Universal Respect is Needed on E&H Campus

By Jess Burks 

I have great sympathy and concern regarding the racist events that took place last semester. I respect the Men of Color Alliance (MOCA) for taking such an appropriate and peaceful stand against such events. However, I have lost much respect for some of the guys to which the events affected. The freshmen to whom I refer are not members of MOCA, but were at the meeting that MOCA held in Hillman. Dr. Aris Winger, advisor to MOCA, said, “[The meeting in Hillman was about] people in general being treated respectfully.”

This semester, those two participants who were involved in the Hillman meeting were responsible for homosexual slurs in the cafeteria. In light of the racist events, I would have expected more appropriate behavior from those who have been degraded and ridiculed in the past. It is demeaning to one’s own character to be so passionate about a particular issue such as racism and be so disrespectful to those going through similar scorn, such as homosexuality.        

Dr. Kathleen Chamberlain advisor to the Rainbow Connection said, “You see the damage that racist behavior does; how can you not also see the social and personal damage that sexist behavior does with sexual orientation criticism? I think we need to say we are not going to be silent about this any more.”

Sophomore Devin Adkins, who was present during the racial slurs said, “Even though [the homosexual slurs] don’t affect me, it still hurts me to hear them because they are talking about my sisters.” Adkins also mentioned that not only was the word “faggot” uttered by one of the guys, but one of the girls sitting with Adkins was pulled aside by the guys table and was told that if she continued  to hang out with the Delta Rho’s, they would “turn her out.”

Slurs of any kind are hurtful and show a low level of self-respect and class, and are both unacceptable at Emory & Henry College and in society. I would like to remind those people who participate in homosexual slurs that E&H has a new sexual orientation clause that disciplines students who utter such slurs.

Emory & Henry College prides itself in its diverse student population. As one may think, “diverse” does not just mean color or race; it also encompasses national origin, age, religion, sex, handicaps of all kinds, and sexual orientation. Unfortunately, E&H students are still struggling with these diversities as demonstrated with the Hillman and recent cafeteria events.

Filed Under: Campus News • News