2008 Woodie Awards
Letters to the Chronicle
Issue date: 2/4/08 Section: Opinions
Message of swastikas is ignorance, not hatred
If you have any questions about the recent "hate crimes" that have been going on here at SCSU, just walk to the nearest entrance of any building and read the bright sign that is posted on the door and it will give you all the information you need.
If you can't make it to campus, just hop online and check your e-mail. I'm sure you have a new Public Safety alert waiting for you, and if you don't, it is probably on its way.
If e-mail isn't your thing, I would suggest getting your hands on some copies of the St. Cloud Times. There have been about 15 articles written about the recent happenings in the past few weeks.
If none of these options work for you, you're in luck. The news may be covering this story tonight!
I am in no way making light of the vandalism (or erasable vandalism) that has happened on our campus recently.
No one should ever be made to feel scared or uncomfortable in a place where they come to learn or live. I am, however, speaking out about the way it is being handled by the university.
As students here at SCSU, we practice tolerance and unity every day when we come to campus.
By this age, most of us have learned about what is wrong and right, and have become educated about racial discrimination. This is the reason I have hate crimes in quotations in the beginning of this letter.
I no longer feel these acts were hate crimes, and numerous students I have talked with agree.
I have been referring to these wrong doings as "acts of ignorance" lately.
The person or persons who put those swastikas up obviously weren't the most intelligent people on campus, and neither were those who followed their lead.
These were most likely acts of stupidity and ignorance, done for attention, and attention was granted and is continuing to be granted, even when these acts of ignorance stop for a week at a time.
Don't get me wrong, it is important to be informed about what is going on within our campus, but it is also important to try and solve the problem and notice when certain tactics aren't working.
If you have any questions about the recent "hate crimes" that have been going on here at SCSU, just walk to the nearest entrance of any building and read the bright sign that is posted on the door and it will give you all the information you need.
If you can't make it to campus, just hop online and check your e-mail. I'm sure you have a new Public Safety alert waiting for you, and if you don't, it is probably on its way.
If e-mail isn't your thing, I would suggest getting your hands on some copies of the St. Cloud Times. There have been about 15 articles written about the recent happenings in the past few weeks.
If none of these options work for you, you're in luck. The news may be covering this story tonight!
I am in no way making light of the vandalism (or erasable vandalism) that has happened on our campus recently.
No one should ever be made to feel scared or uncomfortable in a place where they come to learn or live. I am, however, speaking out about the way it is being handled by the university.
As students here at SCSU, we practice tolerance and unity every day when we come to campus.
By this age, most of us have learned about what is wrong and right, and have become educated about racial discrimination. This is the reason I have hate crimes in quotations in the beginning of this letter.
I no longer feel these acts were hate crimes, and numerous students I have talked with agree.
I have been referring to these wrong doings as "acts of ignorance" lately.
The person or persons who put those swastikas up obviously weren't the most intelligent people on campus, and neither were those who followed their lead.
These were most likely acts of stupidity and ignorance, done for attention, and attention was granted and is continuing to be granted, even when these acts of ignorance stop for a week at a time.
Don't get me wrong, it is important to be informed about what is going on within our campus, but it is also important to try and solve the problem and notice when certain tactics aren't working.