When freshmen take their first few steps onto campus and walk under the “Graduation Begins Today” banner, they may not necessarily know much about CSULB. However, there is one fact that the websites, reviews, and social media all dictate: Long Beach is a diverse campus.
The distinction is rightfully deserved; Long Beach is a diverse campus in terms of more than just ethnicity. CSULB boasts a diverse population, as well as a plethora of services, resources, and centers dedicated to maintaining and enhancing our unique communities on campus. The progress we have made is a wonderful thing to behold, but it also begs the question: are we truly safeguarded from the real world vices of sexism, racism, and homophobia? We must acknowledge that discrimination based on race, gender, or orientation is unfortunately not uncommon in American universities. That being said, the test of a university’s effectiveness is not how it prevents discriminatory acts from occurring, but rather how it ensures that such acts do not continuously recur.
In recent semesters, CSULB has been thrust into the national spotlight because of these very issues. In Spring 2010 a transgender student was assaulted in a restroom near LA2 and had the word “it” carved into his chest. Not long after, in the fall of 2010, the Union Weekly published an article entitled “How to Get Laid: A Girls’ Guide for Guys,” which promoted date rape and the dehumanization of women. Most recently, in the spring of 2011, the Union Weekly once again published a demeaning and ethnically insensitive article on the annual CSULB American Indian Pow Wow entitled “Pow Wow Wow Yippie Yo Yippie Yay.”
For the first few months after each incident, the respective issues were hot and on everyone’s mind. All three events united the campus community in saying that discrimination is not tolerated here. Students, staff, and faculty oversaw and executed the formation of student organizations, the organization of rallies and student petitions, the promotion of alternative media, and ultimately, the recall of the Editor-in-Chief of the Union Weekly. But what has happened now that the sensationalism has lost its steam and other issues have become front-page fodder?
When the story of the homophobic attack was published in the Daily 49er, activists questioned why it took so long for the facts to be reported and why more had not been done to find the culprit. More than a year later, we are still left wondering how justice was served. When the outrage over “How to Get Laid” frustrated students to the point of activism, the University side stepped the issue and offered no additional resources or statements. When the Pow Wow Controversy culminated in a rally at the Associated Students Senate meeting, Pres. Alexander issued statements to the American Indian community stating that the University was committed to diversity, but quickly dismissed the incident altogether. Even when students collected over 1,000 signatures — twice the required amount — the Student Media Board of ASI rejected the recall of the Union Weekly Editor-in-Chief for legal reasons while citing their own dysfunction in protecting students and student media. With summer coming to a close, the Student Media Board has yet to enforce any sort of drastically needed reform on the Union Weekly and no structural changes have been made in the Union Weekly and the Student Media Board.
A decrease in press coverage does not diminish the importance of the issues. We as a university must have measures in place to ensure that the mistakes of the past are not repeated. There are a handful of resources on campus, such as the Women’s Resource Center, American Indian Student Services, and Counseling & Psychological Services, which assist students who feel victimized and vulnerable because of these incidents. While these resources are invaluable, it is clear that this is time for action, not reaction. We are part of a campus community whose flawed system allows our members to be victimized, briefly assists in dealing with the aftermath, and then stands mute as the offenses continue. Why have changes not been made to protect students? What prevents these events from happening again? Railroad crossings on public streets have gates for a reason: there have been incidents of cars being struck on tracks before. We cannot just wait for the next big offense to happen. Rather, we must ensure to the best of our ability that these incidents cannot reoccur and that we are fully prepared to deal with them.
The university is currently searching for a Director of Equity and Diversity and hosting open forums for community members to voice their opinions. I hope that the campus community will seek an individual who is willing to implement changes in the way we deal with sensitive issues involving students, staff, or faculty. Although the office of Equity and Diversity is small, we must remember that change, no matter how large or small, begins with just one person.
James Suazo is the College of Liberal Arts Student Council President, member of the American Indian Student Council and Student Senator for the CSULB Academic Senate.
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