Colorado Univ. students protest racism

[Thom Little]

By George Merritt
Denver Post
Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2005


Frustration over incidents of racism reached a passionate pitch Tuesday, as 400 University of Colorado students marched on campus to demand the university do more to promote acceptance of others.

"This is the start of the new CU," junior Adam Paluka yelled to the crowd gathered outside Regent Hall. "I am sick and tired of talk. I want action."

.......

The gatherings occurred a week after Mebraht "Mo" Gebre-Michael, a black CU student who is one of three elected heads of the student government, received a profane death threat. The incident followed a string of racially charged incidents since last spring that included graffiti, name-calling and an assault.

.......

The students were joined by vice chancellor for student affairs Ron Stump, who said he also was angry at the racist acts.

"I get tired and frustrated by the acts that happen on our campus," he said. "We work very hard to bring about change and do things that are going to make this campus more welcoming."




http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_3243814

[AspenRose]

1. Hi neighbor (in NM)

How prevalent is racism in Colorado? Are there pockets in places or are there areas more "tolerant" than others?

I am reminded of the white supremicists leaving flyers on cars outside Eagle, CO during the Kobe ordeal.

And when my husband and I were in Ouray (driving towards Ridgway), we saw a house flying a Confederate flag. Talk about stunned.

I always imagined Colorado more tolerant than average.....what do you think's going on?

[hasbro]

2. I was born in Alabama

Racism is pretty slight here in comparison. We do have our share of assholes though and being a jewish kid when Berg got gunned down was pretty scary. Of course Tancredo and the anti-immagrant loons are up making the temperature rise.

Boulder's race problem is financial in that 90% of the student body is white and a sizable chunk of black students are scholarship athletes.

[politicat]

3. It's utterly weird, far as I can tell.

It makes very little sense, because the community is generally tolerant, generally accepting, and generally open - which is why this incident (and several others) are so frustrating. I've been up here for 6 years, and on campus either as a researcher or as a grad student for most of that time, so I thought I knew the community fairly well. But the last couple of years have been... different. There's been a definite shift to the right (from ultra-left to middle left on average, but that's a big shift) in the undergrad population (all the while they're getting skankier and more interested in sex, drugs, whoring and not coming to class... but that's another discussion....) The fact that the student Repukes thought they could get away with an "Affirmative Action Bakesale" a couple years ago pointed that shift out to me...

The community gossip coming out of the CU community is that, since the community is so very left of center, there's some backlash, especially coming from legacy and Pioneer students (Children of alumni and descendants of early settlers, both of which have a better chance of admission than other students.) and (sooo-prise, soo-prise, soo-prise) white frat boys who are not getting the athletic scholarships and team positions they think they deserve. There's also been a rather higher than normal influx of students from states Redder than Colorado (I'm seeing a lot more Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Tenn, etc license plates in the campus parking lots than I have in previous years) than in the past. I know that the idiot that was pushing against Ward Churchill and several other of our liberal profs (David something or other) was also encouraging application of conservative students.

It may just be an anomaly, one asshat of a student, but it's a disturbing one. I hope they can track the brainless emailer down.

[hasbro]

4. A Boulder Weekly Article on the Rep Douchebags

THEY said the had around 25 members, since I see the same 12 douchebags at every event I assume they are counting anyone who has even gone to a meeting. If that number is accurate, they make up about .1% of the student body. Crane your neck on campus and it invalidates any claim whatsoever affirmative action has any effect.

Owens has a man crush on Horowitz and gave him the fiat to shit disturb here. I can't wait till that douchebag is out of office and hopefuly the next gov won't be at odds with fancy book learnin'

Yeah if the university displays any predjudice it's towards out of state students, with rich parents to pay the pig tution.

[politicat]

5. Hey, don't attack me....

I'm on your side. They're (the R types) privileged little twits who need to learn to work for a living, not live off their trust funds and they definitely need to stop it with the kool aid.

As far as Owens goes... :eyes:

Personally, (and having been an instate student and an out of state student) we're not discriminating against out of state students any more than any other state does - if they want the privilege of attending a school that is not primarily funded with their parents' tax dollars, then they need to make up the balance of the fee. This isn't WVU, where it's cheaper for kids from PA and NJ to go out of state at WVU than it is to go instate at home. CU is not inexpensive for out of state and that has to be figured into the CBA of coming here.

Very few states have actively bad University systems; the CU system just happens to have skiing close by. As an undergraduate program, it's really not significantly superior to most large, public universities. Lots of huge lecture classes primarily taught by other than profs, tiny little cells of dorms, limited housing, minimal student supervision, relatively high behavior issues.... I know that I wouldn't go here, had I to do my bach again. (Grad school being an entirely different beast....)

[hasbro]

6. I wasn't trying to attack you on that. Sorry if it came off that way.

I phrased it poorly about out of state. I meant Cu shows preference because they can suck a Texan out of four times as much money.

[AspenRose]

7. I always thought that if anything ever happened to my spouse,

I'd consider relocating to CO, because of its legendary tolerance, especially in Boulder (I'm mixed race) and it'd be a good experience for my kid. But I was raised in Texas, and understand the general race attitudes of the average Texan all too well. And since they've practically been taking over CO....I guess I need to reconsider.

That's too bad. CO needs to put their foot down with the *really* red state exodus. It's scaring the rest of us off :-)