9/11 display at Willkie angers some

A bulletin board meant to raise awareness in Willkie Quad has left some students angry, saying that it's offensive.\nThe board, a collage of articles, columns and information about the recent targeting of certain students on campus and other nationwide events, will be the center of a discussion at 7 p.m. tonight, entitled "Can you be proud to be an American without excluding those who aren't." The talk, hosted by the CommUNITY Education Program, will be held in Willkie's center building and is a forum where students can come and discuss their feelings.\n"One of the goals of higher education is to develop critical thinking skills and this should be true of all activities associated with the institution," said Barry Magee, director of the CUE Program. "It is important that we are critically examining topics related to diversity and the diverse human experience. We want to help students find their own voice and to get involved in their local, regional, and international communities."\nSenior Emily Roth created the board to help raise awareness of diversity issues. She's received both positive and negative feedback from students who have viewed the board.\n"The boards were not meant to take a political stance, but rather to encourage students to talk, question, and think analytically about our country's response to Sept. 11," Roth said. "It was also to think and talk about possible violations of civil liberties and the targeting of certain groups."\nStudents have posted positive comments on the board lauding Roth's attempt to shed light on these controversial issues.\nBut some passing by the boards have found the material on the board offensive, expressing their views on a comment sheet posted alongside the board. One student wrote in response to an article about Global Relief Fund, a Muslim charity that has been accused of raising money to support al Qaeda.\n"Our president has frozen assets of the GRF because they backed terror against Americans," one student wrote. "My father was injured on Sept. 11, and I'm … proud to be an American."\nThe bulletin board is decorated with the backdrop of an American Flag, with a question mark created from red streamers in the center of the flag. The board's bold headline reads "What is an American?"\nThree identical boards are on display at Willkie. Two are located in each of the towers, and the third is placed in the center building.\nTo present how students have been affected on IU's campus, Roth also posted the reports from the Racial Incidents Team that describes incidents from last year where students were targeted because of their Muslim or Arabic descent.\nA few of these situations included a message on a pick-up truck -- "Death to Arafat, Death to Arabs, Death to Muslims." Another involved a message on a dry erase board in a residence hall slating the words -- "Turn the Middle East to dust, make them bathe in blood."\nThese incidents on IU's campus have perpetuated the importance for the CUE program to raise certain discussions.\nJonathan Rossing, diversity education specialist and CUE supervisor, realizes that issues surrounding diversity tend to generate emotionally-charged responses, and believes programs like tonight's are a good way to raise discussions.\n"Many diversity concerns are closely linked to strong feelings, thereby creating emotional responses or controversy -- These responses serve to illustrate one of the reasons why conversations about diversity issues are so vital," Rossing said. "But it is through expression of our feelings that we are able to develop a compassionate respect and understanding of all people"