Early on in the semester, members of the Black Student Alliance were questioned on the purpose of their organization, its mission and goals. Like most other cultural organizations on Grounds -- from B.U.C.K.S. to the ASU to the host of multi-cultural and black Greek letter organizations -- their mission is diverse and extends from campus social events to community service programs in the far reaches of the Charlottesville community. After the events of last week, however, the membership truly seemed to recognize the purpose of their organization.
In light of an inflammatory column published last week by columnist Anthony Dick, interestingly, the BSA was among the organizations who took the lead in calling a protest of The Cavalier Daily, rounded up one of the largest political gatherings on campus and did so in only a matter of hours. Perhaps the "Hoos Silent" protest served as a catalyst for black students to recognize that it will be their activism that changes the status quo at this University. One point to note is that black students cannot expect student organizations, or student newspapers for that matter, to solely be responsible for the diversification of this institution. Although student groups are responsible for making their try-outs, auditions and criteria for membership and involvement open to everyone, all students need to be proactive in pursuing their interests and in feeling that the needs of their communities are met. Students of all colors must take an active stance in changing what we read, see and think.
At other college campuses, where African-American students organized a series of protests in response to racial crises on their campuses, concessions like the re-housing of the African-American cultural center at Northeastern and the sponsorship of a $900,000 Africana Studies Research Center at Penn State were the result. The outcome of these student demonstrations were tangible results on the part of the universities' administrations to change the status quo, and students at this University may be able to learn a lesson from them. Without diligent and consistent effort from students who seek change, and without a proactive stance taken on their part, organizations at the University can't be expected to change because of a single protest. The only way the physical make-up or the writing of The Cavalier Daily will change is if concerned students make a change.
Black students at the University are now proposing a cultural board to promote the infusion of a more diverse population at The Cavalier Daily. One strong consideration students involved in this proposal should take under advisement is to encourage those students who are actually interested in journalism, writing or reporting the news to become involved -- and not make students feel pressured to invest themselves for the sake of an organization or on behalf of a community. Students involved in seeing news in print should have a true interest in the subject matter of journalism and not only in depicting one singular community or that community's interest. A focus on a singular interest for any journalist would detract from their writing ability and would limit the scope of knowledge for that journalist to present as a political and social vehicle of expression. Journalists who are already on the staff of the newspaper should open their eyes to becoming fully aware of the diversity of events, news and student groups on Grounds -- as they presently seem to be recognizing -- and how their presentation of the news affects those communities here on Grounds.
The Cavalier Daily staff should feel the need to diversify what they print daily, representing as many student populations and interests as possible, and not get into a system of setting up quotas and color codes. There is no barrier hindering a black writer from addressing University issues or, obviously, hindering a white writer from addressing black student issues. Though The Cavalier Daily does need to be aware of the misinformed or inflammatory writing that gets published from time to time and be cognizant of good journalism practices, freedom of the press should exist here -- so all students should act on it.
Though the inclusion of daily viewpoints representing various student groups is a positive step in the right direction, students interested in journalism need to join the staff intent on diversifying the scope of The Cavalier Daily's news and ensuring what I have come to find: that there are very few limits to the nature of what regular columnists can write, and that for the most part, the newspaper's journalistic practices are fair. Students interested in witnessing a change in what we read each day need to write each day, and get off the guest list.
Silent protests make student organizations like The Cavalier Daily aware of the effects of their practices, but advancements on this issue lie primarily in the hands of those students who are offended by what is printed or feel disenfranchised by their campus newspaper. As guest writers William Potter and Okem Nwogu stated, students who feel compelled to make a marked difference in what they read should adopt the mentality of "Hoos Movement," and the active word in this slogan is "movement."
If students are as charged as they seem to be, there will be movement and change in at least this organization, and that change will resonate for some time to come. The interests of more communities will be conveyed, and students won't feel that they are being maligned or ignored if they take part in the organization itself. Eventually, perhaps there will be enough diversity on The Cavalier Daily staff that all students will feel there are a wide range of topics covered and voices heard, and that finally students won't feel it's an attack on their race -- but only an attack against bad journalism.
(Kazz Alexander Pinkard's column usually appears Tuesdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at kpinkard@cavalierdaily.com.)
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