9/17 -- Two days after Senior Vice President for academic and student affairs Mark Thompson sent shockwaves around campus with his memo regarding "two deplorable acts of hatred," religious groups and students leaders are taking a stand.
"I think this was an act of my favorite four-letter 'f' word-fear," said Rabbi Rena Judd, the Campus Rabbi at Quinnipiac University.
One of the two "deplorable" acts mentioned in Thompson's memo refers to an anti-Semitic slur written on a resident assistant's door last Friday in The Ledges, a freshmen dorm.
"They had no idea the extensive damage their razor sharp words would cause," Judd said regarding the perpetrator's words. Judd said that she was informed of the incident by University President John Lahey on Friday after the incident occurred.
"I feel tremendous empathy at the depth of hurt this victim must feel," Judd said. Rabbi Judd spoke to the student involved on Friday via e-mail, but has not been in contact since.
The second "act of hatred" was regarding sexual orientation, according to Thompson's statement at the Faculty Senate meeting yesterday.
Brent Sinn, President of Gay Lesbian and Straight Supporters (GLASS), is upset about the acts of hatred and feels the students have a right to know what is going on.
"Last year, there was some sort of homophobic slur written on a board in the Law School," Sinn said in an e-mail. "The undergrad students of Quinnipiac did not even know that anything like this occurred. I believe that it is this school's job to tell the students exactly what happened and what was written."
Student leaders on campus are raising their voice to promote diversity and change on this campus.
"Something is not right, these acts reoccur in our buildings, on our campus, in our homes and yet not enough has been done to stop them," said Sean Geary, Student Government Association president, in a statement issued today regarding the "acts of hatred."
Geary called for the student body to take action as a group.
"Change is not caused by one person or even a group of people, but a society," Geary said in the statement. "Together, we can choose apathy, or we can choose to be better than that."
Melissa Lee, vice president of the Asian and Pacific Islander Student Association, said the students need to know what is going on in order to clear up rumors.
"I understand the administration is respecting the wishes of the individuals involved with not disclosing any information, yet in being so vague it is causing speculation outside the university," Lee said in an e-mail. "If there was a way the administration could expand on these incidents without hurting the individuals involved people would not be coming up with their own ideas."
Black Student Union President Carla Brown is "disturbed" by the acts of hatred and feels this is a key example of the need to promote diversity in the community.
"If these recent incidents have proven anything at all, it is that the Quinnipiac community still needs to hear its students, faculty and staff speak out in favor of diversity and respect," Brown said in an e-mail. She added that BSU does "not take news like this lightly" and plans to work with other organizations on campus to prevent acts like these in the community.
Judd believes that these issues happen nationwide, not just here at Quinnipiac, and we should appreciate the opportunity to discuss them as a community.
"Here and now, in the cocoon of the university experience, we are able to take time out and confront this issue," Judd said. "That is a gift that-in the hustle and bustle and chaos of day to day living-one is not permitted to take."
Be the first to comment on this article!