Do you feel safe at N.C. State University?
Despite the recent arrests of a number of students engaged in felonious activity — I feel pretty safe, at least in a physical safety sense. But do you feel safe about being yourself?
As a white male heterosexual, I hold a place of privilege and power on campus. So I rarely experience problems expressing myself — as you well know from my rants and raves in the newspaper and on the radio. But what if I were black? Female? Or gay? Would my perceptions and, more importantly, my reality of campus change?
With events unfolding in Durham in connection with a possible sexual assault involving Duke University student-athletes and also with my involvement in “The Laramie Project,” I think this is a good opportunity to discuss issues of diversity.
Or, more bluntly, hate.
First, before I go any further, my lawyers instructed me to provide the following disclaimer.
“If you think talking about matters of homosexuality, racism, diversity, etcetera are wrong — stop reading now.”
Please don’t accuse me of ramming an “agenda” down the readers’ throats. As fellow opinion columnist Daniel Underwood wrote last semester in his “Community needs strategic adjustments” column, “The slickness with which homosexuality is shoved down our throats at every corner is almost an insult to our intelligence as college students.”
Thank you for your cooperation. You’ll make my crack team of attorneys so happy. The Student Body President (a.k.a. the Pirate Captain) and I retain the same group of lawyers.
For background purposes “The Laramie Project” is by Moisés Kaufman and other members of The Tectonic Theater Project. The play documents the events of Oct. 7, 1998, when a gay college student was discovered bound to a fence in the hills outside of Laramie, Wyo. The student, Matthew Shepard, was “savagely beaten and left to die in an act of brutality and hate that shocked the nation.”
Don’t think it could happen at NCSU?
According to a University-sponsored report, “An Assessment of Campus Climate for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Students,” by NY Gulley conducted in the Spring of 2003, 56.5 percent of GLBT students reported that they had been shunned on campus, 62.8 percent of GLBT respondents said they had experienced direct verbal harassment and 16.3 percent of GLBT students reported experiencing vandalism.
All incidents occurred because of the student’s sexual orientation.
Other universities are not immune from hate either. The recent SUV attack at Carolina and Duke’s ongoing crisis are good examples.
As a member of the majority I have difficulty assessing the “climate of hate” on campus. I don’t believe, however, that makes me unqualified to speak about these issues.
This is what I see, hear and know: the University lacks racial minorities in high-level administrative positions. Black student groups recently gave the University failing grades in its relationship with the black community.
If you want to get a quick, unscientific snapshot of student values and feelings toward minorities of all types; just take a look at the language used on The Wolf Web. Don’t misunderstand my reference to the popular online forum as an avocation of censorship or other things along that line. I merely mention it as an example of the value systems of a significant proportion of the student body. A couple of my favorite posts include “Andrew Payne is a f—ing douche bag” and “Andrew Payne is a fag.”
I really don’t have any concrete solutions to these problems.
The only idea I can suggest at this point is to continue the dialogue. Campus productions like “The Laramie Project” and “The Vagina Monologues” are good places to start.
I do know one thing that works — acceptance. Accepting individuals for traits they can’t control, like race, gender and sexual orientation, will make this campus safer. However, acceptance is one step beyond tolerance and most people can’t tolerate bad service.
If we can’t tolerate each other, how can we even accept one another?
To step out of your comfort zone wander over to Thompson Theatre and check out “The Laramie Project.” It runs until Sunday. For more information visit www.ncsu.edu/theatre.
E-mail Andrew at viewpoint@technicianonline.com
