Page 6 - aruba-today-20171028

A6 U.S. NEWS
Saturday 28 OctOber 2017
Colleges to students: Skip sombreros, blackface on Halloween

By MICHAEL CASEY Critics see the move as an-
Associated Press other example of political
DURHAM, N.H. (AP) — Uni- correctness and fear it will
versities are urging students lead to a host of costumes
in search of an attention- being prohibited and turn
grabbing costume this Hal- students off from celebrat-
loween to pass on sombre- ing Halloween. In 2015,
ros, Native American head- a Yale University faculty
dresses and blackface. member resigned after her
Those are some of the cos- calls for students to push
tumes grabbing the atten- boundaries with Halloween
tion of university adminis- costumes sparked protests.
trators who are increasingly She was responding to calls
concerned that certain by the university for stu-
costumes are becoming dents to avoid wearing ra-
flashpoints in campus de- Temple fans, some in Halloween costumes, cheer during an NCAA college football game in cially insensitive costumes.
bates over race and cul- Philadelphia. Administrators at some universities across the country are increasingly concerned “The cultural temperature
ture. While not outright in 2017 that certain costumes are becoming flash points in the campus debate over race and on this has gotten so high
prohibiting any costume, culture. that nothing is appropriate
administrators are using let- (AP Photo/Mel Evans) anymore. We are getting to
ters, campus forums and ture, cowboys and Indians, Denver and University of accurate stereotype.” the point where prohibition
advertising campaigns to or south of the border/fi- New Hampshire. Supporters see the cam- is the rule,” said Michael
encourage students to pick esta. Comic book heroes “We launched it during paigns as a chance to Rectenwald, a professor
outfits that don’t offend and time period themes this time because ... Hal- start a conversation about of Global Liberal Studies at
classmates of color. are fine. loween is when we start cultural appropriation New York University, who
Some, like the University of At Southern Utah University, to see a lot of those offen- — adopting aspects of has criticized Halloween
Texas at Austin, issued a dozens of billboards have sive costumes,” said Maria someone else’s culture — costume policies.
flyer encouraging students been put up and shared on Martinez, Southern Utah’s and to educate students Inspired by several racial
to consider how a costume social media with the mes- director of the Center for about their own cultures incidents at UNH this year,
aligns with an organiza- sage, “My Culture is not a Diversity and Inclusion, who and about why dressing including white students
tion’s values and whether Costume,” along with im- says she got the idea from as a Mexican immigrant wearing ponchos and
it is “reflective of a certain ages of students of color Ohio University. “Students or Pocahontas might be a other Mexican attire dur-
racial group, gender, and/ holding photos of people wanted to send a reminder problem. ing Cinco de Mayo, the
or economic class.” It also wearing costumes from because they do feel dis- “A lot of people are like I Student Senate earlier this
includes a list of harmful their race or culture. Simi- respected when someone am, just wearing a poncho month passed a resolution
themes or costumes: any lar poster campaigns have shows up in a costume that like I’m not trying to appro- calling on the administra-
painting or tinting of skin, spread to other schools, represents their culture, priate a culture,” said Juan tion to denounce the “in-
stereotypes of Asian cul- including the University of particularly when it’s an in- Gomez-Rivadeneira, a sensitivity of acts of cultural
21-year-old member of the appropriation and rac-
University of New Hamp- ism that commonly occur
shire’s Latino student asso- when students celebrate
ciation Mosaico. He says Halloween.” A letter from
they have to know why administrators was sent to
people view it a certain students this week encour-
way, even though it wasn’t aging them to be respect-
their original intention. ful of others heritages.q
VT professor who hurt neck in

melee blames staff members

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — A couraged by some mem-
Vermont college professor bers of the faculty to do
injured in a melee following things that were not in their
the campus appearance interest and that upsets
of an author who co-wrote me,” said Stanger, who is
a book discussing racial on leave from Middlebury
differences in intelligence for two years. Stanger said
said some faculty members that she knew who those
were more to blame for faculty members were
the violence than students and that some have apol-
were. Middlebury College ogized to her. “Shutting
professor Allison Stanger down speech is an invita-
made the comments while tion to violence,” she said.
being interviewed for the “We have these heated
C-Span show “Q&A,” passionate exchanges of
which is due to be broad- views, precisely to avoid
cast Sunday. having to pull out guns or
“What disturbs me about swords, or, you know, have
what happened at Mid- a duel, so when you shut
dlebury, was that I think down speech you are ba-
students were actively en- sically inviting violence.” q