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PRIDE hosts “Drag Me to Hell”
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Profile of Professor of Spanish Alfredo Alonso Estenoz
Golf goes for conference title three-peat
COLLEGE
LUTHER “Let the chips fall where they may.”
VOLUME 140, NO. 20• EST. 1884
MAY 3, 2018
Luther community responds to hate
[Left] Jasmin Arias (‘21) speaks at the international student forum. [Middle] Matthew Espey (‘19), Rebecka Green (‘19), Asha Aden (‘20), Juan Pablo Velásquez Quiroga (‘21), Mikayel Simonyan (‘20), and Faye Lee (‘20) sing at the CFL prayer vigil. [Right] Okogyeamon speaks about a culture of inherent racism at the forum in the cafeteria. Jacob Warehime (‘18) and Matthew Gleaves (‘19)| Chips
JACOB WAREHIME EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & KATRINA MEYER NEWS EDITOR On April 24, the sign used to mark the Spanish Table in the cafeteria was replaced by a sign that read “Whites only.” The sign was discovered in the Student Organizational Suite
and reported Wednesday afternoon. Students were notified of the incident via a campus-wide email the next day. On Thursday, April 26, students received a second email notifying them of another incident that happened on Wednesday: a sign advertising PRIDE’s annual drag show was vandalized with the words “Bad Y’all are going to hell” on it in a stall in the men’s bathroom of the
Students and staff gather at the steps of the CFL for a prayer vigil. Jacob Warehime (‘18)| Chips
Union. The email also stated that two students had come forward to accept responsibility for the incident involving the sign for the Spanish Table. In light of the two incidents, President Paula Carlson and the Luther administration organized a vigil outside of the Center for Faith and Life and a community discussion in the cafeteria. International students also organized a forum in Valders 206. All events happened on Thursday, April 26. In an interview for Chips, Carlson acknowledged the impact of the swift response of the Luther community. “The incidents that happened last week violate our core Luther values,” Carlson said. “They cause deep pain and hurt of members of our community. I was moved and proud that students, faculty, and staff gathered together to support one another and to witness our deeplyheld belief in the dignity and worth of
each person.” The vigil was led by Campus Pastor Mike Blair as well as various students, many of whom are part of Interfaith in Action or College Ministries. Students spoke about responding to hateful actions from the perspective of their own experiences and cultures. “You are loved by far more than you are hated,” Matthew Espey (‘19) said during the vigil. “No single person who takes to voicing their opinions in a bathroom stall is going to stop us from being our beautiful selves.” After students were done speaking, Blair and Faye Lee (‘20) led a litany in which the responses were “hell no,” and “amen.” At 7:00 p.m., members of the Luther community gathered in Valders 206 for a forum led by and focused on Luther’s international students. The forum began with Juan Pablo Velásquez Quiroga (‘21) introducing himself and two other leaders, Alonso Zevallos Rubi (‘21)
and Jasmin Arias (‘21). In Velásquez Quiroga’s introduction, he noted that the United World College’s international office had given their support to the petitioning around campus. Afterward, Zevallos Rubi spoke. He repeated the question “what now?” and lamented the fact that he now struggles to recommend Luther to his peers back home. Arias spoke next, noting that her parents were originally afraid that she would have a target on her back at Luther. She then called on the administration, saying “enough is enough.” Afterwards, the floor was open for other international students to share their experiences of discrimination at Luther. Issues raised included stories of being told to speak English, not feeling safe wearing their country’s traditional clothing, and being unable to excel in the classroom due to feeling unsafe on campus. COMMUNITY | PAGE 4
Students demand change with sit-in JACOB WAREHIME EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Members of the Luther community held a sit-in on the second floor of the Union on Friday, April 27. The sit in, which lasted from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., was intended both as a response to the bias incidents reported on April 25 and 26 and as an opportunity for students to voice their concerns directly to the administration. The sit-in was organized by students in Associate Professor of Religion Todd Green’s Theology and Religious Diversity course following a discussion they had during class. After deciding to organize a sit-in, members of the class reached out to campus organizations for support, such as PRIDE, Luther College Young Democratic Socialists, and the Luther choirs. Member if the Theology and Religious
Diversity class Sierra Twesten (‘18) said that the goal of the sit-in was more than just to draw attention to the bias incidents. “With the sit-in, we are choosing to sit in the places where decisions are made to show that we, as a campus, are involved in the making of decisions,” Twesten said. “It’s not just about the administration hearing our ideas and translating them into action. We want to help spur that action. This sit in is not a reaction to what happened, but a call for action to move forward in the future.” Twesten’s class also created a poster on which attendees were encouraged to write. “The [poster] is titled ‘Ideas for Institutional Change,’” Twesten said. “It’s our campus’ way to say, ‘Look at all these ideas. Here are all the voices from our community.’” Throughout the day, various campus organizations led events and donated
resources. Community member Liz Rog led a song and dance circle outside the Office of the President, PRIDE made stars to show support of the LGBTQ community, choirs joined in song, and many other groups donated food and water. Students were also encouraged to
sign a petition drafted by Nick Vande Krol (‘18) which advocated for the addition of a required social justice course to Luther’s curriculum. SIT-IN | PAGE 4
Students gather outside the office of the president during the sit-in. Jacob Warehime (‘18)| Chips