Clackamas Print
Commentary 3
Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2006
Face off: College diversity
Diversity programs
bridge the racial gap
by Tayo Stalnaker
Liz Travers
The Clackamas Print
■ o......................................... à
On June 21, 1947, Harold
ihl sat in his boat near Maury
and. Wash, with his dog and
a and watched in awe as six
fOs flew overhead.
.After a few seconds, one
[the UFOs emitted a strange
pd-metal substance, which
lonto Dahl’s boat, killing his
jg and injuring his son. The
Kt day, Dahl was visited by a
¡•foot-tall man in a black suit
tins home. The man drove a
tn (at the time) 1947 Buick,
gd invited Dahl to come have
itakfast with him at a local
aer. Dahl accepted the offer.
At the diner, the man pro-
aded to tell Dahl about the
tange flying objects he wit-
sed the previous day. He
» threatened Dahl, saying
nt harm would come to him
id his family if he ever spoke
[the UFOs again.
The man who Dahl encoun-
ted was the first of many
tore encounters of the Men
¡Black that would follow for
¡cades to come.
International Flying Saucer
wait (IFSB) Director Alfred
(Bender heard about Dahl’s
ny and printed it in his news-
ker Bender himself was actu-
b visited by three Men in
lek in 1953. According to
Imder, the three men told him
put the secrets of UFOs and
beatened to send him to pris-
lifhe spoke to anyone about
kir conversation. Bender’s
py was later immortalized in
e friend Gray Barker’s book,
fa’ Knew Too Much About
tying Saucers.
It should be noted that after
Her died in the 1980s, his
fends came out and said that
is claims and theories about
«Men in Black were a hoax.
[Most people, who have
lined to have witnessed the
lien in Black, say that the
fen usually appear in twos or
pees and look either Asian or
uan in appearance. Some
fople have even claimed
■ these Men in Black have
■Iging, grotesque eyes, high
(¿bones, pointy noses and
usually very tall. Also, the
littiesses almost always claim
Kt the Men in Black are secret
■vemment agents and/or
I ks themselves.
I Should we trust these peo-
f or should we just lump
Im in with all the other para-
fii tinfoil-hat-wearing, con-
liracy junkies?
I As a skeptic, I have to call
laanigans on the Men in
lack.
Print
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As a country, we have made
leaps and bounds in accep
tance and diversity.
There was a time not even
that long ago when an African
American child could not go
to a white school. Even in our
parent’s time, it was uncom
fortable to make contact with
someone of a different race.
People now seem to feel
that diversity is shoved down
our throats. We can all remem
ber, during grade school, how
Martin Luther King Day was a
staple of every year. It is only
natural to assume that these
programs would also seep into
college. Except this time, it
is geared to help those in the
minority category with grants,
scholarships, clubs, etc.
What is so wrong with
that? It’s not as if the majority
doesn’t have a million oppor
tunities thrown in their laps
every day. We live in a society
where the majority thrives.
It is, after all, the American
way. I had no idea that help
ing had become a problem in
society.
These days, the average
student can barley afford to
go to college, let alone pay for
the cost of living. Unless you
are a prodigy or can spank the
competition on the field, col
lege is pretty much paid for
out of pocket. The rest of us
are forced to rely on govern
ment aid.
The more we introduce the
idea of diversity in schools
now, the better off we will
be in the future. Yes, it’s true
that some people will never
change their ideals about race,
but every generation reaches
a little farther towards that
goal. Maybe we will never
have true equality, but what’s
wrong with making a valiant
attempt?
Diversity programs
divide instead of unite
Tayo Stalnaker
Commentary Editor
Racism has, and always will
be, a fact of life. There is no way
to end it, and it is pointless to even
try.
College diversity programs,
along with all the other ones, were
created in an effort to promote cul
tural aware
ness, unity
and to end
discrimina
tion. I admire
this
about
diversity
programs
because
I
wish that this
country was
more toler
ant of other
cultures and
racism and
sexism were
non-existent.
