"Dicks out for Harambe" is free speech, "UWEC is RACIST" is not: a story of saving face.

**Edit: I have not and cannot confirm when the sign was scheduled to be taken down. I am moving past this post and working on the second part to this series and focusing on the university's response to the 'UWEC IS RACIST' post.....STILL a story of saving face.**

*this blogpost is a two part series* the second part, posted 9/21/16, can be viewed here. 

For the last week at UWEC, I’ve been watching these wooden billboards in front of Centennial titled ‘Free Speech’ get written on with bullshit like “Dicks out for Harambe” to include some other sexist and racist shit like support for Trump.

I let this shit slide. I didn’t pay too much attention to it because for my own fucking safety and sanity, I would rather not like to know how fucked up this campus already is. I let all of this slide because I know this university.

This morning I woke up and came to campus, and saw “UWEC is Racist” written on both of the billboards that were sitting in campus mall. I took a picture of it.

An hour later, it was taken down.

Dear UWEC, why is it that ‘Dicks out for Harambe’ is free speech, and ‘UWEC is RACIST’ is not? As if people of marginalized identities, people of colour, of the LGBTQ community, and/or women being targeted is okay on this campus, but not when you are being critiqued?  What are you so scared of? Saving face? That this campus isn't as safe or diverse or accepting as you all advertise it to be? 

Why are you so fucking quick to save face, but so slow for racial progress on this campus?

(Y’all responded faster to this fucking sign than you did to my sexual assault case.)

Give me some fucking answers; this sounds ilke some shady bullshit. You are not getting away with this stunt to preach “free speech” and then silence student voices who speak the truth against you.

Chancellor Schmidt, last week at the OMA welcome back picnic, you said that you were going to do better for your students. Honestly, your fake sincerety did not fool me. It may have fooled others. Your white het male tears don’t do shit for blood shed in the world today.

If you were really sincere about the shit you said, you would’ve kept that sign up. You would’ve kept these bedsheets that have been coming up last semester and letting people see that people are actively holding you and the university you represent, accountable.

Or is that not what you want?

Students are holding you accountable. And you are erasing their voices. Make UWEC an example for the world to follow, not just a “product” of the society we live in. Those types of blind statements take the responsibility off your shoulders and allow you to sleep at night.

Give us answers. Better yet; give us actions. Give us institutional change. 

*Note: If I hear anyone in your administration ask “what do you want us to do?” then you should start paying your students instead of your administration. If you are incompetent to understand and or validate and understand the demands of students, then you should rethink the system that you are getting yourself involved in; it doesn’t just consist white het males anymore.*