Issue 5 - 2014.2015

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The Review The University of Delaware’s independent student newspaper since 1882

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2014 VOLUME 141, ISSUE 5

FOR BREAKING NEWS AND MORE VISIT UDREVIEW.COM

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Students talk diversity in wake of Yik Yak racism

TUESDAY, SEPT 30

MEGHAN JUSCZAK Managing News Editor

-DELCAT Discovery opening, 3 p.m., Reading Room, Morris Library -USC QuizzoQUEERtions, 7-8 p.m., Perkins Student Center-West Lounge

In a 2011 report reaffirming the university as an accredited degree-granting institution, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education wrote that the university was not diverse in “either absolute or relative terms.” “With few exceptions, we believe that the university trails its peers in every measure of diversity in every constituency of the institution,” the report said. At the time, the university was heavily promoting its Path to Prominence—one of its six milestones being “a diverse and stimulating undergraduate experience”—an initiative which is coming to an end. Now, three years after the release of the report and the day after President Patrick Harker gave his first speech about Delaware Will Shine, the successor to Path to Prominence, the university still falls short when compared to many of its peers in diversity. According to the university’s institutional data on diversity, 16,871 undergraduate

WEDNESDAY, OCT 1 -Jayne Smith, “Lessons of Love,” 3-4:30 p.m. Health Sciences Complex Atrium -National Agenda: CNN Political Reporter Peter Hamby, 7:30 p.m. Mitchell Hall THURSDAY, OCT 2 -Stopping Harassment Against Everyone Panel, 8-9 p.m., Kirkbride Hall room 004

students enrolled in 2013. Of those students, 834 were African-American, 1,144 Hispanic, 714 Asian, as well as others, totaling to 4,082 nonwhite undergraduate students. All students of color combined represented less than a quarter of the student body last year. Sophomore Jay Alston said coming to the white-majority university is difficult for students of color, particularly those who grew up in a more diverse community. “It’s a culture shock,” Alston said. “It’s just the exact opposite of where I’m from because you have to adjust everything you do and say and think.” Junior Elliott Webster, who serves as Black Student Union (BSU) president, said while the university seems to have a great attitude toward diversity and a plan toward putting it into place, there needs to be more direct action. He pointed to the diversity statistics and said ultimately they tell you all you need to know about the campus climate. He said while there are definite steps being taken, more direct action needs to be taken for those numbers to change

SATURDAY, OCT 4 -Football vs. Sacred Heart, 3:30 p.m., Delaware Stadium -Clint Smith poetry show, 7-9 p.m., Newark Bike Project -Eighth annual Main Street Mile run, 9 a.m., Newark Public Library SUNDAY, OCT 5 -Coast Day 2014: Weather and Climate: On our Radar, 11a.m. - 5 p.m., Hugh R. Sharp campus, Lewes. -CancerBWare 5K race and walk, 5 p.m., Laird Campus -International Film Series: Coffee in Berlin, 7 p.m., Trabant Student Center MONDAY, OCT 6 -Acing the Interview: Interview Preparation Skills workshop, 2:253:25 p.m., Career Services Center, room 178

of color in Pi Kappa Phi, he said, and the other members are very open to learning about all of their cultures. Originally, he said, his mom and grandparents were wary about him joining a nonblack fraternity and told him to “watch his back.” He said he thinks many parents and grandparents are more cautious because they have more direct experiences with racism and then discourage their children from branching out sometimes. “It takes a sense of comfort to branch out in such a way because you’re essentially stepping out of your own culture and into another one, so that definitely sets the tone for your experiences,” he said. “That can be an intimidating thing for some people.” Four weeks ago, issues of racism came into the spotlight at the university following a football game against Delaware State University. During the game, students wrote a series of racist posts on the anonymous app Yik Yak.

See BROOKS page 6

Harker sets forth new initiatives, acknowledges challenges for UD in speech

FRIDAY, OCT 3 -Arts Advocacy Conference, 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., EH Theatre, Delaware State University -College Radio Day, 12-3 p.m., Perkins patio -The Institute for Financial Services Analytics seminar series featuring Harikesh -Nair, professor of marketing at Stanford GSB, 9:30-11 a.m., Alfred Lerner Hall, room 231 -Haven’s annual drag show, 7-10 p.m., Trabant MPRs

dramatically and for students of color to feel more comfortable on campus. He also mentioned, however, that it is important to remember the university’s history when considering issues of diversity because black students were not admitted until 1948. “[Our past] is not over, it’s still here,” he said. “It hasn’t been erased completely so that this is our campus where black students feel fully welcomed.” Junior Lanisa Brooks, BSU vice president, said she also thinks the campus has a diversity and tolerance issue and finds herself often feeling like an outcast or “black sheep” as a minority student. Senior Damir Creecy, meanwhile, says he feels relatively comfortable in predominantly white spaces. He is a member of the campus’s chapter of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. Students of color represent a small percentage of those involved in Greek life, especially outside of special interest Greek organizations. Creecy said he has never had any issues with racism in his fraternity, calling it “very open.” There are a few other students

MATT BUTLER & JENNIFER FINN Managing News Editor & Mosaic Assignment Editor KIRK SMITH/THE REVIEW Two male students march to President Patrick Harker’s campus home during the Sept. 19 “End the Silence, End the Shame” rally.

