An editorial about tolerance published Wednesday, Feb. 7, on The Online Gargoyle student forum at the University Laboratory High School elicited more than 150 comments before the open online forum was closed.

The editorial, written by Gargoyle’s senior editors, acknowledged University High is not a perfect place and has some controversies – most recently, the Minority Students Advocacy (MSA) program because it limited minorities to blacks, Indians and Hispanics, and the two co-leaders were being paid $7 per hour by the University budget designated for student workers.

“But high schools will be high schools, and at the end of the day Uni still provides an extraordinarily tolerant atmosphere with regard to the individuality of its students and faculty,” the editorial states.

Michael Belmont, a senior editor, said their intent was not to scrutinize MSA or incite controversy but to assert what they felt was an open and tolerant community at University High.

“Compared to the work place or the real world, Uni is pretty mild and sheltered,” Belmont said. “Some people don’t think that way, but I would argue that’s the most prevailing view at Uni High.”

The array of comments included varying viewpoints from students, parents, community members and University High administrators such as Principal Kathleen Patton.

“It is not the prerogative of the majority to tell the minority that everything’s fine,” Patton wrote. “I have been hearing loud and clear for four years that everything is not fine for all students at Uni. Yes, editors, I agree that Uni is a fantastic place … But, please, recognize that some students have faced significant obstacles. The evidence for that? They’re telling you they have.”

According to the final comment posted on the forum by Gargoyle’s technical editor, Patton had advised the open commenting be closed due to the several “inflammatory comments” considered personal attacks on a named University High student and her family.

The comments were directed toward the daughter of University Professor Debbie Reese, who posted some of these comments on her blog before they were removed from Gargoyle’s site: ” … The people here who are the most uncomfortable are the editors, who have been verbally abused and still haven’t backed down-they’re 16- and 17-year-olds who do not run a professional publication, and yet you’re calling them arrogant and ignorant racists … they are not privileged enough to comment back – they’ll only be accused of being white supremacists once more…”

“…If (they) were truly so underprivileged and mistreated, they wouldn’t be able to carry on this ideological battle, and (they) wouldn’t be getting paid for causing unnecessary dissent…”

In response, Reese’s daughter sent out a letter to the University High community, available on Reese’s blog, stating she created MSA because she felt “victimized” and “uncomfortable” at University High.

“It’s really important that when the discussion becomes unhealthy, un-constructive and lacks a civil tone that faculty step in and help guide students,” said Robin Kaler, University High spokesperson. “So (students) can learn how to work through different problems in a constructive way. Free speech is a core value but so is civility.”

Two senior editors, Belmont and Dana Al-Qadi, defended the editorial in their opinions columns, posted Feb. 8 and 9, respectively.

“I am one of the editors who wrote this editorial,” Belmont wrote. “While we should have taken more time to review our work to ensure it conveyed our message clearly, I can’t apologize for the general stance that we took. Some of the undertones of our words were unintended, but we still have the right and responsibility to express our views.”

Al-Qadi conceded racism and injustice continues to exist at University High and in the world.

“But it will be addressed and will be extinguished with the help of a community and school that has stood by its students in the past and continues to do so,” Al-Qadi concluded. “If that is not tolerance, could somebody please hand me a new dictionary?”