DePauw & Wabash COUPLES
PAGE 6 AND 7 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2014
Indiana’s Oldest College Newspaper
VOL. 163, ISSUE 20
Social unrest grips DePauw University again saying, “Here comes trouble.” Reyes notes that this made them feel “very uncomfortable.” Unprompted, one grill worker offered to put jalapeños on a student’s food. Reyes described what happened next: “Server 2: ‘Come on guys, what are you guys here for?’ Server 1: ‘They’re here to ask you for some money’ ‘At this point, we are absolutely offended and begin to speak out about the situation to which finally, the second server says, ‘Naw man, don’t say that.’ *turning to us* ‘I’ll beat him up for you.’” Jason Rose, general manager for Bon Appetite, the food service provider on campus, wrote in an email that they have taken this complaint seriously and have conducted a “prompt review with support of Bon Appetite Human Recourses.” Rose added, “We have taken appropriate action to help ensure that all students receive great customer service and are treated with respect.” He declined to specify what action has been taken. Students involved in the incident were unavailable or declined to comment. Renee Madison, senior advisor to the president for diversity and compliance, a newly created position as of this year, feels Students and professors gather in the academic quad during lunchtime on Wednesday to have an open conversation about diverthat the current issues of multicultural tolerance at DePauw sity on campus. CHRISTA SCHROEDEL / THE DEPAUW should be openly discussed. “We need to own this as a campus and for people who aren’t directly, but this is my fault. My silence makes this my fault.” aware of the issues that exist for the students on our campus,” BY MADISON DUDLEY AND LEAH WILLIAMS Last year, students spoke out about the campus climate in “The Madison said in a phone interview last night. “We need to be having news@thedepauw.com Movement,” a student-led group dedicated to conversations about conversations about that so there is an awareness on our campus.” Madison compared tackling issues of race and microaggressions More than 100 students, staff and faculty gathered on the Holton diversity issues at DePauw. While the first few months of this academic year have been rela- on campus to tackling sexual assault. Academic Quad Wednesday in a display of solidarity for multicultural “There is no difference between this and sexual assault and the students who say DePauw University is not addressing what they view tively quiet, tension started to rise again after senior Jonathan Reyes sent out an email titled “Here Comes Trouble” to select students and bystander intervention, that if you hear or see someone say something as a hostile learning and living environment. They came at noon and stood in the cold. One by one, students faculty. In this letter, Reyes describes an incident of disrespect that that is hurtful, you know how to respond to that,” she said. Student Body President Cody Watson spoke on behalf of Deand faculty stepped forward to speak. Professors called on the comPauw Student Government. munity to stand in solidarity with the students facing acts of microag“We do believe that we need, as a campus, to have these discusgression at DePauw and the 43 missing and presumably dead nonsions and really make sure that we are all having a great experience DePauw students from Iguala, Mexico. “There is no difference between this and sexual assault on this campus,” Watson said. Dione Gordon, senior and the first African American Old Gold and the bystander intervention, that if you hear or see Dave Berque, dean of academic life, said in an email interview Queen, advised her fellow students to not settle for the status quo that semester he has heard from two students who had conand be willing to broach difficult topics. someone say something that is hurtful, you know how to cernsthis about classroom atmosphere. In September, the faculty ap“Be okay with being uncomfortable,” Gordon said. “That’s a part proved the Classroom Atmosphere policy, which allows students to of life.” respond to that.” Gordon emphasized conversations between students, but faculty -Renee Madison, Senior Advisor to the President for Diversity and Compliance report such complaints. Berque views it as “a step in the right direction. Of course, we who attended the event showed great interest in being included in have room to improve and we are committed to that improvement.” the conversation. They, too, feel that they have a role to play in these Students’ opinions discussions. “I’m a white man. I’m a white middle-class man. I’m a white mid- occurred between him and other members of Lambda Sigma Upsilon dle-class heterosexual man. I’m on the right side of the equation,” said Fraternity, Inc., a Latino fraternity, and staff members at the Hub. In the email, Reyes said that on a trip to late night food services, David Newman, Lester Martin Jones Professor of Sociology, who also Diversity | cont’d on page 3 came to support the students. “This is my fault. I didn’t do anything the woman at the register greeted him and his fraternity brothers by