Dear Iowa State:

Since ISU’s administration remains passive as students of color are threatened with “white power” graffiti and letters to the editor claiming that they are either destroyers of free speech or undeserving recipients of financial aid, I — a white student and teacher on this campus — feel compelled to address what transpired in these last few weeks.

I need to do this because racial issues have become a game of hot potato. President Steven Leath made strides to solve this problem perhaps the only way he knew how, by appointing multicultural liaison officers and a new vice president of diversity and inclusion to do the work, both of whom — by their own admission — have little to no idea what to do.

To be fair, the problem is bigger than these new appointments. Racism is a dance partner DESIGNED to trip you up. The conversations happening in The Daily and on social media show just how unprepared we are when it comes to naming racism, let alone combating it. We will falter. We will make mistakes, but those are not excuses for inaction adorned in rosey words or promotions. Instead, we can listen, speak, write, act, change. And when Iowa State students and its employees pedal falsehood, those instances should be treated as teachable moments. That kind of action should be expected at a university.

Here’s how that could go:

Regarding scholarships and financial aid

Despite the number of scholarships targeted toward vulnerable student populations, most scholarship programs operate in a whites-mostly if not whites-only fashion. The administration, especially Student Affairs, knows this well, which is why programs for students of color exist in the first place.

White students of lower economic status need to know this is true and that there are need-based scholarships for them before slinging accusations at others. And if they still do, they need to be taught this simple truth: their solipsism weighs little against mountains of evidence. And while everyone has difficulty affording college, eliminating scholarships aimed at social justice will only serve racism’s primary function, namely, further elevating the social status of white people at the expense of people of color.

They want it because it benefits them, not because it is just. They should be ashamed if they are white AND hold this pernicious view.

There is no such thing as a diversity quota

This practice was struck down by the Supreme Court and is illegal. It is evident and needs not be discussed further.

Regarding free speech and “political correctness”

No one on this campus has been arrested for something they have said, and that won’t happen because, again, it’s illegal per the Constitution. Free speech as an ideal was to protect citizens’ rights when criticizing government; however, it does not enable citizens to compromise a productive learning environment within a university setting.

In other words, the First Amendment was not written so that white people could laugh at the expense of women and people of color, or lay claim to saying whatever they want whenever they want, and without consequence.

Regarding “victimhood”

What is a trigger warning? At its core it is about courtesy. It is an ethic that students should be warned before they are exposed to ideas that might provoke their memory regarding trauma.

As a teacher of the humanities, I highly value incorporating diverse points of view into my classroom, and I strongly agree that it is educational when students face tough questions. I will not “coddle” them. But what perplexes me beyond anguish is the hubris of those who assume they can teach a rape victim something about rape, or a victim of racism about racism, or a victim of sexism and heterosexism something about the tyranny of gendered spaces. No. That’s when we have to acknowledge that students may have the wisdom of experience.

They could help others understand, but they have every right to excuse themselves from being tokenized or from being asked to relive that experience so that John-Smith-White-Straight-Dude can mock their experience before maybe learning something about himself while a grade hangs over his head. That is the illusion of privilege at its most pernicious: assuming that you have the right to demand access to someone else’s voice and body regardless of circumstance, and for your own benefit.

Looking ahead

This is a list of teachable moments from just the last few weeks. There will be more to come. In response, communication and action must continue — and coalitions on this campus will continue to be engaged. I am a small voice among many. I should be joined by a chorus of campus leadership.

Some will dismiss these as liberal ideas. Maybe? But only in as far as one’s education level correlates highly with liberality. There are conservative faculty here who know full well that I’m telling the truth. Some will dismiss my words as rude, but that’s because they expect instances of racism to pass without incident — normalized — while they enjoy the privilege of being either blissfully unaware, or affirmed with a wink and a nod.

But most importantly, these should be inoculating ideas, preventive if not curative ideas for the sickness of privilege and racism that LUCHA so eloquently described. Moreover, white people must do this work. People of color are tired of fighting for respect, recognition and a sympathetic ear. They are tired of being the only ones defending themselves while white folk see and hear racism and accept it as an immutable and unchangeable fact of life. White people brought racism into this world and by whatever means we can, white people need to take it out — its Goliaths and its ghosts. If this cannot happen at a Research 1 university, then where?