When racial bias occurs it is customary to suggest that such practices are out of the norm... something only done by an individual out of touch with prevailing social values. To suggest that racial bias in language and act is, in part, structurally violent- connects racism with sexism and homophobia, leading to actual violence because threats are ignored, kept undercover and behavior is allowed to continue.
What Oklahoma University Sigma Alpha Epsilon and now Bucknell University's recent bias suggests is, that bigoted and racist language and incidents are widespread in American higher educational institutions and a normal part of this society’s culture.
On March 20, 2015 three Bucknell students on the campus radio station during the "Happy Time show" made racial slurs. The following is from an account released by John Bravman, Bucknell University President.
Those three students have been expelled as of Monday March 30, 2015. According to sources close to the University administration their fraternity[s] have revoked their memberships.Student 1: “Niggers”Student 2: “Black people should be dead.”Student 3: “Lynch ‘em!”
Initially Bucknell officials were hesitant to release the details, according to PennLive.com
The Sunbury Daily Item recently reported, according to Andy Hirsch University spokesperson, that student disc jockeys on the campus radio station used “… language involved a racial slur, racially motivated violence.”"We will not perpetuate racist and violent comments by sharing the audio or recapitulating the language used," Hirsch said. "Doing so would only give greater exposure to messages that are hurtful and antithetical to our institutional values."
This line of thinking ignores how silence is complicity, reinforcing and silencing others who are harmed by such language and threats.
University officials responded a week after the incident because it was only brought to their attention after an inmate at Lewisburg Prison, who was listening, wrote a letter of complaint.
Initially the students who made racial slurs were suspended last Thursday, but were seen on campus during the unofficial festivities of house party weekend. Last year, Bravman cancelled house party weekend because of the dangerous levels of drinking and according to faculty and students, violent culture surrounding fraternities parties. Apparently after cancelling, Bravman and his family received death threats. For me this shows the level of privilege -- over what many would consider, just another weekend of drinking.
So prior to the start of parties, messages went out to students to be careful, but in light of these comments, violent frat culture and responses from many white students who thought the campus DJs were 'nice guys', who shouldn't have been suspended.
This past Friday, a meeting was called to address concerns, but students reported they they felt unheard as university officials were defensive. The language coming from university officials in PennLive and Sunbury Daily Items seemed to focus on the university reputation, not the safety of students of color.
This was not the first incident of racial bias on campus. Students of Color often report drive by racist slurs, drunken hate speech, recent highly problematic comments by Bucknell football coach surrounding Ray Rice’s domestic abuse, as well as the December YikYak threat of violence in during a week of campus demonstration protesting the non-indictments of Darren Wilson.
On one hand, the surfacing of these slurs is within the context of racism, police brutality and the black lives matter movement, for which many students on campus are closely involved. But as stated earlier, this happens all the time at Bucknell.
A few years back, a Black student at Bucknell was sent racist facebook messages from another (white) Bucknell student. The university acted swiftly to protect itself and its interests. Within a 24 hour period, Public Safety determined that the white student was a victim of hacking - that his entire Facebook account had been taken over - pictures changed to show racist photos - and that the messages that were sent had not come from him. (Never mind that his user domain was "I Hate Negro" or something very similar.) The university then sent out a campus alert to warn of computers being hacked.
There seems to be a culture of this language and behavior on Bucknell's campus. This past fall, Bucknell Football Coach Susan used racially coded language discussing Ray Ray- who he recruited to Rutgers.
“Ray was a street kid,” he said. “A lot of that stayed with him.” Coach Susan continued “With these kids it just seems that the street always comes back to them.”
Even more disturbing, especially in light of the disturbing trends of sexual assault on campus, Susan suggested that the assault by Rice would not have occurred. “(Former Rutgers players) Jason and Devin McCourty hold a charity event in the winter every year,” said Susan. “And all the former Rutgers alumni that play in the NFL were there, except for Ray. He was in Atlantic City.
Susan went on to say “In this day and age cameras are everywhere and if you do something like that there will be video of it or a record of it” … suggesting that behaviors should be above board because of cameras.
This is especially troubling since Bucknell students are often from higher socio-economic communities and will take of post as business leaders throughout the US. Looking deeper, this campus has a troubling record of sexual assaults which are closer to one in three, more than the national average of one in four women. According to the Bucknellian “The 2013 extrapolated number showed that 34 percent had experienced attempted rape or rape.” There is a culture of racism and violence against women at Bucknell and Universities across America.
In this time of increased racial climate, transparency and authentic work toward hearing peoples voices is even more important. This is why Bravman’s most recent email to the campus is extremely important and a good sign.
While this is a good start, this must be the beginning of decisive action that challenge the racism, sexism and violence that many on Bucknell's campus experience. This morning, one faculty member suggested that we seriously consider the elimination of the fraternity system on campus. As those who made racial slurs were members of fraternities and women often report being assaulted at frat parties. And I'm not anti-frat, as I'm a member of Alpha Phi Alpha.
We cannot let ourselves fall into the patterns that suggest that such incidents are only isolated.
The vitriolic and hateful language of Bucknell student DJs are, unlike Bravman perspective “not who we are”, but it is exactly who Bucknell is, as Professor Sue Ellen Henry wrote in a Facebook post and letter to her students.
To suggest this is only a few people is to ignore the perspective of students are hurt and in fear at a time they should be enjoying their college experience. The racism is who this and other campuses are… If there is continued silence and focus on the reputation of the university as opposed to the well-being of students, nothing will change.
What are students learning? What kind of world will this be if we fail to challenge the brazen racism of privileged students, who are assumed good because of their socio-economic background?
At a time when American institutions lack so much democratic transparency and racial conflict is abound, educational institutions, public and private- should be leading by example. If our liberal arts colleges and public schools cannot educate its students to be anti-racist critically reflective citizens, participants in democratic society, or even provide a safe place free from violence or the threat of violence - we are doomed…
by David Ragland
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