Posted on 01/03/2002 5:15:15 PM PST by Jean S
An Alabama judge has ordered Auburn University to re-enroll ten students who were suspended after the University discovered photographs of them wearing blackface to impersonate members of an African-American fraternity on campus at a fraternity Halloween party.
The students who are members of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity were suspended indefinitely from the University on November 15 by Auburn University Interim President William F. Walker. Five other students from a separate fraternity, Delta Sigma Phi, were also suspended for wearing offensive costumes, including one student who had dressed as a Klan member and two others parodying a policeman with a gun to the head of a noose-bound man in blackface. Further disciplinary action is pending, and the students may receive penalties ranging up to expulsion for their actions. The national chapters of both fraternities also responded severely to the costumes and immediately disbanded their Auburn chapters.
The former Beta members claim that they had no racist intentions in dressing as members of the predominantly black Omega Psi Phi fraternity, and that their costumes have been unfairly linked to the more offensive Delta attire. In response to the University's treatment of the incident, the students have filed a case against Auburn in state court, claiming the school defamed them by calling them racists and violated their First Amendment rights by penalizing them for wearing blackface, which they claim is protected speech. The lawsuit is seeking $100 million in damages.
"We have the president of the university saying that these are horrible people," said Romaine Scott, a lawyer representing the former Beta members. "Their reputations have been damaged. They are going to have trouble getting jobs."
Others on campus believe the allegations of racism were deserved, and charge that the Beta members' costumes, which included afro wigs, numerous gold chains, and the flashing of gang-related hand signals, belittled black culture.
While Auburn University has no explicit speech code, Walker justified the students' suspension under a section of the AU Code of Student Discipline which allows the president to remove students from campus, "where the action of a student or a group of students poses an immediate threat to the well-being of the university, or there is substantial evidence that the continued presence of the students(s) on the campus shall disrupt the university."
"I think the continued presence of these students in the university community poses an immediate threat to the well-being of the university, and we're taking that action," Walker said. "The student cases will go forward in accordance with the Code of Student Discipline."
While many on campus applaud Walker for taking harsh action against the fraternity members, some students fear that the president's actions constitute a violation of the First Amendment right to free speech on the campus.
"While we fully support Auburn's decision to punish the two fraternities, as we wrote two weeks ago, Auburn punishing individual students for wearing abhorrently offensive costumes infringes on the First Amendment rights of students," stated a staff editorial in the campus newspaper, the Auburn Plainsman.
Compounding these fears, the Auburn University administration has already taken steps to make "multicultural" classes mandatory for all students. The Plainsman reports that Walker, "announced that he has appointed a task force to look into the establishment of a multicultural center on campus" and "instructed the provost's office to expand course offerings on tolerance and diversity in Auburn's curricula, possible concentrating on mandatory courses in the core curriculum."
"We're going to redouble our efforts to diversify," promised Walker. "The level of cultural awareness on this campus is not nearly where it should be."
So that makes it okay for these kids at another school to whine that they were victims because the school called them on their stupid and disgusting behavior? I don't think so.
One year I dressed my four year old daughter as a Plains Indian chief for Halloween. Kids in my neighborhood have often dressed as the devil for Halloween.
I surely would not get upset if my kid or anyone else dressed as a Viking or if a black person wore white face. Michael Jackson does it all the time. He and his sisters have also had extensive plastic surgery to have Nordic noses.
As for the label "racist," it has become meaningless.
I mentioned the Phillips incident to show the double standard.
If these students had dressed up as Arabs would there have been any reaction at all? I suspect there would not, although maybe now Arabs too will become one of those groups which are "more equal" than others.
What would have happened if a bunch of Black students dressed as Black Panthers? Heck, what would happen if a bunch of them actually are Black Panthers?
My guess is they would be handled with great defference and would be allowed to commit many crimes without punishment.
TOGA parties! Bah!
(/Sarcasm)
Auburn is a public university.
1. make 'em put on their Soul Brutha Halloween costumes and blackface.
2. March 'em through campus to the football stadium.
3. Make 'em play a one hour scrimmage against the Auburn varsity.
Solomon has spoken. Thank you.
Why doesn't it belittle black culture when blacks do the same thing? Is this the same deal as the N-word? Oh yeah, that's right, some animals are more equal than others.
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