The
SpringHillian November 19, 2015
Racially Charged Yik Yak Posts Called out the Men of Color Council nation’s schools, Spring Hill was recognized by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his 1963 “Letters from a Birmingham Jail,” and in 1965, the first African American student graduated from the college with honors. Now, 50 years later, it seems as if the school has hit a road block. “The Yik Yak posts are a sign of the change that needs to take place on-campus. It's frustrating and disheartening to know that the original poster could very well be someone we've had classes with or even someone one of us considers a ‘friend,’” Slater said. On Thursday, the MOCC will be hosting a demonstration in the cafeteria at lunch time. Travis Cummings, PR representative for the organization, had this to say: “The demonstration is set to stand in solidarity for racial equality as a whole. We’re standing for the events that happened at Mizzou, Paris, and in our history.” Cummings emphasized that while the Yik Yak posts were deterring, the aim of the MOCC is to respond in a way that will help the entire campus, and that all are welcome to contribute and be a part of the organization. Spring Hill College's Jesuit education calls that ,members of the Spring Hill community fight for justice in the world. The events in recent weeks serve as a reminder that Spring Hill is not immune to injustices on-campus, and that each and every student, faculty, and staff member is responsible for making sure these injustices come to an end.
AGAPE By: Megan Anthony Reporter Recent events at the University of Missouri have sparked responses from students at universities all over the country, including Spring Hill College. Last Thursday, racially charged posts appeared on an anonymous social media sight (Yik Yak) that specifically called out Spring Hill’s MOCC, or Men of Color Council, chapter. The posts claimed that the organization was racist for being all black and that the members believe themselves to better than everyone else. These, along with some other inappropriate posts, have since been taken down from the site. Syrus Slater, member of the MOCC, said that they were initially very hurt by the posts and denied the claims that the MOCC is an all-black organization.“We are not an exclusively African American organization and we currently have applicants who aren’t persons of color,” said Slater. According to Slater, the school's administration has been nothing but supportive, and that the organization can’t concern themselves with anonymous quotes on social media. Spring Hill has a rich history of diversity. As a leading institution in the fight to desegregate the
Volume 101 Issue 5
Ad Majorem Del Gloriam
White House Endorses 2015 Equality Act By: Cree Pettaway Editor-in-Chief White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest announced that the White House has officially endorsed the Equality Act of 2015, granting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people federal protection against discrimination. The Equality Act was first presented to Congress this past July, which is an amendment to the 1964 Civil Rights Act that prohibits discrimination based on “race, color, religion, sex or national origin.” The Equality Act would include sexual orientation and gender identity as categories that could not be discriminated against. This would include annexing discrimination against LGBT persons seeking “housing, public accommodations, and some employment,” as stated in a recent article by Huffington Post. Despite the support of the White House, LGBT anti-discrimination rights are still receiving push back from citizens within states. In an article published by the Huffington Post on Nov. 4, a vote on Houston’s Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO), which would have prohibited discrimination based on “race, age, military status, disability” as well, revealed 61 % of voters wanted the ordinance repealed. The argument at the forefront of Houston’s Proposition 1, HERO, is that the ordinance would allow “Any
man at any time…[to] enter a woman’s bathroom simply by claiming to be a woman that day,” as stated in the campaign video to vote against the ordinance. However, officials in other cities within Texas have not reported an increase in sexual assaults in women’s restrooms after enforcing LGBT discrimination protection rights of their own. According to Earnest, the White House wanted to hold off on supporting the Equality Act until it could “evaluate the effect the law would have on certain government policies and programs.” Earnest said the act will make certain that people aren’t “discriminated against because of who they love, while…at the same time making sure that we can protect religious liberty,” a concern of some who opposed the act.