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SGA forum disappoints, frustrates Appalachian community |
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Thursday, 24 April 2008 |
Our Perspective
The Appalachian would like to express its disappointment with the forum hosted by the Student Government Association Wednesday night.
While we applaud SGA for hosting the forum and giving students a chance to talk face-to-face with administrators, we feel more time should have been given for the question and answer session.
The Appalachian realizes the forum came together within a period of about 24 hours however, it did not
provide much opportunity to alert students.
Choosing a location that would allow the forum to last longer than an hour and 25 minutes would have
been more appropriate than ending the forum at 8:10 p.m.
Furthermore, The Appalachian feels those in attendance left the forum with more questions and more
frustration.
We understand due to legal procedures Chancellor Kenneth E. Peacock, Vice Chancellor for Student
Development Cindy A. Wallace and University Attorney Dayton T. Cole could not comment at length on
the noose issue.
However, the purpose of the forum was to answer questions and educate the Appalachian community
on important issues.
Of the 14 questions the SGA posed to the administration –only five were answered.
Administrators need to understand that students desire answers and before some issues are cleared
up, an open and honest dialogue cannot occur.
Wallace said the purpose of this is to have a dialogue about race on campus.
“To me, we’re focusing far more on the individual and an identity, etc., than on the broader more
important issues, which is where our conversations and our campus ought to be headed. Is there
racism on this campus? ... How do students feel that are in
underrepresented groups?...Do they feel like they have a voice? Those
are the questions I think we should be answering, and we should be
asking,” she said.
But how are we expected to use this situation to have a dialogue about race, when we don’t have any
information regarding the intent of the noose?
We don’t know if the noose was in place for racist reasons, and the administration has refused to
clarify.
We cannot use this incident to perpetuate our own wanting to converse about race, when we have no
idea whether or not anything racist occurred.
The purpose of this forum was to have a dialogue on the misinformation and confusion surrounding the
noose incident as well as the United Students Against Sweatshops arrest. It was not to talk about race
and was not an appropriate place to talk about race.
If the administration wants to talk about whether or not there is racism on campus, then they should
feel free to hold a separate forum on that issue.
The Appalachian would also like to echo the remarks senior interdisciplinary studies major and USAS
member Kelly L. Refalo made at the closing of the forum.
“A forum setting isn’t very productive, as we found out. So I’m not saying that you’re hiding or I’m not
saying that you did anything wrong by coming here. You came you tried, it didn’t work. What else can
you do, because something has to be done?...We want to interact with you so that you can find a way
that you can instill more trust in this community. That would be a goal, and I guess I’m charging you
more than asking you.”
The administration has two weeks to figure out how to address these issues in a way, which will fulfill
their legal obligations, but that will also fulfill their obligations to the Appalachian community in
providing a truthful, open atmosphere.
The Appalachian hopes the administration views this as an opportunity and figures out a way to have
an actual open discourse with the community.
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