Link: http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/08/us/missouri-football-players-protest/index.html
Date: November 8, 2015
Summary: African American football players from the University of Missouri have joined forces in protest against the Missouri System President Tim Wolfe for his lack of action against the racism that appears on campus. The University of Missouri has an abundance of white students and many cases of students openly using racial slurs, yet, Wolfe has done nothing to stop them. One of the most recent incidents happened in August when a student used feces to draw a swastika on a dorm's wall, which offended not only the Jewish student organization, but the Black student organization as well. Because of the many incidents, the players refuse to participate in any activities related to football, meaning practices or games, until Wolfe resigns or is fired. One graduate student, Jonathan Butler, is even going on a hunger strike until Wolfe is removed from his position. Butler stated that "students are not able to achieve their full academic potential because of the inequalities and obstacles they face". Later, Butler included that he is "in this because it's that serious" and "at this point we can't afford to continue to work with individuals who just don't care for their constituents".
Questions: Has racism improved from what it was in the past or is it just the same? What actions would you take as the president of Missouri's four-campus university system to end racism on campus? Should race be factor when admitting students into colleges to even out the demographics? Why or why not?
Keep in mind that Ferguson was in Missouri. If you don't know, the DOJ report was quite damning of police practices there- a good example of how prevalent racism is in parts of Missouri. Interesting story - there are some recent updates if anyone is keeping up.
ReplyDeleteAlthough there have been major issues regarding racism recently (ex: shooting of Michael Brown), racism has improved from what it was in the past. Compared to the late 1900's, the US has substantially improved, however, racism is not a thing of the past and still requires more work. If I was the president of Missouri's four-campus university system, I would intensify the punishment for students who make racist comments or actions. In my opinion, I believe that affirmative action should be considered to an extent. As an underrepresented minority myself, I think it is important to consider race when admitting students because being immersed in a diverse culture is part of the college experience. However, prospective students should not be admitted solely on their race but rather on their academic and extracurricular achievements.
ReplyDeleteIf you were to look at America over the past 50 years, the issue of racism hasn't really been taken care of or improved very much. Sure, some liberal places like the bay area have improved when it comes to respecting others cultures and individual rights, but in other places, racism is still very evident. If I were the president, I wouldn't let this incident go, because I know it will occur again and it's truly disrupting studies and the wellbeing of students. I would punish the students for their offensive actions and ask them to explain why they did what they did. Race should be a factor when admitting students, so that the campuses remain diverse and mixed, which is what students look forward to when going to college. But, colleges shouldn't admit certain people solemnly based on their race, instead of academic success as well.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, racism never changes and examples such as this one are not that different from racism in the past. If I were president of the school, I would have taken measures to make sure that racism was not tolerated, possibly such as a student board for discrimination that would be able to bring matters such as this one directly to myself. Lastly, I also believe race should be a factor when admitting students to schools as it is one of the best ways to fight de facto segregation within the education system.
ReplyDeleteOur country has gone very far from when there were Jim Crow laws. However, racism is always present in society, whether it is stated bluntly or just thought about through prejudices. If I was Butler, I would definitely take action to prevent further racist activities in schools. Even though racism is not illegal, it should be regulated, especially in colleges and schools. Butler should strictly state that there would be consequences for further racist activities on school campuses. I don't think that race should be a factor when admitting students into colleges. Considering race will put people at a disadvantage despite being qualified for the school. Everyone should get an equal opportunity to get into college.
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ReplyDeleteAlthough racism overall has decreased in the United States, may Americans are still inherently racist. This is especially true in the South, where a large majority of people are very conservative and traditional. Surprisingly, the idea that Blacks caused the Civil War and were responsible for the downfall of Southern prominence is still alive today as the Anti-African American sentiment has passed through the generations. I think that universities should do more to prevent racism, but institutional change is impossible unless the people themselves change first.
