After the string of racist incidents that occurred on campus in the past few weeks, student groups are uniting to educate students on the harmful effects of bigotry.
A task force implemented by an ASMSU resolution will attempt to teach students about the incidents and how they can prevent similar bigotry and harassment from occurring in the future.
ASMSU is MSU’s undergraduate student government.
ASMSU representative and religious studies junior Robert VanKirk, who proposed the idea, said the nature of the incidents necessitated a student effort to prevent future acts of bigotry. The proposal is still in its preliminary stages, but VanKirk said he hopes ASMSU will allocate between $20,000 and $40,000 toward campus events aimed at promoting harmony among all MSU students.
VanKirk said the university has played off the incidents as isolated events and feels a more effective measure should be taken.
“That is a hate crime. … That is an attack,” he said. “It takes all students to stand up and call it for what it is.”
ASMSU representatives will discuss two separate task force bills at committee meetings Thursday — one to create it and one to fund it. If the committees pass both, they will head to the General Assembly next week for a vote, VanKirk said.
English and Spanish junior Andrea Mani said the university has not done enough to address racism on campus and is encouraged by students stepping up.
“The severity of what happened screams at you,” she said. “If you turn your back on it, something would be really wrong with the way you’re handling it.”
Representatives from student government groups and minority groups will hold seats on the task force if the proposal is passed, as well as any students interested in addressing the issue.
“It’s up to ASMSU to ensure that all students are safe, heard and celebrated at MSU,” VanKirk said.
MSU Trustee Mitch Lyons said although the task force is a noble effort, it is unlikely to reach the people who committed the acts.
The events currently are under investigation by MSU police.
“It angers me that people are that ignorant, doing the things they did,” Lyons said. “It’s hard to change that but certainly worth taking the time.”
Lyons said he is unaware of any universitywide efforts to address racism but expects the topic to come up at next week’s Board of Trustees meeting.
“Something this overt certainly draws attention, which hopefully draws our attention to look at the more subtle things,” Lyons said.
Accounting sophomore Amber Edwards said the incidents were severe enough to merit a closer look, but it would be difficult to pinpoint a perfect approach beyond education to solve the problem.
“There’s nothing much we can do beyond that,” she said.
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