Allegheny boasts of revolutionary alumni like muckraker Ida Tarbell and lawyer Clarence T. Darrow. Our college encourages individuals to be stewards for change.While I relish the notion that we should work for change on campus, I also believe that we must tread carefully. We have seen in the past week a negative media response to the “I Heart Female Orgasm” discussion in the chapel. Fox News and other news outlets covered this topic intensely. Certainly these events brought negative attention for the campus. Many were hurt by the event’s location and voiced their concerns before the event took place. President Mullen even issued a statement, saying, “I wish that another venue had been chosen.” I agree with President Mullen.
Several of my peers remarked, “At least this will bring students who are like the rest of us to the school and keep the others out.” Many argued that the chosen venue was acceptable because the Ford Chapel is non-denominational, which ignores the fact that Ford Chapel is still a place of worship. Is that truly supportive of inclusivity and diversity? How are we promoting an atmosphere for people to grow when students’ religious beliefs are so flagrantly disrespected?
This is not the first time many students on campus found themselves targeted by their peers. In November of last year, letters were sent in the campus mailboxes in a call for promoting the campus initiative of diversity. Many students felt concerned that the administration was not addressing important issues on campus. I certainly understand this. However, a mass letter that was placed in several student mailboxes used the insult “pale-face.” Who thought that this racial slur would not offend others?
One student expressed his concerns with the Diversity Coalition and spoke with an administrator about this issue and never received a reply. This double standard left many silent and upset, myself included.
For weeks we remained quiet.
I was shocked when residents of Walker Annex showed me a bulletin board in the dorm hall referenced the literary work “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by Peggy McIntosh. While many aspects of this work may have validity, it is a very charged and uninvited attack to a large portion of the student population on campus.
This leads us to a greater question. If Ford Chapel is not sacred because it’s non-denominational and the administration can selectively choose which terms are insulting and upset individuals are afraid to speak up, then how are we going to progress as a campus community?
This is my appeal for unity on the Allegheny campus.
I am a Catholic white male. I often feel attacked here at Allegheny and I am not alone in feeling this way. I am saddened by this selective approach to diversity and inclusivity that students and the administration have taken. We are all individuals and we are all worthy of a voice.
I have a vested interest in seeing Allegheny become a better place. Like many others at Allegheny, I have invested a lot of time and taken out large loans to be a part of this community.
I have a diverse group of friends and feel that I am inclusive. It is unjust to be attacked as “white and privileged” when I am working in pursuit of the goal of inclusivity. I firmly believe that these attacks are facilitated by a lack of understanding of what diversity and inclusivity should mean.
Allegheny’s student population works for change. I have seen nothing but civility throughout the discussions on fracking in Bousson, because students are acting with one another in pursuit of a common purpose. It’s time to make a stand in other areas.
We must come together and acknowledge the issues that truly are dividing our campus: charged language and selective approaches to inclusivity.
Let’s think about the future. As we have seen through the recent media coverage, there are many members of Allegheny’s community both on and off campus upset with the hosting of a sexually-themed event in the chapel. We can’t simply shrug off their concerns. They deserve a voice. They feel attacked, too. Why weren’t their beliefs and backgrounds respected? The failure to acknowledge this now will damage our reputation as a community and as an institution. However, a call for unity will promote respect and attention to the diversity issue because others will take the time to listen.
We should celebrate our heritages and beliefs on campus, not criticize one another for celebrating them. We should support others on issues such as gender and sexual preference and race and religion because these things make us beautiful by promoting our individuality. We should embrace the needs and feelings of others, not selectively, but intrinsically. When there is injustice, we must work together to fight that injustice.
I do not wish this article to be a criticism on anyone or any group on campus. I am simply calling for civilized discussions so that we can better understand one another. We need to be willing to listen to others, even if they seem wrong. We need to recognize in the age of social media and a 24 hour news cycle that a seemingly small issue on campus can elicit a massive negative reaction from the outside world.
Let’s consider the words of Martin Luther King Jr: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Let’s be this light. Let’s show love and not hate. Let’s be inclusive and unified.
John • Mar 4, 2013 at 7:00 pm
The author makes some great points. There are a lot of people on campus, of all backgrounds who are afraid to express concerns because people with loud voices may insult or harass them. Its time to start listening to the concerns of everyone rather than just a few people who speak louder than others.