ReplyDeleteI think that the president at the University of Missouri should give strict consequences to those engaging in racist activities/ saying racist comments. Although racism has become less institutionalized in America from the past, there are still many individuals across America with racist views. While I think that every race deserves to be equally represented in college, I think acceptance should be based on academic success and not race alone.
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ReplyDeleteOverall, from my perspective, the issue of racism in this country has remained at the same state it was left in during and after the Civil War. When you take this fact into consideration, it is still a persistent problem in the United States as demonstrated by incidents such as this. I believe that universities should take action against such occurrences in the future in order to attempt to prevent instances of racism on campus.
ReplyDeleteTo me, the United States as a whole is no longer racist, however select people within the country are. There is a very fine line between being racially insensitive and a racist, and many people have over stepped the boundary without knowing. When admitting students to colleges, race should be considered, however, not heavily influence the overall application. If race was not considered, then many schools would have the excuse to solely accept white students, which would widen the gap between upper and lower class minorities. However, if race was heavily considered, then some students, irrelevant of race, would unfairly be accepted or denied to a particular school.
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ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, racism has lessened in recent years, but there is still a decent amount of misunderstanding that is extremely prevalent through our culture. If I was the president of the University system in Missouri, I would make sure that there would be extreme level of punishment when racist and discriminatory actions would occur because college is a place of learning. With the disruptive out bursts, it would only hurt a part of the student body and restrict their ability to successfully get an education. It would be unacceptable to commit these actions and I would make sure that it could result in expulsion. I believe that race should matter, but only to better the lives of the student body as a whole. I would want the selection of college students to be fairly balanced with a consideration of the various populations of minorities and white students on campus. Race would not be a major factor when choosing students, but it would still have weight in the process.
ReplyDeleteRacism definitely has improved from what it was in the past, but the effects of institutionalized racism can still be seen today. There are no longer de jure segregation laws, and being racist isn't socially acceptable anymore. However, change takes time, and it's been only 50 years since black people were given rights, and only 60 years since school segregation. There are probably still black people in the workplace today who have had rocks thrown at them as they went to school. This is why I support affirmative action – you can't expect a couple of laws and time to heal 300+ years of wounds. Affirmative action helps bring them out of generational poverty and gives them the same opportunities other Americans have had since birth.
ReplyDeletePoliticall, racism has improved because there are laws passed to make sure the equal right of African Amiricans. However, law could not protect everyone perfectly, so there are so many poeple still are not treated the same without violated the law. The University at least should do something before the situation get worse. Race should not be a factor of admiting student no matter it is good or bad because either way make different race different.
ReplyDeleteMany people are still racist and I believe that will change as time goes on. But that doesn't mean that somebody who is discriminating should go unpunished. They should be shown how what they're doing is wrong. Yes, racism is and will continue getting better, but that will only continue to happen if racist accounts like these are taken care of.
ReplyDeleteRacism is very present in today's society. Many even consider racism worse today because it is not talked about much in schools, and people ignore it; pretending like it doesn't exist. The president of the University of Missouri should punish those students who have made outward racist gestures and be through in investigating the students who are instigating racist feelings. Race should not be a factor when admitting students to universities. I think that using race as a deciding factor in admissions is unfair and gives and unfair advantage to those who are more diverse.
ReplyDeleteRacism is still very much so present in todays society. With that being said people should be disciplined for their harsh actions and these actions should not be ignored in the future. Racism has improved over the years however it is still a big problem to this day. A problem that every individual can help prevent and eventually stop.
ReplyDeleteI really don't know that "racism" has changed all that much in America. The goal is to see everyone as equal. The human brain is set up in such a way that puts people in categories, or boxes, if you will. These boxes are what make humans so efficient, because we can make decisions based on a brief glance. This doesn't just apply to other people, but to books, games, food, nearly everything we interact with. It just so happens that this process is flawed in humans. Now, I don't see a clear solution as to how to combat racism. I think it's ingrained in society, not just America but throughout the world. It is how people operate, which is a damn shame.
