An Unsettling Atmosphere on Campus
In the past two days, there have been two controversial incidents that have taken the Clemson University campus by storm, and students are responding on social media with the help of two specific hashtags.
First, a banner that displayed African – American history outside of Fort Hill on the western side of campus was defaced. An unknown party placed a cluster of bananas over the sign, likening an entire race of humans to apes. Many argue that it was “probably a joke,” and that they were “just some bananas,” but that is what makes this incident so hurtful. The fact that many Clemson students cannot comprehend the cruel insensitivity of this racial joke is unacceptable. In an email addressed to the entire student body, President Clements described the conduct as hurtful, disrespectful, unacceptable, and intolerable.
Many students are using the hashtag #BeingBlackAtClemson to voice the struggles they encounter in attending such a notoriously white institution, while others are joining the conversation and standing in solidarity with members of the Clemson Family regardless of skin color.
Dr. Christopher Miller, the Interim Associate Vice President and Dean of Students at Clemson, encouraged students to continue building a “wonderful tapestry of diversity.” Despite the situation, it appears as though the University wants to have the tough conversations about incidents such as this one in the hopes of creating a more inclusive, diverse student body. Furthermore, the guilty party admitted to the act of vandalism, which just might be a step in the right direction.
The next controversial debate on campus is over the new student ticketing system that Clemson Athletics and the Athletic Director Dan Radakovich have proposed. The system requires students to pay $225 per season in order to gain access to lower deck seats. Students who lack the monetary funds to pay for these tickets are forced to sit in the upper deck, which would prevent them from being a part of the traditional student section in the east end zone. As a student, I find this proposition upsetting because it will destroy the student section’s strong togetherness, which contributes to the fantastic atmosphere in Memorial Stadium. Many argue that separating students based on who can afford the lower deck seats violates values that Clemson University claims to hold dear, inclusivity and equality.
A Clemson student named Julian Taylor created an online petition titled “Keep Student Tickets Free at Clemson University” (https://www.change.org/p/keep-student-tickets-free-at-clemson-university), which has procured more than 6,000 signatures in less than 24 hours. Other students are using social media as an outlet, targeting the Athletic Director, Clemson Athletics, and President Clements using the hashtag #CUWontPayIt.
In response, the Clemson Athletics social media account, @ClemsonTigers, posted the following notice on Twitter and Facebook with the caption, “We’ve heard a few questions regarding a new student ticket policy, so we wanted to provide updated info:”
Will Clemson University end the semester on a peaceful note, or will chaos continue to prevail? Only a few more weeks to find out. We encourage you to sign the petition and explore the hashtags #BeingBlackAtClemson and #CUWontPayIt.