Allegheny Student • Mar 4, 2013 at 1:26 am
White man feels sorry about learning about white privilege? Boohoo.
Saul • Mar 4, 2013 at 11:17 am
Ah yes, white privilege: the ‘privilege’ of paying $35,000/year for tuition while the the minority students pay only a fraction of that. Some privilege indeed.
Allegheny Student • Mar 5, 2013 at 5:00 pm
Sadly, you’re correct. As awful as it sounds, your statement is nearly always true. I (a middle class white male) would love to get some scholarships for being middle class and white, but I’m not diverse enough for that.
Saul • Mar 5, 2013 at 9:17 pm
I’m still trying to figure out how the hell I’m privileged when, like I said, I’m paying hand over fist to attend an average school. I would argue that those benefiting from affirmative action are the true wielders of privilege. But that doesn’t fit with the ‘evil white man’ victim narrative.
Dan Kochik • Mar 4, 2013 at 4:02 pm
Thank you for your comment. Feel free to contact me to talk about how you feel.
[email protected].
Evan Thomas Woods • Mar 2, 2013 at 5:13 pm
Clarence Darrow was not a Supreme Court Justice.
Evan Thomas Woods • Mar 2, 2013 at 6:46 pm
Don’t you folks have editors for this sort of thing?
Evan Thomas Woods • Mar 4, 2013 at 12:36 am
So, now I see that you’ve changed “Supreme Court Justice” to “lawyer.” While it’s true that Clarence Darrow was a lawyer, merely saying that is selling him rather short.
Dan Kochik • Mar 4, 2013 at 4:01 pm
I apologize for this typo, Mr. Woods. I did not mean to misrepresent Clarence Darrow or to sell him short. It was my fault. You can contact me if you want to discuss this more at length.
Fred Hintz • Mar 1, 2013 at 8:23 pm
Hi Dan,
Let me start by saying that I have no wish to attack you or infringe on any of your rights.
Your article is either very clever or very misguided. You seem to wish that groups like the Diversity Coalition would stop pointing out the injustices inherent in many of the college’s social and economic structures. It seems like you think that these people, in the name of “diversity”, are suggesting that you do not have as much of a right to speak as they do. You write the following:
“I am a Catholic white male. I often feel attacked here at Allegheny and I am not alone in feeling this way. I am saddened by this selective approach to diversity and inclusivity that students and the administration have taken. We are all individuals and we are all worthy of a voice.”
I wish you would say what you feel attacked by, because you do have a right to speak. Is it that Ford chapel, our non-denominational place of worship (to which no individual religious group lays claim), was used to hold a respectful, but honest and accurate talk about female sexuality? Is it that the diversity coalition points out that hundreds of thousands of qualified minority students do not even think about attending our fine school because they would have no way of paying the tuition without a substantial scholarship?
I understand that you may feel some discomfort when people point out your privilege. I am a white male, too. I hear about racial discrimination and sexual harrassment and I sympathize with those who are oppressed by white men, but I am totally unable to talk about them from personal experience.
Being white men does not mean we don’t have a voice. It does mean that we have been born into a lot of privilege in our society, and as peter parker’s uncle ben so poetically stated, “With great power comes great responsibility.” We have a responsibility to share that power with people who were not born white men. We have a responsibility to make other people unafraid to complain when their rights are being violated. And if we try to silence them by accusing “them” of attacking “us”, we are abusing our power.
I certainly can’t speak for all white men, but I know that for me, hearing about my own privilege is sometimes uncomfortable. However, I would encourage you to learn more about it, and to let other people speak even if they seem angry at “us”. Chances are, they’re not really angry at you, but angry at the social forces that shaped you, which you can totally choose to not follow.
So I encourage you to keep writing things, but please make sure you listen FIRST, and speak second, as I hope I have done.
-Fred
Dan Kochik • Mar 4, 2013 at 5:02 pm
Fred, I really appreciate your comments and encourage more.
