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Show Monday, January 27, 1992 ILl v" -1 -,' -ra-i - fi JGtULllLOXlaLl Letters to the editor Trouble at home and abroad: WSU's social system unhealthy -A f n O The Signpost To the editor, Recently, I listened to two stories that I find disturbing. The first story described an incident that occurred in Lithuania. The second story described an incident that occurred in one of the buildings on the Weber State campus. I have no reason to doubt the veracity of these two stories, although I did not witness these events myself, because even if the stories aren't actually "true" they are certainly "plausible" given some of my perceptions of this institution.Consequently, I'd like to repeat my versions of what I recently heard and complain publicly about what I think these two stories represent.Apparently, during the time that selected faculty and students were in Lithuania as representatives of Weber State University, what was called a "Meet the Mormons" night took place. It is my understanding that during the course of this meeting certain facets of Mormon belief were explained to the Lithuanians who attended. I don't like this. As far as I know, there is nothing in the mission statement of this institution that provides for the proselytizing of the Mormon religion under the aegis of Weber State. In my opinion, to do so is a terrible breach of the "academic purposes" of this program whereby persons from our campus become part of the Vytautas Magnus University campus in Lithuania. It is one thing to express your religious convictions as an individ The Signpost staff Editor In chM Managing editor News editor Aut. Nam editor Asst. News editor Sports Editor Asst. Sports editor Asst. Sports editor Arts editor Asst. Arts editor Signature editor Asst. Sig. editor Copy editor Asst. Copy editor Special editions Wire editor Photo editor Asst. Photo editor Senior photographer Production manager Asst. Prod manager Ad Design manoger Advertising manoger Asst. Ad manoger Secretory Advisor Asst. Advisor, Editorial Publisher Jim Sawdey Lorin J. May Laurie M. Wlrth Tina Tritsch Cory Sovereen Scott D. Summers Kelly Famsworth Andrea Peterson Christopher Howard Patrtc Toval Jennifer Harding Tyson Watt I A. Rridenbecker Dona O'Steen Jennifer Harding Cheryl Jensen Danielle Ma bay Matt Snyder Mark Lukes Jona Jacobs Shoun Shelton Laura Lueck Laura Lueck P. Larry Stahle DaleS. Oberer Dr. Randolph J. Scott The Signpost Is published Monday, Wednesday and Friday during fall, winter and spring quarter and on Tuesday during summer quarter. Subscriptions are $9 per quarter. Ad deadline Is two days before publication. Editor in chief 626-7121 Managing editor 626-7105 News 626-7507 Sports 626-7983 Classifieds 626-6358 Advertising 626-6359 Fax 626-7105 Production 626-6358 ual, and it is quite another to organize a meeting and "speak the faith" when identified with and sponsored by a secular academic institution. The second story goes something like his. A young man, a student on our campus who openly identifies himself as gay, was putting up announcements for a men's group meeting. While he was doing this he went into a bathroom and soon found himself being physically threatened by three men because of his homosexuality. I don't like this. It is one thing to follow the inclination of personal sexual preferences, and it is quite another to intimidate others because their sexuality is different from your sexuality. This is such a disheartening issue for me. I keep hoping that someday soon our differences, as well as our similarities, will be what strengthen our interactions and relationships with one another instead of weakening them through divisiveness, and that the status quo based on sexism, racism and classism that is very much "alive and well" on our campus and in our community will be replaced with a status quo of civility and compassion. So, it is discouraging to hear stories like this one. It seems to me that these two stories are related to one another in that they are "true" or "plausible" evidence of what can happen when a dominant ideology becomes flawed and when it isn't acceptable to be different. I sometimes think that the homogeneity of this place, despite all the present hoopla about diver- Letters to the editor policy The Sgnposwelcomes letters to the editor. Letters must be typed and should not exceed 400 words. For lengthier expositions, arrangements may be made with the editor in chief. Letters must include name, address, phone number, relationship to WSU (i.e. student, staff, Ogden resident, etc.) and the signature of the writer. Letters without this information will not be printed. The Signpost reserves the right to edit for reasons of space and libel and reserves the right to refuse to print any letter. Bring letters to the editorial office in UB 267 or mail to: The Signpost Weber State University Ogden, Ut. 84408-2110 Attn: Editor in chief A A OW?ou6y Stick ife have sity, is going to take us all to some kind of automatonic heap where most everyone will think similar thoughts, say similar words, and act in