Almost four years ago, when I first came to the University, I wrote to The Cavalier Daily after a racial slur was shouted at me by a passing truck as I left O-Hill on my second day of classes. As outraged as I was by the act, I was even more disillusioned that a group of students was standing around me when it happened and not one person took any action or said a word. Shortly after that, the University established the bias reporting system and while incidents still occurred, they were not as prevalent as they had been. Unfortunately, the incidents of discrimination have flared up once again. Vigils and rallies are wonderful and the University administration and campus police response has been appropriately swift, but our responsibility does not stop there. We pride ourselves on our community of trust, but that extends outside the classroom. Campus police cannot be everywhere at all times, so the students have to be their eyes and ears. When we see or hear incidents like these, the right response is not apathy, but taking an active stand against it and reporting it. Otherwise, we are no better than the bigots committing these acts.
Shannon Benson
CLAS IV
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