SLC to publish hate crimes policy for next orientation

Existing rules will be clarified from rulebook

In response to student pressures to create or clarify the College's hate crimes policy, the Student Life Committee (SLC) plans to publish its current policies in a concise pamphlet.

Already-established policies include the Statement of Racial Abuse and Harassment, the Statement on Discriminatory Harassment, the Sexual Offense policy and Grievance Procedures.

In the past, students have asked many times for the College to create a hate-crimes policy, often citing events such as the 1993 Memorial Arch incident, when derogatory graffiti about Asian-Americans was found on the Memorial Arch. After a week of campus-wide protest, an Asian-American student claimed responsibility for writing the graffiti. The student vandalized the monument in protest of a monument that "glorifies white accomplishments" and fails to mention the "thousands of Chinese who were killed or raped" in the Boxer Rebellion. People refer to this incident to illustrate the need for a clear policy.

The new pamphlet is to be distributed during orientation in August, after it gets its final approval from the SLC and the Orientation Committee.

The SLC looked at existing policies in the Book of Rules and Regulations (Regs Book) and found that it already contains several policies governing harassment, and also lists procedures a student should follow in order to file a grievance. Different sections of the Regs Book are devoted to specific concerns, such as racial abuse and sexual harassment, which includes harassment based upon sexual orientation.

Dean of Student Life and Services Charlene Cole-Newkirk agrees with the decision to reprint the policies in a pamphlet, citing the abundance of regulations in the Regs Book as a reason. "I believe that we have too many rules and we don't need to create any more rules because the policies are all there," Cole-Newkirk said.

Cole-Newkirk also said she wishes to create a more nurturing environment, one which would take care of the hurtful consequences of hateful behavior. "Creating another policy isn't going to deal with the hurt, and I would like to see that hurt dealt with," Cole-Newkirk said.

Cole-Newkirk eventually wants to see the Regs Book overhauled and made simpler. "I would like to see that if someone has a grievance that they clearly understand what to expect from the system," she said.