Have you ever heard about the "Butterfly Effect"? It's a phenomenon based on chaos theory that says various outcomes can be based on the smallest changes. One popular perspective on this belief is that a butterfly flapping its wings today can cause a hurricane in the following months. Of course, something as tiny as a butterfly can't cause something as massive as a natural disaster—that's imaginative; however, real-life implications are not. Actions have consequences, good and bad, and can, directly and indirectly, affect the lives of many; it only takes one single event to create ideas of the future for all. The recent events at OU concerning racism are troubling and unwelcomed within our campus. Under no circumstances is blackface or the n-word acceptable in these times. As a community of individuals coming from diverse, and unique backgrounds, it's a shame that these disasters occurred twice—in one week.
"I'm not surprised. Nothing has changed. This is cultural appropriation, and it's BS," an OU senior tells me. She witnessed Sigma Alpha Epsilon crumble down after their racist chant back in 2015 first hand and is indignant about the lack of tolerance on this campus. She also mentions that the diversity training mandatory for incoming freshmen and first-year students isn't enough to combat racism in OU. In addition, she also criticized how President Gallogly handled the situation concerning the blackface Snapchat; she believes that there should have been no tolerance whatsoever and that the girls' punishment of giving them the option to leave and apologize was too easy on them.
Cece Tullis, a leader of the Black Student Association, believes that there needs to be a big push for the OU administration to create a "tangible and viable option to discipline students in regard to racial slurs and hate speech." She believes that the policies concerning academic integrity are stricter than the racial policies implemented now. "We feel like they're going to greater lengths to protect those students than they are to protect students of color on a day-to-day basis," Cece states. In addition, she wishes for the campus to see more examples of faculty and staff of diverse demographics and more diverse curriculum materials, if we as a university are going to prove ourselves on diversity and inclusion.
"Remaining silent is also being a problem," Dylan Webb tells me. He believes that white people, including himself, should recognize and assist black students in creating the change that they deserve. He sees examples of racism on a constant basis, and it makes him uneasy. In addition, Dylan believes that learning and moving forward is part of the process, but especially not forgetting these moments; taking action in communities, the future workplaces, and future homes are important.
Change is important, but it takes time to nurture and grow. As a community, we need to work together to ensure the respect of our values and our fellow students of all colors. Actions create ripples that influence many to react; all that it takes is one spark for all to see.