similar ways, and where people who don't behave in the sanctioned manner will be ridiculed and marginalized. (Let me express directly that I think this already goes on to a considerable extend in our academic community.)It will be a place where most of what happens is "nonsense" because "new ideas" and "unorthodox ways of saying and doing things" take place at the boundaries of accepted ideology and practice, not in the midst of it, especially when what is "accepted ideology and practice" is prescribed. It is hard to keep the light in one's eyes when the inertia of a hegemonic system makes it almost impossible to experiment with behavior, without being unjustly Don't just glare and be a separatist; offer advice and make things better To the editor, I am writing in response to the several comments directed towards the Honors Department at the Issues Forum Thursday. First, at a predominantly white school in a predominantly white state, in the conservative Intermountain West, I believe that having an Issues Forum on Cultural Diversity, period, is a major step forward. We should applaud these efforts and not quibble over whether we have one Latino and two blacks or two blacks and one Latino, etc. Such quibbling is utterly counter productive. Second, being a white male (which seems to be synonymous with Satan these days), what should Idotomakethingsbetter?If cultural diversity is more than tolerance, what is it? I don't want to embrace the norms of what is to me an alien culture, anymore than that culture wants to conform to my standards (of course I do realize that they usually didn't have a choice in the to pblem With W OrtenW WnSSiW.1 criticized or dismissed, by trying different ways of depicting human experiences and by finding humane ways of taking into account others who are different. The act of proselytizing under false pretenses is an act of fraud. The use of intimidations requires an unwilling victim. In my opinion, both of these acts are indicators of an unhealthy social system. Both, it seems to me, are signs of trouble. It is certainly possible that some people will read nothing more than a personal diatribe in what I have written here, label it reactionary and discount it. I rccognizcthat whatl have expressed may be somehow "inappropriate" for any number of reasons on the part of any number of people. It is not my intent to insult anyone or to spread what may be rumor. I assure you that I am definitely not eager to "lose face," as matter). Is it learning about you and then accepting you without demanding conformity? I can buy that, but isn't that tolerance? So what is the "more" part we heard about in Issues Forum? Further, with the exception of Dr. (Daily) Oliver and the Native American Counselor, I didn't hear anything from the other "minority-spokespersons" but rhetoric (note: I'm purposely excluding the white guys views; after all, what could an E.O. officer or a professional anthropologist possibly know?) Such copping-an-attitude breeds nothing but defensiveness in white males (the one's you have to convince to change!) I don't need to be told it's a cruel world and we white males don't give you a voice. We, at least those of us that have any hope of changing, already realize this. Why not instead of glaring and being a separatist, try something novel and unique... like telling us what we can do explicitly. You honestly can't expect the powers-that-be to search for the 5 3t o o (3 suming I have any, and experience the rejection or disregard that may occur because I have expressed myself in this way. As I look over what I have written, it occurs to me that sending it to The Signpost may be a decision I will later regret. And yet, I want these two stories to appear as public d iscourse because I think the issues involved are important ones. If it is the case that homophobia has a considerable hold on our campus, and if it is case that Weber State is sometimes the vehicle for Mormon proselytizing, then it seems to me that our situation is an unhealthy one. This, for me, is troublesome. I write these words with the hope that the issues I have raised here can be addressed with forbearance and humility. Lyall Crawford Department of Communication necessary social change, now can you. Further, somehow I do not see forcing some hapless freshman to take"communist-feminist-black-Creole-French literature and dance" as all that beneficial to the cause of social enlightenment. A course in Ethnic or Women's Studies? Certainly, but let's be reasonable here! I would like to remind the professors whocopped-an-attitude on us Thursday that they did themselves and the people they represented (which I would suggest was whites as well as minority groups) a serious disfavor. Let us transcend the silly rhetorical racism of New York and conduct ourselves as people in the quest for truth should conduct themselves. That is why some of us are here isn't it? Please leave your MTV consumer culture at home. Too bad we can't all be a little more like Dr. Oliver and suggest solutions as well as some good old fashioned hell-raising. James A. Brannan WSU student |