Attending a school in Miami, a student will most likely find themself surrounded by a “majority of minorities.” This is especially true at FIU, being that 88.8% (collegedata.com) of the student body comes from a minority background. Because of this, Florida International University leans towards being a diverse school in terms of its students, so discriminatory, racist, or sexist behavior is rare. Walking through GC, students, faculty, and visitors may notice hanging flags representing all the nationalities of each panther, demonstrating FIU’s love of diversity and tolerance. However, this is not the case for students on other college campuses.
photo: https://news.fiu.edu/2009/05/flags-of-our-campus/3875
For instance, earlier in the month of August an unfortunate event occurred in Charlottesville, Virginia. The “Alt-right” movement, a group of individuals who promote the ideals of white supremacy, held a series of rallies at the University of Virginia. Saturday, August 12, 2017 being the worst of the rallies with the death of Heather Heyer, a counter protester to the Alt-right movement. According to the New York Times, on the night before, men and women carrying torches walked the University of Virginia’s grounds, shouting hate-filled statements such as “You will not replace us,” and “Jews will not replace us.” As a result of this incident, fear has spread on campuses across the nation. Schools like the University of Florida and Texas A&M who had scheduled visits by Richard Spencer; the self-proclaimed leader of the Alt-right movement began to worry and take precautions. Students at both universities planned counter protests and the fear for the safety of students began to increase, so much so that Texas A&M decided to cancel the “White Lives Matter” event. Following this, the University of Florida decided to cancel Spencer’s visit as well. W. Kent Fuchs, President of the University of Florida released the following statement in regards to the cancellation: “This decision was made after assessing potential risks with campus, community, state and federal law enforcement officials following violent clashes in Charlottesville, Va., and continued calls online and in social media for similar violence in Gainesville such as those decreeing: ‘The Next Battlefield is in Florida. “
photo: https://tribktla.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/gettyimages-830759682.jpg?q…
Recently, students at FIU may have received an email from the school’s president, Mark Rosenberg in regards to racist comments being made on campus. By condemning this behavior, President Rosenberg brings reassurance to students that things like racism and hate will NOT be tolerated. This message is especially important to be spread in a time when many worry for their safety in fear that they may be targeted for looking, acting, or speaking differently from others. However, it is also important to remember that respect is not given, it is earned. Therefore students should keep in mind to respect each other’s beliefs, regardless of how much those may oppose their own. The first amendment of the U.S. constitution protects a citizen’s right to peacefully assemble, but the key word is “peacefully.” Once an individual or group goes out of their way to physically harm others then that’s when it become an issue and frankly, is wrong and unjustifiable. Additionally, if a student or someone they know feels in danger they can reach out to one of the many resources within FIU! These programs include the FIU Police, Counseling and Psychological Services, as well as the Equal Opportunity Programs and Diversity. The safety of every panther takes priority!