I certainly agree with you in certain aspects. I’m not sure that I have suggested at all that groups, such as the Diversity Coalition, should not point out these issues. I am simply making an appeal for people in all groups to be sensitive in their approaches. I will not accept that some terms that offend people throughout the campus, such as “pale face”, are appropriate. One does not have to attack another in order to achieve legitimacy. This can be done through civilized conversation. This does not mean that members of the Diversity Coalition shouldn’t have a voice. Yet if someone calls that term into question, is that not reasonable to receive a response on what this term even means? I have taken this to mean a term that groups people of the white race together, as has the term white privelege. Me, personally; I try to look past race. This does not bide well with me, as well as many others throughout campus, because we feel that language that hurts some should not be fought with language that hurts others.
When one uses the term “pale face”, they are labeling the majority of students on this campus.
Is there racial bigotry and inequality in our society? Absoutely. We must transcend this, however, on our campus. If groups want to gain legitimacy, should they not be supportive and welcoming? I stand with the Diversity Coalition on the vast majority of their platform. I am more than willing to help further their cause. But if I feel attacked, like at least 20 other students with whom I’ve spoken with in the past two weeks. I can guarantee you that this group lost valuable support from myself and others. We are not attacking anybody at Allegheny. I honestly don’t think that we should feel that we are being attacked.
If people feel attacked, they have an obligation to talk to others and have their voices heard. I have spoken with others and now I wrote this article. I want people to challenge it or I would not have posted it. In this regard, I hope that I am perceived as listening.
You talk about the “hundreds of thousands of qualified minority students” who do not apply to Allegheny for fear of not being able to pay tuition. I am saddened by this facet of our society, as well. This is not just a minority issue; this is a problem that transcends race. This argument does not give credence to students in general who can’t afford to come here. Why is this not mentioned in your argument? I, too, am trying hard to get the most of my college experience, and am taking out huge loans. Most of us struggle in this capacity.
I have followed the chapel issue intensely. I believe that many students were angered and upset about this issue. This does not make me, those students, the school’s president, or the media outlets right. It is simply a suggestion to realize that these delicate issues that we are discussing need to respect the needs and rights of others, regardless of their background. That is what I mean by “taking time to listen”. Otherwise, a similar response will occur again, and it will only hurt our college more. We can’t have this “if you’re not with us, you’re against us” attitude. This gets us into trouble all too often.
I also never called for the silence of minorities because they’re “attacking” us. Assuming that this is the case is perhaps misguided. Every instance except one that I refer to in my article were are actions undertaken by white individuals. I have a plethora of other instances that I did not add into the article due to lengthiness.
I want to hear what others have to say, but don’t want to see a racial slur attached with their argument. I don’t think that’s too much to ask. I haven’t attached racial slurs to my argument; nor have any of the other writers this week.
There are certainly problems in our society and on this campus that need addressed. However, if people feel “attacked” or “upset” by something that is said or posted in a public forum, they may not feel inclined to support that movement. This can be the case even if they agree with the motives of the group. This will act as a vehicle for change because people will be more united.
So I am essentially arguing that we should come together and try to get to know people better before assuming that they really do follow the “social forces that shaped” them. I don’t think that this a fair judgment. I have been treated so well by almost everyone on this campus, regardless of their race, religion, sexual preference, gender, or cultural heritage. I hope I have treated them well, as well. Is it not possible to look past these things and look deeper into people?
Shouldn’t we intrinsically treat people equally and remove the need for derogatory and presumptuous terms like “pale face” or any other slur on our campus? I am inclined to believe that we should. We should fight them. I would make the same argument for any other slur that delegitimizes a group of people. I have done so professionally, just this past weekend. We need to all speak up and voice our concerns because these issues will surely only divide the campus community. I may even be playing devil’s advocate through some of my arguments; yet, these are questions that need to be carefully considered as I have seen a rise in this divisiveness, and it is not a positive facet of our community.
I hope that I have responded appropriately and respectfully. If you want to discuss this privately, please e-mail me at [email protected]. Thank you again for your time and your attention.
Max Lindquist • Mar 5, 2013 at 12:16 am
Could you please elaborate on why you feel attacked? I understand the “pale face” bit, but I am still confused on why you feel offended by the “white privilege” discussion on campus.
Thanks.
Saul • Mar 5, 2013 at 9:19 pm
Just curious, do you champions of social justice ever travel to Nigeria to berate their population for possessing ‘Nigerian privilege’? After all, Nigerian society was set up for Nigerians…..