MSU President M. Peter McPherson was right Tuesday to criticize a hateful flier posted in Shaw Hall as "reprehensible, cruel and degrading." There is no room for racism on this campus and blatantly racist acts should not be tolerated.
The flier, which was found on Jan. 11, mimicked a Black Caucus book club advertisement and invited students to a "White Caucus" event.
It displayed a naked pregnant woman and was written partly in German.
The German translates to "The eighth annual 2003 International Sodomy Performance" and "An orgasmic night from the heathen intercourse," German Professor Karin Wurst said.
It's sickening to think of all the hateful and ignorant thought and energy that went into the creation of the "White Caucus" flier. And it's sad to think what the person, or people, who made the offensive poster, could do with their time if they used their talents in more productive ways.
Nonetheless, those who made the poster have left their mark and people have begun addressing the inappropriateness of their creation.
Hateful acts like this one should not go unnoticed - they should serve as a reminder and call to arms for those who wish to better society to reflect upon where we have come and where we have to go to reach the world Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed about.
We should not forget whatever steps we take to celebrate diversity, it always can be improved upon.
It is a common misconception that student groups, such as Black Caucus, are exclusive minority clubs.
One doesn't have to show his or her skin color to get into a Black Caucus event.
MSU clubs are designed to celebrate and discuss diversity issues in an environment that promotes healthy conversation throughout campus.
At the same time, maybe it is time for MSU's Black Caucus to begin a campaign effort to inform the campus community about its mission and subvert the misconceptions people have about the groups.
It has been debated within the caucus forum whether the groups should drop their black designation.
Some say such a move could make the organization more inviting but others say the removal of the black designation could serve to promote a negative connotation for the word.
The bottom line is the word "black" is not the problem. The "black" needn't be removed from Black Caucus to promote diversity discussion.
Instead, organization leaders simply need to spread the message and purpose of Black Caucus throughout campus because there seems to be a large portion of campus that doesn't get it.
There is no place for racism at MSU or in the world. And it should be the charge of everyone on this campus to spread that message.
