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Report should find origin of perception
University Chronicle
EDITORIAL BOARD
The issue: EEOC's report doesn't say whether or not real cases of bias have been found at SCSU, but that a perception of bias still exists.
What we think: Rather than focusing on the fact that SCSU has a reputation, we should focus on where that reputation is coming from.
The report compiled by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and released Monday stated that "faculty members and staff believe that systematic and institutionalized bias, sexism, racism and anti-Semitism exist at the university."
The report also tells of the ineffectiveness of SCSU's Affirmative Action Office.
However, the EEOC report does not say whether or not there are any real cases of discrimination at SCSU. The report also states that said ineffectiveness of the Affirmative Action Office has not led to any real discrimination.
SCSU's problem, then, is coming from what people "believe" � their perceptions of the university � not what is actually happening on the campus.
Laurel Allen, SCSU Affirmative Action Officer, said it best: "There is a difference between the perception of bias and actual cases of discrimination."
What the SCSU community should be doing is looking at where the perception of being a discriminatory campus is coming from.
The EEOC report itself may not be representative of SCSU's students and faculty. The basis for the EEOC investigation is testimony and evidence from only 70 members of SCSU's community � only 70 out of more than 15,000 students and thousands more faculty and staff members.
SCSU's reputation may also be tainted by the negative publicity it always receives. Rarely is SCSU presented in the news showing good things � philanthropic goals, outstanding leadership programs, winning sports teams and diverse cultural nights all are seemingly missing from the attention the university gets. Instead, people across the nation know of SCSU's problems with anti-Semitism, discrimination and mascot issues.
Perhaps SCSU needs to look inward to change. The campus community should focus on our good qualities. Then maybe others will catch on, too.
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