A Donut and Diversity advertisement caused an uproar on Cabrini’s campus. The ad that has “colored only, no whites allowed” has caused students around campus to become offended.
“I thought it was extremely inappropriate,” Courtney Abel, junior chemistry secondary education major, said. “I don’t think it’s okay that the signs say that; they should never have been approved.”
Student Diversity office holds multiple Donut and Diversity events throughout each school year. This is meant to give students a chance to discuss issues concerning racism, gay rights, and most recently the pride and prejudice of the Black Student Union.
“Since my time here [two years], there has never been a sign this controversial,” Melissa Waters, director of the Student Diversity Office, said.
The advertisement is meant to address the issue of whether having a student group based on race excludes other students and discourages them from joining the organization. The title of the meeting is “Pride and Prejudice.”
“I like the controversy that it has started,” Alicia Barringer, Student Diversity leader, said. “People care enough to snatch them [the signs] off the walls.”
“It was a crappy attempt to tell about the talk,” Maryellen Anastasio, senior communication major, said. Kate Manning, senior biology major, agreed: “They even made the Black Student Union look bad.”
Many of Cabrini students said that the adveritsements were communicated poorly, many of the students didn’t know what the ad was for.
“The sign gives off the idea about the meeting,” Walter Jesuncoski, history major, said.
The ads were created by Bosede Ogunleye, Student Diversity intern. The signs were meant to send the question of whether the Black Student Union is an expression of black pride or a prejudiced organization.
“It [the signs] was a bad representation,” Abel said. “The way the signs were written shouldn’t have been approved.”
Students all over campus have been talking about the advertisement for Donuts and Diversity, whether indifferent to the ads or passionate about what is written on them. To discuss more about the ads, Donuts and Diversity takes place Oct. 6 at 3:30 p.m. in the Holy Spirit library conference room.
“I have been trying to get people to come and talk about these kinds of issues as long as I have been here,” Waters said. “ I’m glad that they are talking about it.”
