l was disgusted to read the article headlining Thursday’s paper regarding the class enrollment restrictions of the Office of Multicultural Academic Support classes (“Officials defend class enrollment restrictions”).
First off, the whole story was written in a way that makes Stephanie Ramey the victim of discrimination. What she needs to do, along with the writer of this story and whoever else believes the OMAS classes are discriminating, is open her eyes. If you want to know what discrimination is, everyone should read the article that was juxtaposed right along with this article on the front page regarding the discrimination that is instilled within the College of Education.
Students of color are being subjected to race discrimination every day in our classrooms. I hear from them the harassment they face from peers regarding their entire ethnic makeup — their names, their skin color, their cultures.
Students of color are picked on not only by teachers but also by fellow peers simply because they stand out from the majority. I experience this as well. The race discrimination we face extends well beyond the University campus; our world is instilled with race discrimination.
Stephanie Ramey, along with the writer of the article, doesn’t have to ever experience what students of color go through because she is the majority; she doesn’t ever have to think, feel or experience the things people of
color experience.
Students of color need an environment where they feel they can be addressed and feel comfortable. Jared Paben, Stephanie Ramey and the rest of you who believe OMAS classes are discriminating are trying to cut down the foundation we are trying to build for students of color to progress in school and life.
Jeffrey Boyce lives in Eugene