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ReplyDeleteSince the civil rights movement, racism has not really changed. Today prejudices still exist and people act differently to individuals due to their race,and or religion. Some might say that Obama becoming president and areas in the United States like bay area has improved by showing to coexists, still many areas in the United States, especially the South, exemplify actions of hate towards due an individuals identity. Racism will continue to repeat until action is made to show that their is a no tolerance policy for it in today's society. Race should be considered when admitting students, but not in a way that it creates quotas. Universities should accept based on competitive students who are qualified not just a certain number of people.
ReplyDeleteDe Jure racism has changed, De Facto racism has not. While civil rights acts and affirmative action seem to have made institutional racism a thing of the past, Racism is still very much alive in the form of practicing racism. If I were the president of the University of Missouri, I would insist on a zero tolerance policy for racism, handing out possibly extreme punishments for those who violate this. Affirmative action is important towards evening demographics on college campuses as it can create comfortable and equal environments for people of all races.
ReplyDeleteEven though we have made some progression since the civil rights movement, racism is still very present in todays society. It depends on where you live. In this case, I do think more action should be taken from the president of the University of Missouri. Many students are upset because they don't feel like anyone is doing anything to solve this issue. Race should not be a prime factor in admission, but that doesn't mean that other races should be taken advantage of.
ReplyDeleteRacism has improved in liberal areas, such as the Bay Area, but in places like Missouri, racism has not gotten any better. Racism is taught by our parents, peers, teachers, etc. and it certainly can be untaught. If I were the president of UM, I would take the initiative to unteach racism by setting an example of these racist students as well as protecting the students at risk of verbal and physical abuse. I believe that race should play a factor in college admissions, but not a deciding factor.
ReplyDeleteRacism has improved in liberal areas, such as the Bay Area, but in places like Missouri, racism has not gotten any better. Racism is taught by our parents, peers, teachers, etc. and it certainly can be untaught. If I were the president of UM, I would take the initiative to unteach racism by setting an example of these racist students as well as protecting the students at risk of verbal and physical abuse. I believe that race should play a factor in college admissions, but not a deciding factor.
ReplyDeleteIn my personal opinion, racism has slightly improved from the past, but we as a nation are by no means close to eliminating racism. Of course, there are certain areas that remain relatively racism free, whereas there are others where racism is heavily concentrated. To try and eliminate racism on the university campus, I would take a few measures. Firstly, I would enact a zero tolerance policy against racism. Anyone involved in instances such as what happened on the campus in August would be expelled immediately. Racism is a serious issue and should not be taken lightly. Second, I would want to arrange for mandatory ethical classes to be put into place to try and inform the students on issues such as this while teaching them acceptance. Lastly, I believe that race should only be used to an extent when admitting students. Over everything else, I believe that the most qualified students should be accepted, but if there are two or more students equally qualified and the campus needs to be more diverse, then it would be a possible factor in admitting students.
ReplyDeleteIn some ways i do think that people here in the united states have gotten better with racism. It is crazy to say that it is gone here in America though. While i do believe that it is the presidents fault for not dealing with the level of racism, we have to remember that it is hard to control what people do and say in this control due to the first amendment. I do not think that race should be a factor in determining who should and should not be accepted into an institution of higher learning.
ReplyDeleteI think that recently more and more people have become aware of the lack of progress regarding racism. Racism has not improved as seen in the multiple police brutality incidents for instance. It is hard to say what the president should do as it is nearly impossible to control the minds of thousands of college students. I dont think race should be taken into account however financial means should.
ReplyDeleteRacism obviously has improved over the last 50 years, but not at the rate we might have expected. 50 years, the thought of having a black president was a crime and now we nearing the end of Mr. Barack Obama's 2 term presidency. However, there is still a vocal minority, mainly in the South, that is still very racist and live in a bigoted world. These people shouldn't take away the great progress we have made over the last 50 years, even though certain cases may seem like we are not doing so
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