to say that these aren’t isolated incidents is insulting to every non-minority student that personally takes offense to fighting racism themselves.
Also the Professors fail and will always fail (unless they start hanging out on campus after 12am every night) to fully understand the change in atmosphere that occurs when the sun goes down. During the day Trinity is an amazingly beautiful campus where you feel perfectly safe. But once that sun goes down it changes into a place where you need to be looking over your shoulder constantly for your own safety. And to be completely honest (given the racial ancestry of the majority of the people from the non-trinity community that commit crimes at night on campus) your looking over your shoulder looking for someone of color.
People change when faced with fear and danger. I remind all of you of how we all changed on 9/11 because of that fear. Can anyone honestly say that since 9/11 when getting on a plane they never looked twice at that person that seemed to be of middle eastern decent? I honestly doubt it. Fear brings out the worst in us, it brings out stereotypes.
The point is that unless you fix the safety on the campus, your not going to ever see a signficant change in this behavior. And while its extremely easy for a professor to be critical, they never find themselves walking back from the library at 1am being followed by 2 black 18 year olds and having to wonder if they are students or not. Until you experience this you can never fully understand the complexity of this issue.
And for all the black students I’d like to pose you with a counter example. If you lived in the south in 1950 and were walking by yourself at night and noticed a group of white teenagers approaching you, would you maybe speed up your pace and be a little worried about if they might assualt you? I (a white male) wouldn’t blame you if you did, not one bit, considering you know there is a likely hood they could harm you and there would be nothing you could really do about it. Does that make you racist (because obviously there were white males at that time who weren’t racist and going to try to harm an african american)? I’m not sure it does, and i’m not sure any white student on trinitys campus who picks up their pace at night when being followed by someone of color (or reaches for their pepper spray) is either.
But that is the heart of the problem. Trinity is in an environment where if you let your self be prejudice in certain situations, you guarantee your safety, and when you start being prejudice in one manner it can lead to others. Campus safety is and still is the issue.

guest
To whom it may concern, your points would carry more weight if you could properly manage the “complexities” of proper English grammar and syntax. Moreover, the percentage of “students of color” as you have enumerated them, is not so legion that there are simply too many students of color to recognize. What you are really conveying is that you have chosen to construct an environment for yourself on campus in which your interaction with students of color is so limited that you are unable to recognize and distinguish them. Get to know your PEERS on a polychromatic scale. We occupy the campus at all hours, not just in the evening’s shadows.

http://www.facebook.com/Nomadicism Kyle Alexander Mais-Beek
In response to some comments below-
Please do not belittle this movement by limiting it to race…this is about much more than just racial discrimination. This is a movement against a culture riddled with disease; culture in which parochialism reigns supreme and unchecked. The buck stops here.

Guest
Movement?
Disease?
Parochialism?
The buck stops here?
Sound’s like were uncovering a big white conspiracy here, I’m excited!

http://www.facebook.com/Nomadicism Kyle Alexander Mais-Beek
to reiterate:
“Please do not belittle this movement by limiting it to race…this is about much more than just racial discrimination.”

Guest
Sorry for belittling this movement, this conspiracy must only involve straight white christian men.

http://www.facebook.com/Nomadicism Kyle Alexander Mais-Beek
Its unfortunate that you have such a narrow perspective.
Guest
My narrow prospective must be what is causing me to go against the general sentiment on campus, and to question what is being said here. It must be what has me constantly analyzing this situation trying to figure out a way to explain my beliefs because I know that there is something wrong with the way this is being handled. It must be what has me struggling to explain how it is possible, even likely for somebody who is not racist to say racist things. It must be what is causing me to step back and look carefully at this situation, rather than get absorbed in the hysteria and follow along with the terrible assumptions being made here.
I do not have a narrow perspective, I believe that the narrow perspective belongs to those who keep trying to fix these situations the same way. The people who are taking things for face value. The people who are assuming general sentiments on campus. The people who decide that there is racism under the surface here just because they feel uncomfortable.
Anonymous
http://www.4legs.org/2011/04/halt-lets-understand-this-first-by-professor-kassow/

Trinity’11
Are you seriously representing anti-racism? Give me a break! We’ve seen your email already!

