No — student body president — I will not stand and recite the campus’ Inclusive Illinois statement, because I refuse to — even falsely — support an empty initiative that is essentially a mockery of something that this campus desperately needs. 

I refuse to take the “Kumbaya” stance that two students spoke about Thursday night, and I refuse to be placated by calm voices and a Beatles cover! At first, I wasn’t too concerned with the social justice frenzy surrounding last week’s events, but after tonight’s responses: It’s clear that the intolerant, apartheid-esque, “We don’t need anymore negative national attention” culture that my University — MY University — fosters needs to change. 

We can’t keep sitting around, only focused on getting our degrees, while we still see the Chief heavily represented on this campus! While the residence halls are still disproportionately racially segregated and it’s a running joke to everyone. 

While our students with alternative sexualities are still subject to heterosexism on a daily basis. While “Companion Animals in Society” still counts as an expletive credit toward our Cultural Studies general education requirement in lieu of classes that examine more critical issues of areas of diversity & identity. 

It’s crazy!

I’m not even going to sit here typing and try to make it seem as if I’m fighting as hard as I could be on this campus, but as students on this campus, we have a voice, and we need to let administrators know that we expect — deserve — better!

I wonder what’s going to be the next culturally insensitive event that’s going to make our University aware that the campus climate has an all too bright dark side to it.

But you know, don’t listen to me. I’m just a student with too many subordinate identities that’s always crying for change, right?

LaDarius DuPree, senior in LAS