Engaging men in the conversation: Males advocate for feminism CADY ZUVICH Executive Editor It took just one introductory feminist theory class before alumnus Jason Cowin knew. Though always inherently drawn to social justice, Cowin for the first time identified as a feminist, cementing his passion—and career—in being a male advocate for gender equality. “A lot of people who are feminist are women, but for men it wasn’t something that was seen as an issue,” said Cowin, who since graduating has worked for organizations in Washington D.C. that deal with gender-based violence. “I felt that was wrong.” Cowin joins others in a national conversation on feminism, but this time, the rhetoric is taking new form. The focus has shifted to engaging men in feminism, with campaigns from both the White House and the United Nations now calling on men to become advocates for women issues. After graduating with a women’s studies minor, Cowin, now in his third year at American University’s Washington College of Law, has translated his energy for feminism into professional advocacy. He has worked with a breadth of organizations that focus on domestic violence, providing free legal services to low-income individuals at the Women in Law clinic at American University. Through his experiences, he has learned the necessity of the male voice in the issue, he said. Too often people respond to gender-based violence after it occurs rather than focusing on how to eradicate it at its core. “We need men to say, ‘This is done,’” Cowin said. “We aren’t doing this anymore.” Cowin is not the sole male advocate within the university community. Right on campus, sophomore Matt Scott acted as one of the main organizers for

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the Sept. 19 “End the Silence, End the Shame” rally on the steps of Memorial Hall. With megaphone in hand, Scott mobilized the 300-person crowd to march to President Patrick Harker’s house, demanding that the university “do better” in responding to sexual misconduct cases. A self-identified feminist, Scott pointed out feminism is not man-hating, a common misconception, he said. Rather, he said gender dichotomy affects everyone, as men are reluctant to be open with their emotions. “There are so many issues that affect men that we don’t realize,” Scott said. “We need to be united on this issue. This needs to be a concerted effort.” Two separate campaigns are calling on men to join in on this “concerted effort,” the most recent being the United Nations’ “HeForShe” campaign. Actress Emma Watson spoke Sept. 20 at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. During the address, she extended a formal invitation to men, encouraging them to engage in gender equality dialogue. “I want men to take up this mantle so their daughters, sisters and mother can be free from prejudice but also so their sons have permission to be vulnerable and human, too, and in doing so, be a more true and complete version of themselves,” said Watson, the Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations. The Obama Administration came out just the previous week to underscore the importance of individual engagement as part of its federal policy efforts to address sexual violence on college campuses. The “It’s On Us” campaign emphasizes bystander intervention as well as changing “the culture that allows assault to happen in the first place,” Barack Obama said in a Sept. 19 speech.

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See COWIN page 3

President Patrick Harker delivered what amounted to a State of the University address in an open forum in the opening lecture of the university’s Thought Leader Speaker Series on Monday at the Roselle Center for the Arts. Harker’s main focus was a renewed attention to the learner, or the student. A cornerstone of the entire academic program should be the efficient application of critical thinking skills that the school strives to provide. “I think we’re having this discussion—this debate— from a position of strength,” Harker said. “We do a lot of things very, very well.” Harker began by acknowledging the role that universities throughout the nation and the world play in the development of the future. Harker said while education is a half-trilliondollars a year industry, he knows that there are strengthening voices among the general public that question whether or not education is worth the value placed upon it. Harker highlighted some of the bright spots about the current state of the university, including steeply increasing application pools and the rise in sponsored research per faculty member, which he attributed to his “Path to Prominence” strategy. Replacing “Path to Prominence” is “Delaware

Will Shine,” a new set of initiatives that Harker would like to implement with the help of input from the entire school community. On the initiatives’ website, there are several options available to submit ideas or suggestions one feels may be helpful. “For us to successfully plan for the next chapter of our distinguished history, we must engage the largest possible portion of our talented Delaware community,” Provost Domenico Grasso stated on the website. “I hope that you will consider joining this important process and get involved in our town halls, teach-ins and other activities that will be highlighted in the coming weeks.” Diversity was also a topic of conversation during the speech. Harker recently published a letter to the student body condemning the racist comments that were made, presumably by university students, about the predominantly AfricanAmerican contingent of fans that came to campus for the Delaware State football game. “We have to work at this every day, but we are becoming a more diverse campus,” Harker said. One of the other main issues facing the university is attempting to reinvent the core curriculum after members of the faculty raised concerns about the general education curriculum the university currently employs regarding breadth requirements.

See HARKER page 3

JENNIFER FINN/THE REVIEW President Harker spoke about the “Delaware Will Shine” initiative, an upcoming program that will involve a larger focus on diversity and

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