The incidences of bullying against and suicide among LGBT youth has been brought to the forefront of media coverage in the past few weeks, and though this prominence will hopefully lead to more awareness and community support, it is worrisome to note the decline in coverage after these events took place.
UW-Madison is not only responsible to respond to hateful events on our campus, but also on other campuses around the country. The interconnected academic community must be staunch on its anti-bullying policy against any group. Fortunately, what happened at Rutgers did not transpire in Sellery or Witte, but there is no saying definitively that similar instances of bullying do not happen every day, right here in Madison.
Thankfully, UW-Madison administrators are doing a good job responding to these events. Robin Matthies, director of the LGBT Campus Center, said the university has taken a step up in responding to LGBT hate crimes, and the center is teaming up with the Office of the Chancellor, the Offices of the Dean of Students, UW Housing, University Communications and the Division of Student Life to increase awareness through events on campus throughout the academic year.
Still, there is always more that can be done to tramp down the specter of hate on campus. In 1988, one UW-Madison fraternity held a ""slave auction"" as part of its pledge drive in which students performed skits in blackface and Afro wigs. Although this event initially outraged black UW-Madison students, widespread protests on campus after the incident led university administration to instate the Ethnic Studies requirement. We hope something similar will result from the recent string of anti-LGBT hate crimes.
That is why we recommend the university add select Gender and Women's Studies classes to the list of classes that fulfill the Ethnic Studies requirement.
Some will argue adding more requirements puts too much of a strain on students to graduate. We are not suggesting adding another requirement on top of the Ethnic Studies requirement; only that Gender and Women's Studies classes that focus on LGBT issues be added to the list of classes that can fulfill that requirement.
Others will argue the Ethnic Studies requirement does not succeed in making students more tolerant as intended, that students will not change their beliefs based on one class. And to some extent this may be true. However, the Ethnic Studies requirement was not only founded to increase tolerance of different people, but also to make those people feel more welcome on campus.
Similarly, adding GWS classes to the list of classes fulfilling the Ethnic Studies requirement may not change the minds of homophobic students on campus. However, with time it will contribute to LGBT students feeling more comfortable.
After all, higher education is not necessarily meant to change one's mind, but to at least gain a different perspective. Administrators: Isn't that the point of the Wisconsin Idea?
