First and foremost, we, the Loquitur staff, would like to say that to offend was not our intent in our decision to publish this graphic. We have seen, heard and read the voices contributing to the conversation. We are listening; as to all of those we offended, we take full responsibility.
Inclusivity is what Cabrini College strives for. The values that our school is founded on are community, respect, dedication to excellence and vision.
The graphic was described by some of the student population as rude and disrespectful.
Referring to the mission of our institution, it states that:
“We strive for a reverence of self and others manifested in trust and appreciation. Respect calls for care and compassion in regard to: diversity, our environment, social justice and civility in resolving conflict. The College strives to promote the integrity of each person, thus serving the vital and vibrant good of all.”
By publishing this graphic, what the college stands for has been compromised.
It is, however, unacceptable for any member of our community to feel as though the Loquitur contributed to disrupting the college’s core values.
It is our mission to be a forum for the voices of our campus – and as a means for us to confront them.
We appreciate your opinions. The Loquitur is your campus news source. The dedication from us is to you and we appreciate that a conversation has begun.
We applaud the individuals who sought out our editors, assistant editors, staff writers and newspaper adviser to inform us of their frustration, hurt and disappointment. We appreciate the conversations that took place on social networks, blogs and even other visual responses.
But we must respond to the burning question: why would Loquitur choose to run such a controversial graphic?
Despite popular belief, this graphic was not published as “space filler.” It is true, however, that we had extra space to play with.
The graphic was initially submitted in the Fall of 2012. After having the infographic in the archives for the entire year, we finally had a relating article to place it with in our Lifestyles sections.
Our position is not to perpetuate or endorse these beliefs, but both to showcase them as student perspective and to call attention to their existence.
We stand with the student body. We are students ourselves. The decision to print the graphic was made without knowing this would spur the conversation. But we do need to address the overall issue plaguing both our campus and the larger Cabrini community.
Last semester, the N-word was written on the doors of students in Woodcrest. This semester, a swastika was drawn on a wall in Xavier and now has to be painted over. These events are worth examining in the larger context of bias and hate speech – and must be confronted before we take offense to an infographic that, made somewhat in jest, pales in comparison and is receiving more attention from students than either of these issues did.
Where were students when these hate crimes were committed – where were their comments of offense, disgust, outrage? There were whispers around campus. There were announcements from the college president. Discussion-based events have occurred and will continue to unfold over this semester in response to these hate crimes – but where is student initiative outside of organized events held by the diversity office, or by any faculty-advised organization? Where was the student-voiced, student-led disgust to those occurrences which this infographic gave rise to?
Stereotyping and profiling is an issue that is prevalent in today’s society and hits home. Sometimes it takes until we ourselves are targeted until it spurs us to greater action. As the college’s staff strives for an inclusive campus, a community of respect, we are always listening and seldom do we see students being equally as dedicated to an inclusive campus.
In order for this infographic not to be so offensive, for its commonly-held biases not to have such a wide reaction – a reaction which probably wouldn’t have been so significant had its words not been widely regarded as true – we have to change the conversation. We have to look at ourselves and examine our own actions before we can demand that something like this not be printed. We must be willing to change amongst ourselves in our own circles, first and foremost.
The editorial staff of the Loquitur has never seen such a large diverse group of students come forth on common ground. Perhaps we need more of these graphics to challenge our community. Consider how many times people have spoken exactly what this graphic illustrates or any other bias-related, deliberately hateful topic, and no one defended the victim of such a crime – whether or not they were present. Now let’s look at how few of the students actually attended the Night of Dialogue in January, and how many attendees actually spoke. If a discussion is going to arise, students must speak up even if they’re not personally hurt or offended.
We need you to trust us. Ultimately, without you, there is no us. Each Thursday, the Loquitur floods the campus for you to pick up. We are asking that you will restore trust in us. As you to continue to support and read the Loquitur, remember that reading is only the half of it. Actually contributing to the discussion is vital.
Hold the Loquitur accountable.
Hold your peers and our faculty accountable.
Hold yourself accountable.
We must contribute positively as we strive for an inclusive community.
