We should be aware of the lack of ethics, lack of common sense, the racism
and mysogynism 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
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PLEASE SEND LETTERS. IT'S VERY IMPORTANT
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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