The University has been plagued by racial tensions for most of its history. The legacy of slavery and discrimination in the American South has meant that the most visible social fault lines are often along the color barrier.
But as recent alleged hate-motivated incidents have shown, intolerance at the University is far more than a black and white issue, or even one centered around race at all.
Incidents of prejudice
Last spring, Asian Student Union president Drew Austria and a few Asian-Pacific-American friends were yelled at and called "Chink" and "Yao Ming" by six white males on the Corner.
"I'm sure if you ask almost any APA student if they have had racial incidents, nine times out of ten they would, said Asian Student Union President Drew Austria.
This summer, a gay University student, who wished to remain anonymous, reported he was pushed backward at a party resulting in a bloody wound to his head. During the assault, the student was told "get the f**k out of my house you f**king faggot"
"Unfortunately, when two members of the same sex show affection in public, they will oftentimes experience bashing and sometimes death threats, especially if it's two men," fourth-year College student David Reid said, who sadded that he has been the victim of several acts of bigotry because of his sexual orientation.
"Being queer at the University is a daily experience of daily insults," Queer Student Union vice president Jill Raney said. "At football games, there is a lot of the 'not gay' chant and 'that's so gay.' There's a lot of referring to the other team as the f-word."
Coming out
"The historical precedent has been set for how we see race as black and white," Asian Student Union President Drew Austria said, referring to the tendency of University community members to overlook many acts of hate perpetuated against other minority groups.
Austria said one of the major reasons that many of these incidents outside of the University's typical black-white dichotomy go unnoticed is that most are unreported.
Many students are not sure where to report such incidents and the protocol for doing so, he said.
Currently, students who believe they have been made the victim of an incident of hate can contact the University police or the Dean of Students.
University President John T. Casteen, III said he thinks that not only are these incidents becoming more frequent, but they are also becoming uglier.
The marked increase in reports of these incidents could also be attributed to the greater number of students who are coming forward to report incidents that have occurred in the past.
"I think that reporting [incidents] has become a hot button issue due to the recent incidents with regards to racial discrimination," Queer Student Union President Kevin Wu said.
The President's Office is trying to form a committee for the reporting of these kinds of incidents.
"A campaign to make clear that abuse [happens at the University] is a logical step toward demonstrating a grievance to the public and then seeking relief or redress," Casteen said.
Some minority groups said they lack a proper support system to deal with their concerns.
"The African-American community has Dean Turner, whereas there is not really a voice that strong within the other communities," Minority Rights Coalition Chair Adrienne Patton said.
Most minority groups have deans within the Office of the Dean of Students but do not have organizational parallels to the Office of African-American Affairs.
"It would be wonderful if we had an office for APA students to advocate on our behalf," Austria said. "Our dean is doing a good job but she can't do it all by herself."
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender students said they have even less of a support network within the University.
"The LGBT resource center doesn't have a director," Queer Student Union Vice President Jill Raney said."We don't have the same number of administrators; we don't have the same support structure."
In terms of the size of these minority groups, Asian-Pacific Americans make up the largest minority population at the University, comprising 17 percent of the student body. African-Americans make up about 11 percent of University students.
Although the size of the LGBT community is more difficult to gauge, Raney said it is estimated that LGBT individuals make up about 10 percent of the population.
Solutions
According to Sustained Dialogue President Jessica Fowler, the recent incidents demonstrate the real need for organizations such as hers.
"Sustained Dialogue is a group that facilitates dialogue about the strain along ethnic and racial lines," Fowler said.
Sustained Dialogue breaks students into different groups to discuss one or two of these issues as they apply to the University.
Eventually some of these groups move to formal action, such as putting up flyers or holding rallies.
"Things aren't going to get better until students start holding each other accountable," Fowler said.
Another organization working to alleviate racial tensions at the University is the Kaleidoscope Center for Cultural Fluency.
According to Katie Reynolds, graduate assistant for Kaleidoscope for the Office of the Dean of Students, the Kaleidoscope is a place where students from various parts of the University to come together.
"The Scope is a really proactive organization; we work to open up communication lines between different groups," Laura Juliano, co-director of the Mix program, said.
The Mix program is a weekly highlight on the Kaleidoscope's schedule in which students from various backgrounds are brought together to engage each other about controversial issues.
Kaleidoscope discussions aim to be open forums without confrontation, Reynolds said.
Reynolds stressed the fact that the Kaleidoscope intends to be proactive rather than reactive.
"The goal is to be able to take a step back and have participants look at it from an intellectual perspective and not an emotional perspective," Reynolds said.
The Kaleidoscope is an innovative space and students are in charge of creating that space, Reynolds said.
"We always encourage students who have an idea of how to use our space," Juliano said. "We always welcome suggestions."
The Final Lesson?
Of all the remedies for the University's apparent rising tide of intolerance, Casteen suggested that paramount to solving the problem is understanding the mindset of those perpetuating hate.
"In the end mutual respect is the lesson, and that starts with self-respect," Casteen said. "A foul-mouthed drunk may be arrogant as all get-out, but that person lacks self-respect--knows that she or he is out of control--and uses the platform of an inhuman condition to abuse others"
Read More
Will the Faculty Senate’s no-confidence vote impact the U.Va. Board of Visitors?
By Brandon Kile | 12 hours agoIn many cases, a no-confidence vote may soon be followed by steps taken to remove the leadership that may be acting against the wishes of a community.
Two senior U.Va. Health leaders quietly take new jobs without formal announcement
By Ford McCracken | YesterdayKibbe’s departure marks the end of an ongoing battle between U.Va. Health employees and their senior leadership.
Letter from 12 deans to Board of Visitors goes unanswered for almost two weeks
By Naima Sawaya | YesterdayAt the time of publication, the academic deans had received no response from the Board regarding their offer to meet with the Board “as soon as possible.”
