Changing shades for the fall

In the past, the Editorial Board has done some impressive work on feminism and gay rights. This semester we’ve written impressively in-depth coverage about the IU Student Association.

Now that this semester has ended we must wonder what issues the future editors, whoever those crazy broads are, will decide to sink their teeth into when some of us return in the fall. P.S. those crazy broads are Emma Wenninger and I.

And for the fall, let’s talk diversity. The Editorial Board is a diverse group of people. But what we have in sexual orientation, political and musical diversity, we lack in racial diversity. I think I’m one of three non-white columnists. I’m not complaining.

It’s actually convenient when I need a quick column. I can just say, “Let’s talk about being black this week. That’s something 95.3 percent of campus knows nothing about.” But I shouldn’t be the only one who can talk about black issues. In the Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies, there are more than 70 classes, ranging from African-American dance to a class about black liberation. These classes are open to all races. There are societies and clubs for blacks that are full of black people you can just go up and talk to. It is not difficult to find information on the struggles of black people or any minority, for that matter.

It should not take a person of that minority to discuss an issue concerning that minority. A person’s opinion should not be disregarded or discouraged just because he or she is not a minority. We are all human. We share this planet, this country, this state, this campus.

One community’s problem affects all the others, and we each have the right to speak up.

Another big issue at IU is the place of the international student population on our campus.

There were 8,293 international students enrolled throughout all IU campuses in fall 2013. The majority of these international students come from countries where their first language isn’t English. They must take an English proficiency test, and if you’re like me you’ve heard rumors about how pathetic the IU English proficiency test is. If these students don’t understand English as well as IU would like to pretend, it can affect them academically or get them in trouble with the law, as was the case of junior Qun Sun when the Office of International Services learned he was operating a business.

Small leaks can cause big problems, problems that could be easily avoided with an effective system. These students deserve a better administration that they can trust to take care of them during their stay in the United States. And we plan to be on it.

There are many other issues to complain about, but these are the two that I notice the most. And I look forward to delving deeper into these issues with a great staff of writers next fall.

­lnbanks@indiana.edu
@LexiaBanks