**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.
*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?
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.*
Anything placed on the campus mall, amphitheater, etc. must firsst place a reservation with the appropriate UWEC department. The group responsible for the free speech boards failed to to this, and as a result were given one week to remove the boards. When they failed to meet that deadline (Monday morning), UWEC staff removed the signs. It is also worth noting that the black paint was spilled onto the brick on the amphitheater, and the university (aka the students paying tuition) will now have to pay to have it cleaned off.
ReplyDeleteDear ^Unknown,
DeletePlease Send the bill for damages (aka some spilled paint).
To: Lars A. Nelson (nelsonl).
I am sure, you can find my contact info...
-Lars A. Nelson
Isn't it easier to have a kneejerk reaction and claim the persecution card? If the "Hugh Mungus" and Lyft driver video have shown us anything in recent history, it's that the millenial generation has no fucking clue what real persecution is or how to tell the difference.
DeleteThe author is pissed off because an unauthorized billboard got taken away, without bothering to ask and find out why. It's SJW garbage like this that discredits events that ACTUALLY affect people: Black Lives Matter, feminism, etc.
Our society has become so politically correct that citizens are grasping at straws to manufacture rage for trivial or unsubstantiated reasons. This is the very reason that someone like Donald Trump can run for president and actually gain traction.
If you're going to get angry and advocate for something, advocate for intelligence over ignorance. Advocate for sense over sensationalism. Advocate for good journalism and getting answers to hard questions - not this half baked, half cocked, SJW tumblr blog bullshit.
Fresh paint comes off concrete and brick with a power washer without even any need for soap. That's one maintenance employee spending at most an hour and 1/4 gallon gas (if the pressure washer isn't electric).
Deleteits a weird situation but i think this is inciting a hostile environment. i dont believe racism in uwec is as big as people make it out to be, and stuff like this just escalates it and now everyone is on edge. uwec as an institution has done a LOT in terms of race relations so its unfair that people are now worried over this for no reason
ReplyDeleteBlaming people who call out racism for inciting racism is backward. If addressing our issues raises tension then that tension already exists and needs to be worked through. Closing your eyes doesn't make your problems go away.
DeleteWhen someone says they are experiencing racism, why is your first response that they're making too big of a deal out of it?
DeleteStop playing victim. They broke the rules and the university followed up with a just action. Simple as that.
ReplyDeleteCan you please specify exactly which comments on there were "sexist and racist shit like support for Trump". Because casting a whole group (Trump supporters) and support for their candidate as sexist/racist is a very bigoted thing to do! Please don't be a bigot!
ReplyDeleteThe thing is "dicks out for hambre" is simply a catchphrase while claiming a public institution and those who are part of it is racist is lible defamation and slander which are not free speech.
ReplyDeleteMr. Roche,
DeleteOkay, just a few clarifications. 1) Liable, slander, and defamation damages and charges pertain to individuals, not institutions (with some limited wiggle room, admittedly... but no individuals were singled out on the sign). 2) Even if defamation allegations could be brought forth by the administration, the right to free speech always stands as a viable direct defense to such allegations (but I guess protests against institutionalized racism - real or perceived - is less a matter of free speech than 'catchphrases,' in your view) And 3) 'Truth' is always perfect defense to such charges.
UWEC sadly has a less than stellar record when it comes to the matter of race relations. It's an issue. Whether you like it or not, whether you KNOW it or not. In fact, one of the biggest problems is the utter lack of any sort of open discourse or transparency from the administration about such issues and how (if at all) they are being addressed. Are you even aware of any of the official complaints, grievances, and concerns filed by minority students? My guess would be 'no.'
Hope that clears things up a bit.
Kort Fox,
DeleteCan you please give specific issues of poor race relations? Just because the institution "isnt doing enough" doesnt mean its not been working on it or doing a good job already.
http://theburdenofactivism.blogspot.com/2016/09/daaaaaamn-uwec-back-at-it-again-with.html?m=1
DeleteI honestly think you handled this is the worst way possible. If you want to be taken seriously I advise that next time keep all of the curse words to yourself. Second of all get your facts straight before throwing a tantrum. They took it down for a REASON and that reason is not because what was written on it. Lastly as a black student at UWEC I've dealt with a few racial issues on this campus, but this is far from one!
ReplyDeleteP.S. Not taking up for him, but the Chancellor can only do so much, he's not the damn president nor can he control the actions of others!
A lot of keyboard warriors tonight. Stay hiding behind your computer screens.