However,
I am smart
enough
to
that
know
will
that
never hap-
pen. Why?
Because
humans
are stupid,
and forcing
people to get
along with
each other
doesn’t work
Race
should not
be a factor
when it comes to being accepted
into a college. What should matter
is what the person has to offer the
college, such as previous academic
success, community service work,
student leadership, etc.
Another problem I have with
diversity programs is political cor
rectness. Political correctness is the
dumbing-down of society. It brings
everything to the lowest common
denominator. What these diver
sity programs do is put everyone
into hyphenated phrases, such as
“African-American” and “Asian-
American.” The only thing this
achieves is dividing people up into
different groups, only taking into
account their cultural background.
I’m sorry, but if a person lives
in America and is a tax-paying
citizen then that makes he or she
an American, nothing more and
nothing less.
College diversity programs also
contain false assumptions. Such
as, they assume that people in a
certain ethnic group all think alike,
and that they will bring in different
points of view. This is not the case;
everyone has different beliefs, ide
als, morals and thoughts, regardless
of his or her race. Everyone comes
from a different background and
offers up something different to the
metaphorical table.
Yes, America does need to be
more sensitive to other cultures,
and racism needs to be erased.
However, forcing multiculturalism
on the public is not the way to do
it. So, how do we achieve this?
Honestly, I have no idea, but I’m
pretty sure a better education sys
tem and abolishing political cor
rectness would help.
Silly grown-ups, 'Tricks’ are for kids
Tayo Stalnaker
Commentary Editor
Adults should not go trick-
or-treating on Halloween,
nor should they insist on
dressing up. The candy is for
the kids, so back off.
I see adults trick-or-
treating every year during
Halloween, and it’s really
getting annoying. For one,
adults don’t need Halloween
as an excuse to dress up
anymore ... because they’re
adults. Secondly, Halloween
is now a children’s holiday
and, unless there’s a Wiccan
revolution, it always will
be. Furthermore, candy rots
your teeth, so leave it for the
kids. Hey, they’ll be grow
ing new teeth in a few years,
so why does it matter?
I have no problem with
adults
dressing
up
on
Halloween as long as it’s
C o -E ditors - in -C hief : Sam Krause,
for an adult party. However,
if an adult is going to dress
up and go door-to-door beg
ging for candy, they really
need to grow up and/or get a
life. And don’t give me that
tired line about “reconnect
ing with my inner child.”
Whatever shrink came up
with that line of bull should
be cut with Ockhams
Razor.
I’m not saying
that there should
be a law ban
ning
adults
from trick-or-
treating, I’m
just saying
that adults
should
start act
ing their
age. If
they
want
t o
Ao M anager : Elizabeth Hitz
Katie Wilson
C opy E ditor : Colleen Watkins
N ews E ditor : Megan Koler
C ommentary E ditor : Tayo Stalnaker
F eature E ditor : Laura Cameron
S ports E ditor : Mike Guidice
A&E E ditor : Matt Olson
P hoto E ditor : Adam J. Manley
S taff W riters : Justin Goe, Danny
trick-or-treat, then I would
?uggest asking for booze
instead
of
candy. My
S botographers : Juno Dean, Jeff
Sorensen
Helus, Frank Jordan, Andrea
D epartment A dvisor : Linda Vogt
Simpson, Jeff Sorensen, David
Stark, Liz Travers, Alexandria
Vallelunga
P roduction A ssistants : Rachel
Gillette, Andrew Green, Genyva
Laubach, David Stark
aunt and uncle used to do
that, and it worked out well
for them. They would dress
up as ghosts carrying wine
glasses and go door-to-
door trick-or-treating for
Pinot Noir.
So, this Halloween,
if any adults reading
this are thinking about
dressing up and hang
ing with the kids,
please don’t.
G oals : The Clackamas Print aims
to report the news in an honest,
unbiased, professional manner.
The opinions expressed do not
necessarily reflect those of the stu
dent body college administration,
its faculty or The Print. E-mail
comments to chiefed@clackamas.
edu.