Students protest advertisement

Fifteen minutes before noon Thursday, about 20 concerned individuals gathered at the Sample Gates to protest the April 13 publication of a controversial advertisement in the IDS. As the minutes passed, the group expanded.\nDr. Stephanie Kane, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice, joined the group about 10 minutes into the demonstration. Her presence was a testament to the protesters' cry, "This is not a black issue." Kane mingled among those angered by the recent publication of conservative activist David Horowitz's ad "Ten Reasons Why Reparations for Slavery is a Bad Idea -- and Racist Too."\nThe group's demands include diversity training for IDS staff, consultation between the newspaper and IU administrators before publishing "racist material" and a public statement by IU President Myles Brand articulating the University's stance on the issue.\nDeeming the Sample Gates the "focal point of campus," graduate assistant for the Office of Multicultural Affairs Antwuan Wallace said protesters chose the the site because it "welcomes students to campus, and we want to stress the inclusion of all students." \nGraduate student Daisy Rodriguez said her primary hopes for the protest lie in deepening awareness and consciousness of issues surrounding students of color. Thursday's demonstration, she said, was not intended to "blame whites" for the advertisement or for the larger racial issues surrounding its publication. Rather, the protest was envisioned as a "form of education" aimed at improving the racial climate on campus, Rodriguez said.\n"The University has made attempts to encourage racial diversity," Wallace said, "but I'm not sure they've fully engaged all groups. This is not just a black issue -- it affects everyone."\nKane agreed, citing the publication of the Horowitz ad as a "hate speech issue." She said the IDS had a responsibility to create a space to place the ad in context -- one the paper did not fulfill. She suggested articles presenting opposing viewpoints to Horowitz could have ran alongside his content, offering a broader forum for discussion.\nAccording to material distributed by representatives of the Black Graduate Student Association, Horowitz's advertisement "attempts to make a mockery out of the issue of reparations for African-American slavery and oppression."\nFurthermore, the material said Horowitz unfairly depicted blacks as greedy and unpatriotic and "dredged up negative and ancient history."\nProtesters also condemned the ad's alleged inaccuracy, claiming that the IDS "failed to verify the facts claimed by Horowitz," according to a Black Graduate Student Association press release.\n"When whites read (such advertisements), their sense of historical reality becomes distorted," said Marlene Munn, Minority Education Associate and graduate student. \nMunn also questioned the ethical components of the IDS' decision to publish the Horowitz ad.\n"I think the IDS was really trying to put us in a reactionary stance," she said. "It failed to frame discussion around those directly affected by the material's publication."\nA majority of participants concurred with this statement, asserting the IDS should have consulted with various diversity and minority groups on campus prior to publication. \n"Far too often, people fail to consider how their actions affect underrepresented groups," picketer Eric Love, a graduate student, said. "They fail to foresee the ramifications of their actions and the uproar caused by them." \nThe IDS was also criticized for its lack of a racially balanced staff. Such homogeneity, protesters claimed, promotes a better campus environment. \n"Look at the staff," Charlie Nelms, Vice President for Student Development and Diversity, said. "Look at the points-of-view represented on the editorial board. The IDS should strive to sponsor forums for free, open debate (by recruiting) throughout the ranks, from reporters to columnists to editorial staffs."\nIDS editor in chief Brooke Ruivivar said the editorial board is open to any student employed by the newspaper, and that all students, regardless of major or race, are encouraged to apply. But she said no student may be part of the editorial staff unless he or she works for the IDS. \nIDS Publisher David Adams agreed with Ruivivar.\n"We would certainly like to have a more racially diverse staff," Adams said. "We welcome that possibility, because a more diverse staff would bring a whole different variety of life-experiences into decisions concerning what's covered."\nNelms also suggested the IDS invite nationally-renowned scholars or distinguished professors to write opinion columns presenting opposing viewpoints about reparations. Nelms said a newspaper's obligation to the public rests in analysis, not mere acceptance. Such efforts would facilitate a greater exchange of ideas and viewpoints, he said. \n"The issue is lack of acceptance," Nelms said. "The notion that Mr. Horowitz is right to be heard -- I accept that. But the bottom line is morality must always trump legality. The moral aspects (of running such an ad) must be considered, and slavery is immoral"