DeleteI agree, but what is there for him to address, they wrote what they felt, and there is nothing more too it. Let people think what they want there is no need to act on every issue that occurs. Especially this one. People are making this into more than what it needs to be. To those who may be upset reading this. I apologize, but I honestly feel that we are too sensitive. There are things we should be mad about like the two girls at the university of Kansas who posted a snapchat photo saying how good it felt to finally to be a nigga. Then there are things we shouldn't be upset about like someone posting that they feel the campus is racist. As a black women living in Eau Claire things are different from my first year here to now. There is change maybe your just to high and mighty to see it.
DeleteAlso, I never stated that this was an academic paper. I am simple saying that this post sounds ignorant. It is difficult to have a rational discussion about issues if the conversation is belligerent.
*Calls out keyboard warriors* *posts as Unknown*
Delete??? they were scheduled to come down when they took them down. it has nothing to do with the UWEC is racist writing.
ReplyDeleteI would actually like to know what makes UWEC so racist. Enlighten me. Does every non-white race feel oppressed and that uncomfortable here? By the way, I've heard nasty things said about white people to. Goes both ways.
ReplyDeleteI would commend you to look at the Campus Climate survey; it's not just people of colour. It's all marginalized identities. Racism/sexism/classism/homophobia aren't things of the past.
DeleteAlso note that the nasty things said about white people (while demeaning and mean), it isn't quite comparable to racism because "whiteness" is still something that is normalized and institutionalized. I will validate that there's some shit that people say about white people; but the historical oppression that people of colour face is more than just nasty words or slurs; it's the history of those racial slurs and how they were used to systematically keep people of colour at the bottom.
Racism is created out of two things: power and privilege; people of colour do not have institutional or systematic power nor can they possess white privilege (because while someone may not have white privilege, they could have privilege because they are male).
Racism stems from the history of racism in this country and while blatant and explicit racism does not exist anymore there is still implicit racism that exists that people of colour are subject to and are therefore institutionally and systematically disadvantaged for (such as: learning strictly European history in school, the assimilation and systematically stripping of bilingual and multicultural students of their identity, history, and language).
White privilege is the concept of "unearned advantages" that white people receive. That's what people say. But to put it in better terms, I'd say privilege is aspects of everyday life that you do not have to worry about that a person of colour DOES. It's the LACK OF worrying about whether or not you will be eyed suspiciously as you walk into a store, or whether you will be called on in class to speak on behalf of your entire race/ethnicity, or whether or not you will be hired because of your name (the name John vs Jose--they did a study on this).
But the campus climate survey will help you.
I would also like to mention that it is not a matter of just 'uncomfortability', but it is also a matter of safety. People of colour are highly visible because they are not white (surprise) and not the "norm."
hope this helps,
kabvwj
You have not answered the question in any way.. So because the majority of people are white in EC it is inherently racist? nonsense. The Climate survey offers no solution to any problem, nor truly identifies the complaints. Also less than 20% of the student body responded to the survey... and only 254 total POC (people of color) while there are over 1,100 POC who attend this university. You have ranted a lot but said very little of any substance. You also make assumptions about other races (including white people) that are false (as if you know what everyone who is white worries about). Stop instigating an rhetoric that is " White conservative males oppress everyone else".... Its racist and sexist and accomplishes nothing. come up with actual solutions (or legitimate complaints for that matter)
Deletehttp://theburdenofactivism.blogspot.com/2016/09/daaaaaamn-uwec-back-at-it-again-with.html?m=1
DeleteMake sure you know what the definition of racism is. It's a system of privilege that exists institutionally/systemically based on race. From Race Forward: "INSTITUTIONAL RACISM occurs within institutions and
Deletesystems of power. It is the unfair policies and discriminatory
practices of particular institutions (schools, workplaces,
etc.) that routinely produce racially inequitable
outcomes for people of color and advantages for white
people." This is often confused for acts of prejudice, which is not the same thing.
It depends on how you define racism. It's not the same as personal acts of prejudice or discrimination, which is what is portrayed in the media and understood by most of society. This is a more correct definition of racism: "Historically rooted system of power hierarchies based on race—infused in our institutions, policies and culture—that benefit white people and hurt people of color. Racism isn’t limited to individual acts of prejudice, either deliberate or accidental. Rather,
Deletethe most damaging racism is built into systems and institutions
that shape our lives." - Race Forward "Stories of race and racism that focus on personal prejudice (“who’s a racist”) get a disproportionate share of attention in the media. This reinforces the message that racism is primarily a phenomenon of overt, intentional acts carried out by prejudiced individuals who need correcting and/or shaming, and tends to spark debates of limited value about that individual’s character. It is important for media to use a systemic lens on race-related stories to examine systems, institutional practices, policies, and outcomes."
