December 12, 2014
Bowdoin disciplines students who dressed as Native Americans
Bowdoin Dean of Student Affairs Tim Foster sent an all-campus email Tuesday evening announcing that the College will take disciplinary action against students who dressed up as Native Americans at an off-campus party before Thanksgiving, according to The Bowdoin Orient. Foster’s e-mail said the party, called “Cracksgiving” was hosted by members of the men’s lacrosse team and students were urged to attend “wearing your finest Thanksgiving attire.”
“For some, wearing a headdress and ‘war paint’ on one’s face and bare chest is just harmless fun. For others, it is cultural appropriation that demonstrates poor judgment and insensitivity. And for others still, it is a racist act that perpetuates prejudice, promotes hurtful stereotypes, and demeans others. Especially disturbing is that the hosts of this event knew—or should have known—that their actions would offend; yet they went ahead with their plans nonetheless,” Foster wrote in his e-mail. “Unfortunately, none of this is new. Last year, there was a similar party that prompted members of our faculty and the Native American Student Association to create programming aimed at raising awareness about cultural appropriation and why it is unwelcome at Bowdoin. The event was covered in the Bowdoin Orient. And just a few weeks ago, in anticipation of Halloween and ‘Cracksgiving,’ student leaders held a ‘Cultural Appropriation Fashion Show’ hoping to educate students about inappropriate costumes. Many got the point and decided not to wear costumes to “Cracksgiving.” But others, including some of the party hosts who knew about and/or attended these educational efforts, chose to willfully ignore the message.”
Middlebury approves plan for Intercultural Center
Last week, Dean of the College and Vice President for Student Affairs Shirley Collado announced the approval of a new Intercultural Center in Middlebury’s Carr Hall. According to The Middlebury Campus, the center will provide students with a space which celebrates diversity on campus and is dedicated to students of color, first-generation students, LGBTQ students and other members of underrepresented groups.
“The new center will serve the entire campus community and will build on Middlebury’s diversity and inclusion initiatives and the academic mission of the Center for Comparative Study of Race and Ethnicity (CCSRE),” Collado said. “The combination of these centers in Carr Hall will offer substantive opportunities for students, faculty and staff to interact across academic and student life.”
Collado added that the College hopes to launch the center in fall 2015.
“The implementation phase of the new center will begin this coming spring and summer and will include: the naming, space usage, access and cosmetic renovations. We hope that several students will want to be involved in the implementation phase of the new center. We are very grateful for the broad support for the creation of this important resource for students and the larger college community,” Collado said.
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