FYI, regarding CCSU newspaper--This letter is in circulation right now in CT. It has been initiated by
Connecticut social workers.
Diana Rios
-----------------------------------------------------------
October 1, 2007
Hon. Jodi M. Rell,
Governor State of Connecticut
Dear Governor
We, the undersigned, look to you as our Governor to enforce an issue of basic human rights that is occurring at this moment in our state and that could have devastating consequences if corrective action is not immediately taken.
We want to address the issue of violence against women and children, particularly against Latinos/as. We are concerned about the anti-immigrant sentiment toward Latino women and children and how it is promoted. Further, we want to encourage thoughts of safety and security for our Connecticut students in a rising climate of violence, sexism, discrimination and racism. This violence has escalated to the point that it has reached our educational institutions in Connecticut, creating an environment of fear and oppression.
After a previous incident of violence against women at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) in the student newspaper, The Recorder, which evidently was not sufficiently addressed, another grave incident has occurred recently, which is more specifically directed against immigrant Latina women and children. The President of CCSU’s response to last semester’s satirizing of women and rape depicts efforts to raise awareness of hurtful behaviors on the part of the student newspaper staff. However, the recent cartoon, which was published two weeks ago—illustrates a continued lack of appreciation and sensitivity for human dignity, and multicultural diversity.
• This cartoon depicts disembodied geometric forms, representing human voices having a conversation about urinating on a 14-year-old Latina girl who they have tied up in a closet, and who is being starved and cries for food in the Spanish language. Putting this atrocious and inhumane interaction into a humorous context diminishes the damage and the seriousness of violence against Latina immigrant women and children.
We are asking for these immediate sanctions to be imposed:
• Immediate rescinding of the $30,000.00 funding provided by the University for the newspaper until a full public apology is delivered to the CCSU and Greater Latino Communities via a press conference with major media outlets;
• A meeting between Latino/a community leaders and the editorial staff of the student newspaper to discuss the consequences of this depiction of a hate crime against a 14 year old Latina child;
• Dismissal of the entire editorial board staff;
• Revisiting this issue one year from now, at a meeting in which CCSU and the Greater Latino community would come together to discuss the steps taken to prevent further incidents of violence against women, especially minority women and children.
These two incidents which have occurred in the CCSU newspaper reflect signs of an escalation of violence against women and persons of color. We wonder if these incidents are red flags for impending future violence, of the kind we witnessed at Virginia Tech, and lately in Delaware.
We expect a response from your office shortly, indicating how your office plans to intervene to address our concerns and impose our sanctions
Respectfully Submitted by:
Latino Network of the National Association of Social Workers
Puerto Rican and Latino Studies Project of the UCONN School of Social Work
Faculty and Students from St. Joseph College BSW Program
UCONN SSW Latin American Student Organization
The National Association of Puerto Rican and Hispanic Social Workers
The Long Island Immigrant Association
-----Original Message-----
From: FOR THE MINORITIES AND COMMUNICATION DIV. OF AEJMC on behalf of Calvin L. Hall
Sent: Mon 9/24/2007 3:23 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Teaching Panel Possibiltiy-- Campus newspaper--racism, misogynism
Issues of diversity and campus media would make for a good panel, especially
in light of this article.
http://campusprogress.org/fieldreport/1917/the-racial-politics-of-college-ne
wspapers
Having served as a high school and college adviser once upon a time, I¹d be
willing to serve on -- or propose -- a panel if there¹s an interest.
=======
Calvin L. Hall, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor and Faculty Fellow
Department of Communication
Appalachian State University
126 Walker Hall
Boone, NC 28608, Box 32039
Office: (828) 262-2482; E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Web: http://www.faa.appstate.edu/directory/index.php?IDD=COM&ID=137
"If I am not who you say I am, then you are not who you think you are."
~James Baldwin, 1967~
From: "Rios, Diana" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: "Rios, Diana" <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2007 13:18:03 -0400
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Conversation: Teaching Panel Possibiltiy-- Campus newspaper--racism,
misogynism
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
|
