Culture shock

I don't get it. Maybe it's because I went from a large university to a small one. Maybe it's because I'm not sensitive enough. Maybe I too need some education. Maybe the school I go to is overreacting.

I'm a little behind the 8-ball on this because I'm a law student, not an undergrad, but some serious controversy has surfaced at Hamline University over six football players who appeared at an off-campus Halloween party in blackface costumes. They were supposed to be African tribesmen. Anyway, photos of them appeared on Facebook. University officials found out. And now they have been suspended for the remainder of the football season and could face even more serious punishment on the academic side of things.

Now, it's important to note that I'm not condoning blackface costumes. Personally, I think it's a pretty insensitive thing to do given the history of blackface. A recent movie that touches the issue is Spike Lee's Bamboozled.

The problem I have with this whole mess involves the way Hamline is handling the issue. Hamline is a school that prides itself on cultural understanding and appreciating diversity. However, I do not believe it is the university's role to punish these students for their off campus actions. The university's role is to educate. It is to spur discussion. It is to encourage exploration of new and different ideas. It is to prepare students to conduct themselves as educated individuals in their off campus endeavors.

But when these students make stupid mistakes in the real world, the university should not make an example out of them. It shouldn't use their actions as an excuse to get the "understanding" pistons firing and have all kinds of forums to tout diversity. When students are off campus, they get a different form of education. In this case, perhaps a good old "fuck you, I have a problem with your costume" would have been in order. Moments like those will educate a person, too.

Lastly, I wonder if this would even be an issue at my alma mater, the University of North Dakota or any other big school. It seems that it wouldn't have been as big of a deal, although the Strib article does mention an incident at Illinois. Or maybe it would just have received less publicity. More than anything, though, this is the first time I've really been aware of how small a community Hamline actually is.

Are the any thoughts out there from the few people who read this blog?