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Students feel hate, intolerance
on campus
By Laura Pelner
Campus
Editor
In the year 2000, Purdue only had three hate crimes
reported, though members of certain groups on campus say they experience
hate and intolerance every day.
"Just this past week somebody taped some nasty
fliers on one of (the Purdue Equality Alliance's) displays; they defaced
a Stewart Center window," said Bryan Szyper, a senior in the School
of Science and cofounder of the Purdue Equality Alliance.
"It seems like whenever we try to advertise for
something, it seems about 50 percent of the time something discouraging
happens," said Szyper.
He said, though, that the people who commit acts
like this are the minority. "They're obviously a vocal few but I don't
think they're the majority," said Szyper.
Szyper said he thinks Purdue has come a long way
recently. "(It's) not as conservative as it used to (be), but you're
always going to have people that tarnish the image."
Ronald Fosnaugh, the captain of special services
for the Purdue Police Department, said the hate crimes committed last
year were each for different reasons — one for race, one for religion
and one for ethnicity.
"The FBI defines hate crime as a criminal offense
committed against a person or property which is motivated, in whole
or in part, by the offender's bias against the victim's race, religion,
disability, ethnic origin, national origin or sexual orientation," said
Fosnaugh.
He also said a crime could be considered a hate
crime even if the victim was not a member of a specific group but the
offender thought he was and acted on that bias.
"It's really a human rights issue," said Fosnaugh.
Jon Antalvari, a freshman in the School of Liberal
Arts and the vice president of the LesBiGay Network, said he thinks
people are afraid to report hate crimes.
Antalvari said the statistics show that very few
are reported. "Unfortunately it's something we have to live with," said
Antalvari.
Like the Equality Alliance, Antalvari said the
LesBiGay Network's fliers get torn down and their chalkings get erased.
"That's the campus' way of telling us they're intolerant
of us," said Antalvari.
Earlier this semester, though, President Martin
Jischke made an effort to promote equality by clarifying the University's
non-discrimination policy to include sexual orientation, marital status
and parental status.
"(Purdue) is getting better but we still need to
work on it," said Ethan Romero, a sophomore in the School of Agriculture.
"In the situation of the University we have a unique example to work
on changing the social atmosphere of society at large."
Szyper said, "A lot of people don't make the distinction
between tolerance and acceptance. I think that with enough education
and experience people can get over just being tolerant and they can
actually be accepting."
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CAMPUS DESK PHONE:
(765)
743-1111 ext. 253
Campus editor:
Laura Pelner
Assistant campus
editors: Kurt Esposito,
Dave Stephens
To
send a letter to the editor, please email opinions@purdueexponent.org
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