Standing Wolf
03-14-2016, 01:02 PM
University of Arizona Minority Students Demand Free Tampons, Condoms, and More
Free tampons, menstrual pads, and condoms in university restrooms — and free testing for sexually transmitted diseases.
Faculty race quotas in place by 2020.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions, in new funding for building renovations, access to free computers, paid tutors, reduced-price or free healthy food, and new places to practice spirituality or religion.
These are just some of the demands by representatives of the University of Arizona's minority-student organizations in a lengthy letter sent this week to university officials.
Calling themselves the Marginalized Students of the University of Arizona (MSUA), they represent various campus cultural centers including: the Adalberto & Ana Guerrero Center, African American Student Affairs, Asian Pacific Student Affairs, LGBTQ Resource Center, Native American Student Affairs, and the Women's Resource Center.
The U of A "has failed to appropriately acknowledge and address the lived experiences of marginalized groups on our campus," reads the letter's preamble. "It is important to note that these are Demands, not simply requests or suggestions. These represent thoughtful, meaningful reforms that are necessary in order to affirm the expectation of safety and real-life equity."
The letter listed these specific demands:
* A "Cultural Competency Curriculum across campus," reaching dorm staff and residents, Daily Wildcat employees, Greek Life members, and all "students, administrators, staff and faculty."
* Increase in "staff of color" across all university employees to 15 percent by 2020.
* "Implementation of trigger warnings within course materials and contents." — Trigger warnings were defined in an article last year in The Atlantic (http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/09/the-coddling-of-the-american-mind/399356/) as "alerts that professors are expected to issue if something in a course might cause a strong emotional response."
* The creation and maintenance of "safe space within the classroom." — Adodo, while making clear she isn't speaking directly for the group, tells New Times that a professor who perpetuates the idea that "it's okay to racially profile" might be prohibited from doing so in a "safe space."
* An "emergency fund" of $35,000 put into the accounts of each campus cultural center.
* More scholarships for marginalized students.
* A minimum of $500,000 allocated to "diversity initiatives."
* Increased funding overall for the cultural centers, with paid tutors made available and access to computer equipment in each center.
* Boosted financial support for "students with food insecurity," along with increased options for healthy food on campus.
* More "counselors of color" and full-time counselors for sexual-assault victims.
* Establishment of an Oasis Center-type advocacy program (https://www.oasiscenter.org/#home) for the LGBTQ community.
* Free tampons, menstrual pads, and condoms in all campus restrooms, plus distribution through Campus Health of "dental dams, external, and internal condoms, and pre-exposure pills (https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/prevention/reduce-your-risk/pre-exposure-prophylaxis/) to ward off HIV.
* Unisex restrooms within dorms and campus buildings by 2020.
* "Creation of religious spaces for traditional events and ceremonies" for various "student demographics," and "spaces dedicated to and for native students to practice spirituality."
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/university-of-arizona-minority-students-demand-free-tampons-condoms-and-more-8129306
I can't help thinking that the - admittedly, few - fair and legitimate requests on this list are somewhat undercut by (1) calling them "demands", and (2) including in with them such things as free condoms and feminine hygiene products, a half-a-million dollars for "diversity initiatives" (not too vague), warnings from professors if something in a lesson might create a "strong emotional response" (personally, I think a college education that doesn't provide at least a couple of those a day is pretty useless), a bubble in classrooms in which divergent views would not be allowed to intrude on a student's delicate psyche, and unisex bathrooms.
http://images1.phoenixnewtimes.com/imager/u/blog/8130399/lucid-hurricane-tweet-ben-garrison-cartoon.jpg
Free tampons, menstrual pads, and condoms in university restrooms — and free testing for sexually transmitted diseases.
Faculty race quotas in place by 2020.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions, in new funding for building renovations, access to free computers, paid tutors, reduced-price or free healthy food, and new places to practice spirituality or religion.
These are just some of the demands by representatives of the University of Arizona's minority-student organizations in a lengthy letter sent this week to university officials.
Calling themselves the Marginalized Students of the University of Arizona (MSUA), they represent various campus cultural centers including: the Adalberto & Ana Guerrero Center, African American Student Affairs, Asian Pacific Student Affairs, LGBTQ Resource Center, Native American Student Affairs, and the Women's Resource Center.
The U of A "has failed to appropriately acknowledge and address the lived experiences of marginalized groups on our campus," reads the letter's preamble. "It is important to note that these are Demands, not simply requests or suggestions. These represent thoughtful, meaningful reforms that are necessary in order to affirm the expectation of safety and real-life equity."
The letter listed these specific demands:
* A "Cultural Competency Curriculum across campus," reaching dorm staff and residents, Daily Wildcat employees, Greek Life members, and all "students, administrators, staff and faculty."
* Increase in "staff of color" across all university employees to 15 percent by 2020.
* "Implementation of trigger warnings within course materials and contents." — Trigger warnings were defined in an article last year in The Atlantic (http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/09/the-coddling-of-the-american-mind/399356/) as "alerts that professors are expected to issue if something in a course might cause a strong emotional response."
* The creation and maintenance of "safe space within the classroom." — Adodo, while making clear she isn't speaking directly for the group, tells New Times that a professor who perpetuates the idea that "it's okay to racially profile" might be prohibited from doing so in a "safe space."
* An "emergency fund" of $35,000 put into the accounts of each campus cultural center.
* More scholarships for marginalized students.
* A minimum of $500,000 allocated to "diversity initiatives."
* Increased funding overall for the cultural centers, with paid tutors made available and access to computer equipment in each center.
* Boosted financial support for "students with food insecurity," along with increased options for healthy food on campus.
* More "counselors of color" and full-time counselors for sexual-assault victims.
* Establishment of an Oasis Center-type advocacy program (https://www.oasiscenter.org/#home) for the LGBTQ community.
* Free tampons, menstrual pads, and condoms in all campus restrooms, plus distribution through Campus Health of "dental dams, external, and internal condoms, and pre-exposure pills (https://www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/prevention/reduce-your-risk/pre-exposure-prophylaxis/) to ward off HIV.
* Unisex restrooms within dorms and campus buildings by 2020.
* "Creation of religious spaces for traditional events and ceremonies" for various "student demographics," and "spaces dedicated to and for native students to practice spirituality."
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/university-of-arizona-minority-students-demand-free-tampons-condoms-and-more-8129306
I can't help thinking that the - admittedly, few - fair and legitimate requests on this list are somewhat undercut by (1) calling them "demands", and (2) including in with them such things as free condoms and feminine hygiene products, a half-a-million dollars for "diversity initiatives" (not too vague), warnings from professors if something in a lesson might create a "strong emotional response" (personally, I think a college education that doesn't provide at least a couple of those a day is pretty useless), a bubble in classrooms in which divergent views would not be allowed to intrude on a student's delicate psyche, and unisex bathrooms.
http://images1.phoenixnewtimes.com/imager/u/blog/8130399/lucid-hurricane-tweet-ben-garrison-cartoon.jpg