Yep ... good ole LVC was in the news last week for a list of demands affiliated with a #blacklivesmatter protest that included renaming the building that was once a gym and is now a math and computer science/coffee shop.
Unfortunately, that one item took on a life of its own, and created a laughingstock out of the whole situation ... and the internets went wild with folks condemning liberal arts education, accusing students of being without brain cells, and bemoaning the influence of political correctness in places it should never be. Eventually, a statement that the students "regretted" adding that particular item to their list made it to the local news ... proving that Coco Chanel's sage advice applies to so many more circumstances than first realized (i.e. before submitting a list of demands, take a last look and remove one item).
Here's what hurt my heart a bit ... the renaming of the Lynch building was NOT the only item on the list, and it quickly overshadowed what were likely legitimate concerns about diversity and sensitivity and accessibility (as eventually a partial list of *those* items also made its way to the press). I spent a decade on and off at this school (I liked getting degrees, so I did it thrice ... graduating in '95 and again in '00 in between my semesters getting my JD). It is smack dab in the middle of central PA, which isn't the first place one thinks of when it comes to a melting pot of multiple cultures -- or at least it wasn't twenty years ago. Back then, the county was barely dealing with the assimilation of a vibrant Latino culture who came to work at the local poultry processing plans. (Plus we had a radicalized Westboro-light couple known as the Jarboes who were attempting to bring the government down any chance they could, but that's a different story for a different time ... and it may be that the good Lord has finally called them home as was the wish of many during that time frame.)
I digress ... my point is, the Lynch thing aside, I felt a bit Pope Francis-y about the other specifics (namely, who am I to judge). I'm not living in the shoes of those who feel discriminated against, and I'm a white male in a society that heavily favors individuals with both of those descriptors. In my opinion, college should be a time for questioning the norm, and evaluating belief systems, and challenging authority (respectfully). This is what *should* be happening. And that approach shouldn't be discounted just because of the hijacking of this conversation.
Then there's *this* thing -- in monitoring the back and forth discussions on social media about the incident, I saw someone admit that, back when we were students and back when Lynch was a gym where basketball games were played, some of the students in the rowdy section called themselves the "Lynch Mob". While I still don't think that behavior would have been fixed by a name change to a building, it does highlight the fact that sensitivity training would have been the right thing to call for back in the day. And if it would have been the right thing to call for back then ... then it's probably the right thing to demand in today's "post-racial" environment.
So let's move on. Let the derision die down, let the building stay as named ... but let's commit to taking a good hard look at the issues, and let's discuss and debate and instruct and inform and relate and reexamine ... because that's the eternal mission of education.
And then silly little misdirection over a building's name, you will be but a blip of this discussion ... and you will be a blip not missed.
THE INITIAL STORY ...:
http://www.ldnews.com/story/news/education/2015/12/09/lvc-students-rename-lynch-building/77063874/
THE REGRET ...:
http://www.ldnews.com/story/news/local/2015/12/10/lvc-prof-students-regret-impact-lynch-demand/77095242/
OH COCO ... HOW DID YOU GET SO SMART?:
http://littlegreymatters.com/tag/before-you-walk-out-the-door-everyday-take-one-thing-off/
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