Sounds like a good panel discussion. I just finished speaking with Karlo Ruiz, public information officer with the State of Connecticut Latino & Puerto Rican Affairs Commission.  He's an alum visiting campus today.  He says that his office is fighting this issue in Connecticut.  I might can get him to Chicago, if anyone is interested in organizing a panel.

Sharon B. Stringer, Ph.D.
Associate Professor Journalism and Mass Comm
Lock Haven University
603 Robinson Bldg.
Lock Haven, PA 17745
570-484-2092
570-484-2436 (fax)


-----Original Message-----
From: FOR THE MINORITIES AND COMMUNICATION DIV. OF AEJMC [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Rios, Diana
Sent: Monday, September 24, 2007 1:18 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Teaching Panel Possibiltiy-- Campus newspaper--racism, misogynism

Absolutely. This is a great topic for someone to take off with and create a panel proposal. This could be a Teaching Panel for some interested people.
Here are some possible titles--
"Campus News, Radio, TV:  Freedom of Expression or Racism-Misgynism?"
"Campus News, Radio, TV:  If we hate you, we have the right to say it"
"The Future of Student Media: The Dark and Enlightened Sides of Freedom of Expression"

-----Original Message-----
From: Meta G. Carstarphen [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Mon 9/24/2007 12:55 PM
To: Rios, Diana
Cc: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Campus newspaper--racism, misogynism

Thanks, Diana.

Maybe the topic of campus newspapers (and radio & TV)  should be a topic for a panel proposal.

Meta
Meta G. Carstarphen, Ph.D., APR
Gaylord Family Endowed Professor &
Associate Professor
Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication University of Oklahoma
395 W. Lindsey  Room 3510C
Norman, OK   73019-4201
PHONE: (405) 325-5227
FAX: (405) 325-7565
E-MAIL: [log in to unmask]
************************************



On Sep 23, 2007, at 10:29 AM, Rios, Diana wrote:

> We should be aware of the lack of ethics, lack of common sense, the
> racism and misogynism at this campus newspaper at Central Connecticut
> State University.
> This makes us ask the question, How are our campus newspapers doing?
> Sincerely,
> Dr. Diana I. Rios
> Associate Prof. of Communication Sciences and  Institute for PRLS
> Dept. Communication Sciences, U-1085 University of Connecticut Storrs,
> CT 06269
> 860-486-3187
> [log in to unmask]
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------
>
> PLEASE SEND LETTERS. IT'S VERY IMPORTANT
> courant.com/news/opinion/columnists/hc-
> reyna0921.artsep21,0,7243759.column
> Courant.com
> Tolerating A Climate Of Hostility
> Bessy Reyna
> September 21, 2007
> Publication of a racist and misogynistic cartoon depicting a 14-
> year-old Latina, hungry, bound, locked in a closet and apparently
> being urinated upon casts a pall across the celebration of Hispanic
> History Month in Connecticut.
>
> Printed by the Central Connecticut State University student paper, The
> Recorder, the cartoon has caused an understandable uproar on campus
> and off. Is CCSU teaching its students to be tolerant of those who
> make fun of victims or humiliate and belittle others because of their
> ethnicity or gender? I wonder. This is the same paper - under Editor
> in Chief Mark Rowan - that caused an outrage on campus last winter
> with the publication of a piece suggesting that a rape could be a
> "magical experience" for an ugly woman.
>
> At that time, the CCSU administration's response was to create a Task
> Force on Journalistic Integrity and "sensitize" Rowan by having him
> join. Obviously, that effort has failed. Rowan and his staff published
> this cartoon, which is not only intrinsically hateful toward Latinos
> and women, but also features the commission of crimes including risk
> of injury to a minor, assault and unlawful restraint. I'm sure they
> thought that their addition of a disclaimer beneath the cartoon - "The
> Recorder does not support the kidnapping of (and subsequent urinating
> on) children of any age or ethnicity" - was a clever and funny jab at
> the task force.
>
> One highly disturbing element is how little the students at the
> newspaper seem to care about the fact that hate crimes against women
> and minorities are an extremely serious social issue. One that we need
> to deal with as a society, not make fun of.
>
> I couldn't help but think about Megan Williams, the 20-year-old
> African American woman, who recently was found after being locked up
> and brutally tortured by six people in West Virginia, or the 14-
> year-old runaway from Bloomfield who was found a year later locked in
> a small closet in a West Hartford house.
>
> The publication of this cartoon seems to be a symptom of a much bigger
> problem at CCSU. The response by university President Jack Miller
> leaves much to be desired. He wrote that the cartoon "demonstrates
> [the students'] lack of understanding of how words can hurt and of how
> their editorial decisions to publish deeply offensive materials can
> undermine the civility that should bring us together as a campus
> community." Miller sounds like a disappointed father, not the leader a
> college president should be. He is only now, in the face of more
> controversy, recommending implementation of some of the proposals that
> were presented last May by the task force on journalism.
>
> In a letter to the CCSU community, Professor Serafín Méndez-Méndez,
> chairman of the communication department and a member of the task
> force, said that Miller has exhibited poor leadership by failing to
> create an inclusive and tolerant environment for women, African
> Americans, Latinos, gays and others.
>
> Psychology Professor Francisco Donis, president of the Latin American
> Association at CCSU, told me the problem is a climate that fosters
> such obnoxious behavior. Underrepresented groups on campus feel
> threatened and unwelcome. He noted that "CCSU is the only CSU
> [Connecticut State University{rcub} campus without Latino
> representation in the administration or at the dean level."
>
> Miller should consider that the lack of Latino administrators and
> deans in his administration demonstrates his lack of understanding of
> how invisibility can hurt and of how hiring decisions can undermine
> the civility that should bring a campus community together.
>
> This year, Connecticut citizens observing Hispanic History Month
> should celebrate the Latino students at CCSU and their counterparts
> throughout the country for having the strength and fortitude to
> continue to strive for an education in the face of such hostility and
> harassment.
>
> Bessy Reyna is a free-lance writer whose column appears the third
> Friday of every month. To leave her a comment in English or Spanish,
> please call 860-241-3165. Or e-mail her at [log in to unmask]
> Copyright © 2007, The Hartford Courant
>
>
> Bessy Reyna
> www.bessyreyna.com