University of Kansas - Jayhawker Yearbook (Lawrence, KS)

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Dawson said the education system was a contributing factor. The system doesn't reach out to minorities, he said. Black heritage seemed to be forgotten. We're not given the same respect. Those who have accomplished great Prejudice did not limit itself. From homo- sexual couples to interracial couples, stereotypes were a challenge they all faced. ,:'. V 'WDP rf , fi zip, Eric Moore, president of Lesbian, Bisexual and Gay Services of Kansas, fights prejudice daily. He says education is the answer. things should be given credit they de- serve. Malcom X is hardly mentioned in history books, he said. Another prejudice, this one unex- pected, presented itself. Dawson said some minority students' acquain- tances thought familiarity gave them permission to be racially uncon- scious. But uninten- tional racial com- ments were still offensive. People think they can make racial jokes. They think because they know you it won't be offensive. But these jokes lead to people at a concession stand, for instance, counting their money twice when they're waited on by a Black person, he said. Dawson says it's best to vent frustration caused by prejudice. The Gffice of Affirmative Action was an outlet for such frustrations. Students wanting to report an incident of racial discrimination or harassment made their case to the office. Ioyce Hammond-Perry, affirmative We look at the interaction pattern of the accused person, she said. We analyze how that person treats other minority and majority people. If we can determine that the accused was not merely singling out the individual, then we can take action against their racial discrimination on the whole, Hammond-Perry said. We confront the accused person, and say, 'Here's what was reported to us,' and allow them to respond to the allegations. i The most common action is a letter of apology or a verbal apology from the accused person. If this doesn't suit the plaintiff, we refer the case to the Discrimi- nation Hearing Board, she said. Students aren't required to take action against a discriminator. But, Hammond- j Perry said, If a student wants to vent frustrations or make a problem known, Affirmative Action is happy to listen. University student organizations offered a haven, and that happened at the conference level, as well. The Big Eight A Conference on Black Student Government integrates universities and acts as a watch- dog for prejudice problems. j Dawson said, We're coming together A and sharpening our minds. VVhen we talk about what affected us, we can work together to offer helpful solutions. The prejudice makes me sick to my stomach. r NESLIE ISGOREN lsgoren says that many people have no tolerance. These prejudices are even 1' greater against Blacks and gays, she said. . People are afraid of differences. VVhen l something is different from their beliefs, j they think it's bad, lsgoren said. She recalled an incident where she i experienced prejudice. r 1 was with a group of people, and they bega 1 to make all these weird comments I about the international community. When they realized that I was an international student, they were shocked. Somehow they pe ceived me differently. People K action associate director, said, ln the area need to learn to be more accepting of the i i WTF if I D 'f it 2 fl 1 F i ' ft If 'ria 1 A '-'r Q I of racial discrimination, the prejudice that differences around them, she Said, exists has become subtle. People are not as D B blatant about their discriminations. They EBBIE ARON use thmgs such as racial slurs to comniu- Debbie Baron, Sioux City, Iowa, jtuiior 1 mcate Pfeludlce- and Hillel campus liaison, said that most 22 1 of her 1 rellllol tend 'O holldal' 3dE5 5 grfj we teafhfl I berauit holidd'-W wa5lf9P Britt me core said and given ii il lower Fla The Str tionf flld in line 2.1 tale the U of the ree justified, 2 observing Baron 5 were felt 1 slang Crea realize the said. 'Son dorm the explained ws ariti-5 Enieiii Daiid .- student ai the arsre llelr ity iatulri' progresf in ltrmg 0 lie said. rlinblei UllIlOllllES program respect io Ciilhiral l uled to dj lllien i derelopg tntes are A 3-Sptm Wh ET We lldl'Q Ellilges, ii'iilj0ut

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that prejudice existed on a societal and local level. Families build their own belief systems, he said. Children iden- tify with these ideas and this reinforces prejudice. Society has set up a system of heterosexuality with legal definitions about farnilies and marriage. Prejudice against non-heterosexuals is apparent in those discriminatory laws, Moore says. Gays and lesbians can't file as a domestic couple. Therefore, they can't obtain a marriage license, can't receive insurance benefits and sometimes are unable to maintain child custody. Society perceives straight AIDS suffer- ers as innocent victims while they blame the homosexual victims for the problem, Moore said. Amy Richmond, Lenexa sophomore, a white, heterosexual female, believes everyone is entitled to their own way of life. Richmond admits she grew up in an environment that was not prejudice-free. I think Lawrence and KU are very liberal compared to the rest of the world, she said. Richmond also attended the University of Missouri, and said she found KU more accepting. She said racial prejudice - . I' had taken a back seat to sexual prejudice. x -. 5 R 1-K r 4 -'!'. .-'L - . I 151' '24 I think that people still see homo- sexuality as gross. Gay couples are certainly treated differently than hetero- sexuals. I 7 - . Neha mia? Blacks also were treated People always stare at me and give me questioning looks when they see the scarf that covers my head. Why? And I answer: Because Islam is my religion, and I am a Muslim. In Islam the scarf, or hijnb, is a symbol of modesty and a form of protection for women, said Arshia Papa, Overland Park freshman. Papa also said that her female friends and immediate family were allowed to see her hair, but other men were not allowed. Religious institutions also support a system that is discrirninatory, he says. They believe that since the Bible says this or the Koran says that, they too should discriminate. Discrimination works in society as it does in political and religious groups, Moore said. AIDS sufferers, if they are homosexuals, are accused by society. The connection between AIDS and gays is not an accident, said Karl differently. When I, a Black man, walk by a woman at night, she clenches her purse. I'm usually just coming home from a meeting, Dawson said. It seemed two factors affected the prejudice at the University. Dawson said that first, prejudice was parentally and rurally inflicted. Farnilies and communities handed down their lack of knowledge and ignorance about mi- norities. jenn Iolmson, Brookings, South Dakota, I if I' f f x f . f , 2 ' 5 Hockenbarger at a demonstration on Dec. 1, World AIDS day, in front of the Kansas Union. I-Iockenbarger is a protestor with junior, a white female, agreed. Students are in these closed, white suburbs and small towns. Those students Fred Phelps' Westboro Baptist Church and had not been exposed to the prejudice Library group. some groups endure, she said. V Tomasz DAWSON

