Courtney Bishop, know your role

I'm a bit surprised that it took one week for Courtney Bishop to contest his removal from the Little 500 activities (front page, Jan. 13). The IUSF acted properly to remove a person whose desire to improve diversity in the Little 500 was done so at the expense of the students that he professes to care so much about, even going as far as branding them liars.\nEven now, Mr. Bishop seems to have no problem inflating his role, claiming to be the sole entity for creating diversity in the Little 500. He mentioned Team Mezlca, leaving readers with the impression that before his arrival in 2002, Hispanic teams were non-existent in the Little 500 race. In fact Team Mezcla participated in the 1996, '97 and '98 races. While it is important to instill passion for one's cause, it's more important to do so in a truthful manner.\nTo many, Mr. Bishop used his premise of diversity not as a tool of understanding but instead to foster an atmosphere of divisiveness, accusing anyone who questioned his motives and methods, of trying to undermine the cause of diversity at IU -- a cause that to many, was secondary to his desire to have a high profile for himself at IU.\nHowever, most troubling are the comments made by Vice President for Student Development and Diversity Charles Nelms in Friday's IDS (front page, Jan. 20); especially considering his position just one week prior. In the original article regarding Mr. Bishop, Dr. Nelms "concluded last semester that IUSF would be more capable of making a decision" regarding the matter and stated that "he thought the decision was fair and is looking forward to continued diversity representation in the race." One has to wonder exactly what has occurred in the time between his statement last week and his current feeling which "expressed disappointment about the lack of due process". \nWith Mr. Bishop out of the spotlight, the focus of Little 500 can return to the riders, where it rightly belongs. Unnecessary and unhealthy distractions will diminish and everyone will benefit, through a true spirit of cooperation and shared experiences.