In late September, another stereotype-themed party was thrown that made use of offensive racial caricatures. This party had a more diverse collection of stereotypes than last year’s infamous Tacos and Tequila party. For example, Nazi Youth was among the list of stereotype outfits people wore. Also, unlike Tacos and Tequilas, this party was not directly affiliated with the University. Because it was hosted at a private apartment, there is little the University can do to punish the individuals who threw the party. But in an attempt to respond to these recent events, the University of Illinois held another ineffective meeting last Tuesday to “discuss” race relations and tolerance on this campus.

The town hall panel included Student Trustee Chime Asonye, Student Senate President Justin Randall, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Renee Romano, an emeritus professor of political science and the director of the Center on Democracy in a Multiracial Society. In addition, there were administrators from Minority Students Affairs, Student Housing, the Office of the Chancellor and a few others. Even with these “heavy hitters” in attendance, the majority of the audience believed this forum was just “lip service.” If you Google the phrase “lip service,” the definition you will find is: “verbal expression of agreement or allegiance, unsupported by real conviction or action.” My basis for saying this is because the majority of the University community actually said, “Quit giving us this lip service” or “You’re just giving the students lip service” during the question and answer portion of the forum.

I will almost always promote dialogue, but in regards to this town hall meeting, I share the audience’s skepticism and frustration. Very little was presented in the form of solutions or concrete plans. A lot of big words were used and a lot of past achievements were mentioned, but very little else was offered. It would have been nice to see some form of the assessment of the progress the University has made in creating a more tolerant campus. There were some things that were said that were going to be examined in the near future, but nothing was given a definite date or even an estimated time frame. For example, a representative from Student Housing stated that his department was planning to present data on the housing choices of students. These data would be used in order to dispel myths about deliberate concentration of minorities into particular residence halls, but he never said when, where or to whom this information would be presented.

I understand that many students feel too much attention is being given to race relations on this campus. But these students only feel that way because these problems don’t directly affect them. I do not blame them for feeling this way. I, too, have had a hard time caring about things that do not directly affect me. But even if you feel that this topic doesn’t influence your life, it is still very important. Our ancestors sacrificed countless lives and spent hundreds of years enslaving, torturing and discriminating against each other partly because of cultural misunderstandings and racial intolerance. As human beings, we all should do our utmost to leave this world better than it was when we got here.

This means more than environmental security or technological advances. It also means the evolution of human relations. We should strive for a more peaceful world in which people are more open-minded and understanding of each other. This starts with respecting people of other cultures and races.

I do not have a specific solutions for the problems educating people about racial tolerance present, nor can I propose any plans to facilitate this form of education. I will leave that planning and decision-making to the people with the “big” offices. But what I will say is that if we are ever to have another town hall meeting, it should consist of an assessment of how much we have accomplished and a definite plan for what we will do in the future.

If the University is really serious about everything it asks students to pledge in its Inclusive Illinois commitment statement, it should provide the students with this necessary information. So, I guess my question is: When is the next town hall meeting?