Posted on 03/28/2008 10:15:42 AM PDT by BGHater
A skit with a black-faced white student portraying Barack Obama receiving a lap dance has sparked claims of racial insensitivity and an investigation at North Dakota State University.
The NDSU Saddle and Sirloin Club and sorority Alpha Gamma Delta are at the center of the controversy for a lip-sync act performed for 500 people at the Mr. NDSU Pageant.
People who attended the performance described what happened:
A pageant contestant from Saddle and Sirloin dressed as the woman from the popular Internet video “I Got a Crush on Obama” and performed for another student who was wearing dark makeup and an afro wig.
In the background, two male students dressed as cowboys simulated anal sex while holding an Obama sign that one student ripped at the conclusion of the 30-second performance.
Presidents of the sorority and the club for students interested in animal agriculture publicly apologized at an NDSU town hall meeting this week.
A complaint was filed stemming from the incident, and officials are looking into whether either group violated the code of student conduct.
The controversy comes on the heels of a complaint filed against a University of North Dakota sorority for a party where guests wore mock Indian clothing and red face and body paint.
It also comes about a week before Democratic presidential candidate Obama is scheduled to visit North Dakota to speak at the state Democratic Convention.
Malika Carter, NDSU assistant director of multicultural student services, said students of color who were at the March 18 event came to her with concerns.
Students have said the skit was racially insensitive and homophobic, and it objectified women, Carter said.
Student Sheri Banks said she
doesn’t understand why the sorority didn’t stop the group before they went on stage.
“Why would you not screen these acts before they went on?” Banks asked.
Josh Reimnitz, NDSU student body president who was in the audience, said the crowd got quiet and some booed in response to the act.
“My jaw just dropped. I didn’t even know what to think,” Reimnitz said. “I didn’t know what the point was of the entire skit.”
Jonathan Foss, a contestant in the pageant for the third year in a row, said the acts are typically appropriate for a wide audience. Foss brought his grandmother with him the previous two years.
“It’s a college-performed show, there might be an innuendo here and there, but usually it’s pretty clean,” Foss said.
In a written apology, Saddle and Sirloin President Jenna Schmidt said the students were trying to re-enact the YouTube video and did not mean to be offensive.
“We realize that this action was not appropriate and all involved in the skit have expressed their remorse,” she said.
Attempts to reach participants in the skit were unsuccessful.
Russell Danielson, the club’s adviser, said the students involved are from rural North Dakota communities with little diversity. He plans to talk to NDSU’s diversity officer about arranging sensitivity training for the members.
“It wasn’t malicious and it wasn’t racist in any way,” Danielson said. “They’re very apologetic and they realize the mistake that they made.”
Kodee Gartner, past president of Alpha Gamma Delta and an emcee of the event, said the sorority did not know ahead of time what type of performance Saddle and Sirloin had planned.
Contestants had the option of doing a dress rehearsal, but the club did not participate. In the future, they will have a more strict screening process.
“We definitely do not support or condone that type of behavior,” Gartner said.
A hearing officer will determine if the organizations face any sanctions, said Amy Graff, associate director for student activities.
The Mr. NDSU pageant is an annual fundraiser for diabetes research. It raised more than $3,500.
A similar Miss NDSU pageant is scheduled for next month.
Alpha Tau Omega, which hosts the Miss NDSU pageant, will take precautions to make sure something like this doesn’t happen, said Foss, fraternity vice president.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Amy Dalrymple at (701) 241-5590
Whatever happened to LimoGuy? Are we keeping him under wraps until the general election? Or did he prove to be a fraud?
“investigation “
the word that brings fear into hearts. Investigation. Ah. Must be a crime. Oh yes. Anything that any typical White boy does is automatically racist. Especially if the White boy is a garlic nose. Ah yes. The hate crime laws are having their desired effect: putting innocent Whites in jail.
England had a blackface minstrel show on tv into the 1970s.
On college campuses it’s only free speech till someone gets offended.
It was North Dakota. Mebee they didn’t have a black guy for the skit.
How come Al Jolson got away with it?? /sarcasm off.
That works, too.
They’re big problem is they’re in North Dakota. It would have played well at Duke. They have sexually explicit trashy shows and they call it art. Black face part wouldn’t have gone over well though.
That is only if you put a cross into a jar of urine.
Some people are offended by some people being offended.
Hey, it’s North Dakota. They would have used a black student to play Obama if they had one.
Sounds like normal college kids or an episode of South Park....
Aw jeeze, its hit the fan. More “diversity” and “sensitivity” “training” required to pacify those who are perpetually and endlessly offended anytime a butterfly passes gas the wrong way! Oh....the huge manatee!
They aren’t universities anymore, they are advanced cry baby institutes.
Obama's coke and gay sex guy? If I'm not mistaken, once he failed his lie detector test, he hasn't been heard from since.
Malika Carter, NDSU assistant director of multicultural student services, said students of color who were at the March 18 event came to her with concerns.
I wonder if it was both of them. I actually had "students of color" as classmates. Quite a few of them came from Africa and were there to learn skills like mechanical engineering, soil science and growing better crops to improve their homelands. They had zero time for feel-good political correctness crap.
Most of the students there understand just how useful political correctness is if you are ever out on an open range before a blizzard trying to move livestock to shelter or other similar real life situations in the Dakotas (or Africa, for that matter). Life can be stressful in such a harsh climate. Poking fun at nimrods who have nothing better to do than get their feeling hurt is one way they relieve stress.
Now, don't get me started telling Norwegian jokes!
See my previous post. They have real African-Africans at NDSU.
Yeah. Because the Swedish ones are so much funnier.
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