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 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
> [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