I get this is your blog to vent and say what you will. I'm sure the university is working on ways behind scenes on handling the reported acts of racism. You just have to be patient, changing a persons mentality doesn't happen over night. But the question to you is: What will make you happy? Their ways they are implementing on dealing with racism so far...clearly, you aren't happy about yet. You need to understand Eau Claire is a predominantly white city and yes anywhere you go, you may interact with those racist. Second question to you: if you dislike uwec so much, and are clearly miserable there, what is keeping you there? Why not leave to a different school. I also think that when dealing with a racial incident, your attitude and reaction is important to remember as well.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your questions; 1) The demographics of UWEC actually do not match the demographics of people of colour in the district of Eau Claire. UWEC is disproportionately white compared to the rest of Eau Claire; while it is still predominantly white, the school make-up does not reflect the city of Eau Claire. 2) I have 2 semester left. The amount of time that it takes to transfer, find a major, move, sign a new lease would take all of probably a semester and a half to do. Also, I'm bound to the university by contract until I graduate.
DeleteMy reaction is getting attention; whether negative or positive what I have to say and my reactions to the university are valid through the experiences that I've had with the campus, with the administration, with the faculty and staff, and the students. The aspect of 'anger' has always been used against people of colour because we exist in a world where we must take the emotion out of everything in order to think logically. Emotions are logic. They are shaped by experiences, and experiences that are not always happy.
thanks for the comment,
kabvwj
Emotions are not logic. Emotions are how genocide, war, and racism happen.....
DeleteYou're writing this as a letter to UWEC. Yet you cannot express your emotions without swearing every other sentence. You say you're venting and it's not an academic paper, so why are you trying to constantly addressing UWEC as if you're trying to garner their attention? You mention that supporting Trump makes you racist, so I can already assume you're blowing up racism to be a bigger problem than it is and that you're extremely biased. If the sign said all muslims are terrorists, would you want it removed because its basically slander? White privilege is used tp make people feel bad for being born with something they have no control over.
ReplyDeleteFinal note.
"Im the one they warned you about." Nice edge, I cut myself reading that. Get off tumblr and think for yourself.
KV I'd love to talk to you sometime about this in person, if you'd be willing too! I'm wouldn't say I'm ignorant on the topic, for just uninformed. Would honestly just like a casual conversation regarding your experiences and what you've witnessed! Thanks!
ReplyDelete-Joe Jorgensen
I'm a freshmen at UW Stout. It's interesting to see what is going on at other universities nearby.
ReplyDeleteFrom a purely outsiders standpoint, I feel like it is off putting to add excessive amounts of swearing to your blogs. It makes it feel more immature and unlikely to be taken seriously.
But other than that, I feel like this brings light to an issue that is often overlooked. It seems like the mentality for a lot of universities including Stout is:
"We won't do anything until it gets enough attention"
I feel like this incident is a prime example of this type of mentality. The administration probably considered the harambe jokes and trump stuff were just people making jokes about memes. (Which I'm sure it was). They were probably okay with this because it was in "good" taste. And I say good very loosely. As in they deemed it to be okay and it doesn't make the campus look bad. To the administration, they viewed it as a fun and games.
The second someone puts up "UWEC is racist" they are quick to jump the gun and remove it as quick as possible. The reason why? Because it makes them look bad.
If someone said "Samuel is a huge fat jerk" and put it on a gigantic sign. I would want it taken down too!
Nevertheless, I feel like what UWEC did was purely a PR move to make themselves look like they are a good campus. They want people to believe that they are a good, safe, and friendly campus.
To many students, including myself. I want my voice to be heard. I feel like it is an injustice to have signs like that taken down. No matter how harsh, critical, or immature it is, Everyone should have an opportunity to voice their opinion.
did you read the other comments? that is not why the sign was taken down. The university hasn't taken any rights from anyone.
DeleteDear Ka, wanted to post here cuz you have the most replies. Here's my response. No hate! https://docs.google.com/document/d/1khv0jXa1bcyfCwLIKjaynyQpBBFkZU2Zi50KBGvjobs/edit?usp=sharing
ReplyDeleteHey, thanks for responding!
DeleteThanks for outing my name as well; that was definitely not a violation of my safety. I claim no relation to you.
-k.v.