Guest
Sorry, I definitely should have elaborated as I know such a comment needs to be backed up. The reason I do not see them as being racially motivated is because there are a lot of middle/upper class white kids out there who have been put through the ringer in terms of education on racism. This school is full of them. This school is full of middle and upper class white kids from the north east who have been exposed to a very aggressive curriculum around social justice, American history, the civil rights movement, and so on. Somebody would have to be a real moron to go through that kind of education and come out thinking that racial differences go any deeper than superficial physical features. We have been taught that attacking somebody on the basis of race/ethnicity is the worst thing somebody can do.
Now I believe that whites with this background who use words like the N word mostly use them to either be funny, or be a dick. Go on the internet and you will see people spamming the most disgusting things that they can. People get off on attention, and they think it is humorous. Clearly the person in this circumstance was being an asshole, and I am not in any way trying to say that what he said was not racist. People find humor and entertainment in terrible ways. Think about racist jokes. Even the funniest ones are absolutely at the cost of one race. When it comes to words such as the N word, they become somewhat seductive as words because of the power they carry and the fact that it is ingrained in our heads that you should never utter that word out of your mouth.
This kid was probably simply looking for a confrontation. Why would he throw beer at somebody’s car in the first place? Now all this “it’s not just a few bad apples” stuff? I would honestly be surprised if any single one of the people behind the incidents that have happened here involving racism has core racist beliefs.
Pingback: 4legs – Trinity and YOU! » Halt! Let’s Understand This FIRST! by Professor Kassow
guest
Mais-Beek, no one is asking you to still be here, if the culture offends you so, transfer. You offer nothing but a further rhetorical response in the vein of shock writing on the walls. No course of action only criticism. The fact that you are setting out on a crusade against “parochialism” really underlines the point that you really don’t get it.
I agree that there is an issue, but this article only exacerbates the rift between the races, sexualities, etc etc. By terming this a culture of racism, as Prof. Kassow expanded on, you only allow it to continue being that way. The culture has been criticized to death, clearly that isn’t the answer.
There are simple ways to solve this problem. Stop being the largest feeder school for Northeastern prep schools, stop letting in legacies who are stupid and worse, ignorant, and finally, destroy the frats. But the school has firmly stated it has no intention of doing so. Therefore the problem is that the same entitled attitude will prevail until the campus demographic changes, or the campus dynamic. If the frats must remain, Until gays are welcomed with open arms at AD and people of color likewise at “The Hall”, there will be no equality. As Kassow stated, the professors don’t stay here after hours. There aren’t pizza parties for discussions at night. There are final review sessions and crammed libraries during finals week, with those who study feeling like the priest on easter. The school’s party culture exists because academics can and is taken lightly. Therefore the social structure pervades the campus and becomes all consuming for those who don’t actively search out an alternative. Not every kid wants to be anti drinking, but likewise there are a lot that aren’t enamored with the frat scene. Where does this silent majority go? what do they think? how can they be tapped?
For anyone who really wants to understand Trinity, just visit our friends at the TrinTalk acb. There exists both the problem and the solution.

HD
I agree. President Jones could have easily asked the offended student from Thursday night to collect the beer can, fingerprints could have been taken. The student could have sat down with a book a suspect headshots and attempted to identify the offender. This will not happen though. If the offender turns out to be a donor’s son, or a legacy, or a Hall brother, he will receive no consequences. President Jones will not take the risk of hurting his cherished trustees and parents’ committees, all of which consist of only white people. I’m white, so frankly the white domination of Trinity’s overseeing committees does not offend me. But Trinity will continue to be this way, and it will continue to churn out investment bankers, lawyers, and political science majors, and dumb girls who just want to marry a frat brother. If Trinity wants to change, it will have to get ready to offend many of its beloved alumnae.
Guest
” destroy the frats” ….
so all members of frats are bad? how can you destroy something that a significant portion of the student body participates in (either as a member or nonmember)? Frats provide a FREE social scene for members of the student body without asking for anything back.. i.e members friends. if you are unwelcome maybe it is because you are friends with no members?
Don’t blame the frats on not having “open arms” because they don’t have to let you in.

guest
you could destroy it very easily, by instituting something that is similar but more inclusive to different types of people and “social scenes”. Your right the frats provide a FREE (20-30 dollars for ticket parties…) social scene, singular, those that perhaps don’t want to “rage” will find their experience at any of the rather congruent frats to be less than fulfilling. It is the fact that I have many friends who are members, and often have tried to enjoy it and failed, that I have an issue with it. In fact, it is the idea that to have a good time all you need to do is figure out who’s friends with a brother and your night is set that is actually the problem. There needs to be something else that isn’t staunchly anti frat and the other extreme of any of the big 3.
So, in closing, don’t blame everyone else for not being cool enough, because this is college, and the cliquey bullshit died in high school along with your lacrosse career.

trinity ’12
“some sort of sickness pervades our student culture”
After reading this article, I can’t help but think that some sort of hysteria pervades some of our faculty.
Those faculty should think more critically before signing onto such blasting pieces.
I also resent that the article avoids expressing a direct perspective: Most of the article claims to describe the “feelings,” “beliefs”, and “distress,” of students of color, female students, and gay students. It is presumptuous at best, and manipulative at worst, to cloak faculty opinions in the guise of what they consider to be the collective beliefs of women and minorities in the student body.
Alumus
Here’s my proposal. Institute a position for each social house and larger college-sponsored social group for someone whose role it is to make that group a welcoming, equal opportunity environment. Let the people among the house or group self-select, whoever is most interested will get that post. Have the person in that post have some training about why their role is important and what to watch out for.
And if someone feels unwelcome because of their race/gender/etc, the buck stops at that person. That person has to be available to hear out somebody if something is bothering them. And it’s their job to do something about it. It doesn’t mean they have to be the only one, but that always ensures there is at least one person. And that way, there’s always accountability. If your appointee can’t do their job, they have to be replaced. If there’s a pattern of them failing, at that point in time you’re sanctioning the whole social group.
In my opinion, the biggest issue is that in some contexts, nobody speaks out. By having an inside man/woman that people can approach, there’s an outlet for people to have a voice. And there’s always somebody who’s obligated to back up equality. Always somebody to say “Hey man, I know the joke you’re trying to make- but that could really make somebody of feel really uncomfortable. Could we tone that down?” It might not be a popular post, but I think you’d be surprised how many people will speak out if just one person is willing to.