I wrote last month about an incident where somebody stomped racist and anti-Semitic images on the football field of my alma mater. The football field is in clear view of the campus cafeteria and student lounge. The campus responded to the incident and everyone seemed to pull together. Now we learned of two similar campus incidents at Luther College that happened earlier this week.
First, a sign was removed from the Spanish Table, which was then replaced with a "Whites Only" sign. Keep in mind that the Spanish Table (unless things have changed drastically since my time) is a place for students to speak solely in Spanish and hone their skills. Then somebody wrote "Bad Ya'll are going to hell" on a poster announcing a drag show.
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Somebody has come forward and claimed responsibility for the first incident, but not the second. Campus security is actively investigating both incidents.
President Paula Carlson has addressed these incidents with a response. They held an interfaith prayer vigil at the campus CFL earlier this evening and a special meeting was held for concerned international students. (Jon's Note: You can watch the prayer vigil here and here.) And then an anti-racism professional facilitated a workshop on discrimination and cross-cultural campus relations.
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In the grand scheme of things, these are minor incidents. I get that. And I totally get that things like this can happen anywhere. But these types of bias incidents can really shake up a campus and unveil bigger problems.
Plus, I have a biracial son. We literally toured Luther College last Friday. He's on the fence about attending a small religious college in the middle of Iowa. Little things like this do little to encourage him to move forward with applying as a new student. I imagine that other prospective students learn of incidents like this and also find themselves scratching their heads and wondering if this is typical campus behavior or if this can be a safe learning space for people like them.
First, a sign was removed from the Spanish Table, which was then replaced with a "Whites Only" sign. Keep in mind that the Spanish Table (unless things have changed drastically since my time) is a place for students to speak solely in Spanish and hone their skills. Then somebody wrote "Bad Ya'll are going to hell" on a poster announcing a drag show.
President Paula Carlson has addressed these incidents with a response. They held an interfaith prayer vigil at the campus CFL earlier this evening and a special meeting was held for concerned international students. (Jon's Note: You can watch the prayer vigil here and here.) And then an anti-racism professional facilitated a workshop on discrimination and cross-cultural campus relations.
Plus, I have a biracial son. We literally toured Luther College last Friday. He's on the fence about attending a small religious college in the middle of Iowa. Little things like this do little to encourage him to move forward with applying as a new student. I imagine that other prospective students learn of incidents like this and also find themselves scratching their heads and wondering if this is typical campus behavior or if this can be a safe learning space for people like them.