Toxic Campus Climate
It’s been a dismal year for racial harmony on campus, but some scholars say conflict can serve as a learning experience for the entire community
By Kendra Hamilton
The rings and robes have been ordered and there’s both joy and uncertainty in the air as campuses go through the annual rite of graduation. But, across the nation, there are also pockets of administrators who can’t wait to close the books on the 2005-2006 academic year.
If the headlines are any measure, it’s been a dismal year for racial harmony on campus, with these controversies erupting:
– Boulder, Colo., where threatening e-mails to campus athletes and a female student leader — “You will die if you run for student government” — have rattled Black and Hispanic students and embarrassed the administration.
– Chicago, where a “straight thuggin’ party” — attended by White University of Chicago students wearing chains, baggy clothing and handcuffs as they guzzled alcohol and listened to 50 Cent and Notorious B.I.G. — has offended the Southside neighborhoods surrounding the campus while roiling the tranquil waters of affluent Hyde Park.
