I for one am tired of how childish and partisan issues have become on this campus. An argument that originally had to do with the VFSA’s budget expanded into personal attacks and childish bickering. Most recently in the Feb. 28 issue of the Emerald, Kaila Carty wrote how “appalled” she was to hear Senator Diego Hernandez call out PFC Chairman Jacob Brennan (who just happens to be her boyfriend) for making sexist, racist and oppressive comments during meetings. Since when did standing up against white patriarchy become “vulgar?”
In fact, Carty’s biggest argument is that she thinks herself a feminist (somehow implying Brennan isn’t sexist) and that Senator Hernandez’s actions show a lack of “camaraderie” for his fellow senators. Am I missing something here? I for one applaud Senator Hernandez for speaking out against bigots and not worrying about how popular he’ll be for doing so. I’m sure Brennan has a black friend too, but this doesn’t excuse his behavior and oppressive language; and it certainly doesn’t mean he’s not a racist.
I think PFC Vice-Chair Mei Li Yu’s petty comment that it was “not only immature but irrelevant” for Sen. Hernandez to bring up such complaints, really shows the lack of character, integrity and respectability that the ASUO has to offer. I find Mei Li’s willingness to be an advocate for what’s best for communities of color particularly interesting due to her overall lack of cultural competency. With elections around the corner, we as a campus community should demand greater accountability, cultural competence and professionalism out of our representatives, because at the present there really is none.
Zach Basaraba
University student