(Update 8:18 p.m.)— A national service organization has called on Towson University to denounce the creation of a White Student Union on the campus.
"We see this as a racially divisive group, and the news of this was very concerning to the communities that we serve," said Jeff Parcher, director of communications for Center for Community Change.
In an email, Donna De La Cruz, a press secretary for the organization, wrote that more than 700 letters against the White Student Union from a series of petitions on Change.org and SignOn.org have reached Loeschke's office.
The Washington, DC-based organization aims to assist low-income people, especially minorities, in 40 states.
Matthew Heimbach, former president of the Youth for Western Civilization, is part of a group of students looking to start the on the Towson campus. Youth for Western Civilization sparked national attention when its members allegedly wrote "white pride" in chalk on various parts of the campus.
"To think that someone would be so insensitive to the struggles that minority groups have faced in the country is extremely troubling," wrote a Change.org user identified as Alesia Lucas in one of the online petitions. "This group should have no place on a college campus."
Gay Pinder, a university spokeswoman, said that as of Monday, no paperwork had been filed for a White Student Union. However, she noted that all undergraduate campus-sanctioned groups must welcome all students, provided they have a minimum 2.0 grade point average.
"[Heimbach] may want [the group] to be exclusive to whites, but that's against our policy," Pinder said. "However, it is within his right to form the group—whatever the university thinks of it—as long as it follows the rules."
She declined to comment further stating that because no paperwork has been filed, the group is not yet an issue.
Earlier this year, Loeschke's office formed a task force on bias and discrimination. In March, following the chalking incident, the university held a forum on race issues and safety.
The petition letter can be read in full below:
Dear President Loeschke:
Your University claims that “Towson University values diversity and fosters a climate that is grounded in respect and inclusion, enriches the educational experience of students, supports positive workplace environments, promotes excellence, and cultivates the intellectual and personal growth of the entire university community.”
If the past is any indication, this student group is ploy to exclude groups that have been historically marginalized. A group like this has one goal: to promote hate.
Allowing a “whites only” student group directly contradicts your commitment to diversity -- and it serves no purpose other than to discriminate against non-white students.
As the President of Towson University, I urge you to publically denounce the creation and establishment of the "White Student Union."
Just get rid of all the student unions then. I don't agree with the "White Student Union" but I agree with them bringing to light the fact it's "acceptable" to have Asian Student Unions, Black Student Unions, Latino Student Unions, etc... but suddenly when a "White Student Union" is proposed, everyone goes insane. I love when complete hypocrisy of a system is made public. So kudos to these guys for that.
When you look at history and consider WHY Black/Asian/Latino/Muslim/Minority Student Unions DO exist and WERE erected, primarily in Predominantly White Institutions, you'd understand why some are confused by the notion of a "white student union". I feel it's wonderful for all races to be able to celebrate themselves and their culture, but NOT in the name of hatred of another group. Also, the focus of these groups are NOT to "bitch and moan about life and how they been oppressed". Please I encourage all to do your OWN research on groups before you judge and spill from the mouth about them.
To the point people were making against having a white student union, there are many black student organizations at historically African American colleges. If you don't believe me, there are about a dozen at Morgan State http://www.msustudentcenter.com/studentActivities/campusOrgs.asp?pageID=14&SectionID=2. Furthmore, I don't think any organization for oppressed people is a good idea because it leads to being exclusive to only their own members. If you remember, it was not too long ago minorities of all types (Blacks, Jews, Catholics, Asians, Irish, Pole, etc) could not be members of the same country clubs, live in the same neighborhoods, and work in the same places and the last thing we need are race specific organizations. Therefore they should allow the white student union to exist or disband all racial/religious/gender... organizations
But it isn't. The rare white-on-minority crimes are trumpeted nationally, while the endemic black-on-everybody-else crimes enjoy the quiet of oblivion. If "hate crimes" were publicized and prosecuted uniformly on their (de)merits, Dave, you'd be quite familiar with the horrifying details of the Wichita Massacre and the Knoxville Horror (check Wikipedia on both). But you've probably never heard of either. Right?
Regarding the Wichita murders, this is from the wiki source that you cited: “The brothers broke into a house chosen nearly at random where Brad Heyka, Heather Muller, Aaron Sander, Jason Befort and his girlfriend, a young woman identified as 'H.G.', all in their twenties, were spending the night. Regarding the Knoxville murders, which I had read about prior to your post, this is from the wiki source you cited: "There is absolutely no proof of a hate crime," said John Gill, special counsel to Knox County District Atty. Randy Nichols. "We know from our investigation that the people charged in this case were friends with white people, socialized with white people, dated white people. So not only is there no evidence of any racial animus, there's evidence to the contrary."[45] If a bunch of white supremacists drag a black man behind their pickup causing his death, and causing his death specifically because he is black, that is a hate crime. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_James_Byrd,_Jr. Neither of the cases you cite shows any evidence that the subjects were targeted because of their race or sexual orientation. So I’ll ask again, do you just not believe in hate crimes? Regarding the ridiculous "love crime" comment, murders and beatings are awful, but not always rooted in someone's race, or sexual orientation. When they fall in that category, they are hate crimes.
The point about Wichita and Knoxville is that they received zero national attention. Flip the races of the perps and victims, and the news stories would have numbered in the hundreds of thousands at the least. Plus whatever the other **actual** particulars, they would have been labeled "hate crimes." Regarding James Byrd, sure his murder was unspeakably horrific. And when blacks did something very similar to Ken Tillery, a white, in the same town (Jasper, TX) a few years later, the national silence was overwhelming. (Pertinent article by Larry Elder, who is black: http://capitalismmagazine.com/2002/03/politically-correct-murder-and-media-bias-some-murder-victims-are-more-equal-than-others/ ) But if what the perp was thinking when he did it is important to you, Dave, then add in the fact that one of the perps in the Byrd murder had been repeatedly raped by blacks when he was previously in prison.
I think the issue with hate crimes, at least racially motivated hate crimes, is that white people haven't been strung up by their necks because they are white, unlike black people. As a side note Clarence Thomas is black, so is Thomas Sowell (cited in one of your wiki articles), but I think I'm blacker than both of them.