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  • J

    Joseph KnuppSep 14, 2011 at 6:50 pm

    The implication that only an alumnus has sufficient protection from the administration to write a letter such as this absurd.  What reprisal does the writer feel would be affected upon a current student or staff member?  What past action or attitude justifies this fear?

    As a former fraternity president I fully support the addition of a black fraternity or sorority.  There should be a greek chapter which fits the social needs of every member of the allegheny community.  I do agree it is unfortunate that non segregated fraternities are apparently necessary to supply a sufficient sense of belonging to black students, however I understand the desire.  What makes the writer feel that Allegheny does not support the addition of a black greek organization?  As a member of the greek community we often spoke of our desire to add more greek organizations, and specifically regarding adding a black fraternity.  I believe the college would support this.

    Reply
  • N

    NikkiDec 5, 2010 at 10:54 pm

    That’s going completely overboard. To require every student to attend a diversity seminar every year is totally unnecessary. I’m not a racist, and I don’t want to be forced to feel like one just because I’m white. As far as black greek life goes, everyone has the same opportunity to be a part of greek life regardless of their race. I have several black friends who are members of sororities and fraternities on campus. I think it is the anticipation of discrimination that doesn’t exist that prevents black students from joining. I think that we are largely an intelligent and aware campus, and the actions of a few ignorant white people should not affect the way the rest of the school is treated.

    Reply
  • S

    someoneNov 12, 2010 at 5:08 pm

    No way I’m taking a “required diversity” seminar. Forget it. This isn’t fair to impose upon everyone. It’s like they are assuming everyone is racist and “tough luckto everyone who has a busy schedule who can’t fit it in.

    Hopefully I’ll be long out of Allegheny before any of this comes to fruitation. I have never been a racist and I don’t see why I need to be pulled into these agonizing discussions and classes telling me that I go to a racist school and what is offensive and what is not. I know that already. Punish the offensive and racist people and leave the rest of us good folks alone who aren’t racist.

    Reply
    • J

      Jessica McGradyNov 16, 2010 at 8:11 pm

      I do agree that there certainly needs to be some type of direct punishment for those who engage in blatantly racist/intolerant activity.
      The seminar is not intended to be a punishment. Rather, it is supposed to encourage intercultural exchange and awareness. Unless you feel you know absolutely everything about every culture present on Allegheny’s campus, you could benefit from a seminar.

      Reply
    • N

      n/aNov 21, 2010 at 11:07 pm

      I don’t think that the point of a diversity seminar here would be to go on about how Allegheny is racist or punishing students, but just to make people aware of the issues that minority students face. The students who had offensive Halloween costumes may not have intended them to be offensive, but they were ignorant. Especially given that other instances of intolerance were brought to the surface after this incident, I think a diversity seminar (done in the right way) could benefit many students.

      Reply
  • N

    N/ANov 12, 2010 at 2:46 am

    Aren’t Black Greek Life organizations just racist against everyone else? If there was a whites only Greek Life, there would be racial uproar. Just putting it into perspective.

    Reply
    • K

      KateNov 15, 2010 at 2:04 pm

      That’s not really a good argument; white people have plenty of support on campus already. We don’t need a whites-only fraternity since the “default” fraternity is a white fraternity. And that is the exact problem that Ms. McGrady wants to fix.

      Reply
      • N

        N/ANov 18, 2010 at 1:56 pm

        That “support” is not meant for JUST white people, it’s meant for everybody. The default fraternity accepts anybody, they don’t discriminate on race, so your argument isn’t very good either. Black fraternities discriminate against everyone else but blacks, but since they aren’t the majority, it means it isn’t racist, it’s being “diverse.”

        Reply
        • K

          Kat BengstonNov 19, 2010 at 10:31 am

          First, Ms. McGrady this is an eloquent and insightful letter.
          To N/A: There are numerous reasons for why black fraternities and sororities exist. Perhaps one obvious reason is the fact that white fraternities and sororities have discriminated against African Americans in past? The “support” you write about is meant for everyone–in the perfect world we do not live in. The “default” fraternities and sororities have not always “[accepted] anybody”.

          Reply
        • G

          GuestSep 15, 2011 at 3:27 pm

          Historically black Greek organizations are open to everyone,  just as historically black colleges/universities are. It’s an opportunity to immerse yourself in an organization that were created to give students of color a safe forum in a mostly white environment. Obviously, non-minority students have no to no interest in something they have very little connection to racially, so white membership is low.

          Reply
  • J

    JonNov 11, 2010 at 1:25 pm

    administration: boom, roasted.

    Reply
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Letter to the Editor: Administration fell short in response to blackface incident