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C.A.S.A., Inc. Convenience Stores 1009 E. 2nd 1501 Blvd. 348-3081 341-5642 By Ryan Dannar

Staff Writer p rompted by swastikas, racist graffiti, and anti-homosexual graffiti scratched into bathroom stalls in UCO dormitories, several UCO students have formed a committee to address racism and prejudice on campus.

That committee is "Residents Against Discrimination and Prejudice," or RADS. It is a subcommittee of the Residence Hall Association (RHA), and operates from RHA funds. Its first formal meeting was Oct. 22.

RADS was conceived by Tewfic Kidess, president of RHA.

Kidess, a junior computing science major from Amman, Jordan, said he sees hostile graffiti as evidence that racism and prejudice are quietly harbored by many UCO students. "We started RADS because we had noticed there was a lot of prejudice among students in the (residence) halls," Kidess said. "We didn't experience any major problems, like fights, but (graffiti showed that a) problem was there."

Students living in West and Murdaugh Halls said they'd seen no graffiti in West or Murdaugh, but East Hall Area Coordinator Andrew Naylor said East Hall bathrooms have a recurring graffiti problem. "It's very blunt. They don't hold back," said Naylor, an Edmond native who serves as an adviser and resource person for RADS.

Naylor showed a third-floor bathroom stall which was littered with people's names and drawings of genitalia. Among the graffiti were the words, "die fags."

In a bathroom stall on the second floor, Naylor pointed to a swastika drawn on the wall in blue ink. "We try to take care of this stuff as we find it," Naylor said. "Most of the time we paint over it with mark remover. But some of the stuff isn't so easy to cover up."

Beyond graffiti, prejudice is evident on campus in the way that some students don't associate with people of racial or cultural backgrounds different from their own, Kidess and Naylor both agreed. "I do think it's, to some degree, natural for people to be drawn to others like them," said Naylor, "but you don't see people saying, 'These people are different, I'm going to sit with them today.' It's not racism exactly, but it is a form of prejudice."

Naylor said he feels prejudice is' based on ignorance, while racism is based on hate. "Racism is acting upon your prejudices," he said.

The goal of RADS is to use education to dispel the ignorance that founds prejudice, said RADS Chairperson Deepa Malladi, a junior speech and language pathology major who was born in India but grew up in the United States. "You can't change everybody's mind, but you can try and make them understand. All they have to do is listen," Malladi said.

RADS will promote understanding between people of different races, cultures, and sexualities by bringing guest speakers to campus and holding special events, Malladi said. "I'd like to get some UCO professors to speak because they've been so many places and would have a lot to share," she said.

RADS also plans to hold a "Week of the People" sometime in April, said Malladi.

This will be a week-long educational festival focusing on people of diverse backgrounds and featuring food, speakers, and entertainment, Malladi said. "Our major concentration will be on the spring semester since our organization got started so late this fall," she said.

Coordinator

Racism is acting upon your prejudices —Andrew Naylor

East Hall Area

Kidess said he hopes RADS will help people understand those who are different from them. "I'd like to see people being more considerate of those with different backgrounds — so those people won't be strange beings to them, but real people. "And I would really like to see the graffiti in the bathrooms cease," Kidess said.

RADS meets in the Dogwood Room in Central Cafeteria, immediately following every RHA meeting.

The committee invites all openminded UCO students to attend their meetings. "The only expectation we have for people who want to join this committee is to be open minded not only about racial issues, but also sexuality and cultural differences," said Kidess.

For more information about RADS, call Deepa Malladi at 341-2980, Ext. 4755.