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ldlyze hp W and Emlliit is nghnt Ui lie mm H011 On Q. 391301145 'Li to ig' L allegdlior. 15 3 lima Wm the t 9111 the 118 Dm iid lake air: Hiiniiieii S to tem U1 lmoiiii 0 lsteii atiom pened ai 1' Big fight Govermie' 3 35 3 lfiff ig togeie' 'hen we E n work om. lhe i' stomat ple hater H even 5, she iii nees. lllf gif belief? id. 2re shi? le, and li' comllleii mtv, lil' mitioni mehoil' Peoplf jj1gOfllf aid. a,lum0f at HWS' of her problems originated from the religious holidays she observes. Teachers tend to not accept absences for jewish holidays, she said, and sometimes her grades suffer because of it. I went through the ranks when a teacher threatened to lower my grade because I'd missed class for a Iewish holiday. She said the biology department was responsive to her, she said. But going through the ranks could be time consuming and frustrating, Baron said, and sometimes it was just easier to be given a hard time by a teacher or to take a lower grade. The Student Senate Rules and Regula- tions explained procedure for this problem in line 2.1.4. It states that a student must take the initiative to inform the instructor of the reason and time of their absence. If justified, a grade cannot be altered for observing a religious holiday. Baron said the effects of prejudice also were felt in society. Verbal statements and slang create prejudice. Students don't realize their comments are offensive, she said. Someone was talking about jewing down the price of jewelry at a store. I explained that the phrase, 'jew you down, was anti-semitic. They had no idea. EDUCATION David Ambler, vice chancellor for student affairs, thinks education might be the answer. The University has hired more minor- ity faculty and staff. We've made a lot of progress, but there is still work to be done in terms of representing minorities well, he said. Ambler said KU's history of admitting minorities has been supplemented with programs to help other students learn respect for different cultures. The Multi- Cultural Resource Center, which is sched- uled to open in Fall 1995, is one example. When we learn to appreciate ethnic development, we understand that differ- ences aren't a source of fear but an enrich- I If I could tell you we were prejudice- free, I'd be very happy, but I'd also be very naive. We're not immune from what we all grew up with because We didn't have opportunities to see the differences, Ambler said. The differences were more apparent than ever when several alleged Ku Klux Klan attacks took place in the Iayhawker Towers. The events prompted the Fed- eral Bureau of Investigation to examine potential civil rights violations in mid- Ianuary. lsgoren said the opportu- nity to see those differences could be offered through an orientation class. By gradu- ation, she said, students will have had experienced enough diversity that their prejudices will have de- creased. Baron also said providing classes about differences in cultures and beliefs would decrease prejudice. But until such a class is reality, students like Baron and lsgoren promote education on their own. Prejudice used to scare me a lot, but now I take it as ll1l'l'lZ AND BIAS COMPLAlN'l'S Seventeen complaints were filed with the KU Police Department. Anti-jewish Intimidation 6 5 complaints were filed falsely by an individual who has been charged Criminal damage 1 Anti-White Assault 1 Disorderly conduct 1 Anti-Black Criminal damage 1 Assault 1 Disorderly conduct 2 Anti-Asian Intimidation 1 Anti-Gay Intimidation 2 Others Intimidation L 1 1993 figures are the most recent available from KU Police Department. more of a chance to teach somebody something, Baron said. lsgoren said most international students were happy to dispel prejudice by ex- plaining their homes and cultures. Stu- dents just need to ask. Education seems to be a simple answer to prejudice. But not everyone thinks it is an assured solution. Education is important, but if there's no heart behind it, it won't succeed. On the part of the administration, faculty, and students, real efforts must be made, Dawson said. 13 ei 13 Qi Q 1 f I . - ea . U peg' fl f' -W Q gff 4 n ,lf :fi Y Y 2- f. ff ,V Y .- ing aspect of life, Ambler said. When we begin to forget the fact that we have different skin color and lan- guages, then we will be able to say we are without prejudice. And education must extend beyond the classroom. I'm not talking about assimi- lation. I'm talking about integration. That's what life in the United States is about, Moore said. Silence is death. . W -