Racism, Sexism on UWM Campus... no way?!?!

I am not sure if you all have been keeping up with the news on campus so I thought this would be a great opportunity to not only inform you but also encourage you all to get involved. If you read the UWM Post you will only begin to understand the frustration that many UWM students are facing. The Speaker of the Senate, Kyle Duerstein, was recently accused of being racist, sexist, as well as homophobic. These accusations were backed with quotes he had said in his blog as well as the approach he has taken in his position as Speaker of the Senate over the last few years.

“Maybe if blacks started behaving with some candor and class and stopped doing things that cause the cops to shoot them, THEY'D STOP GETTING SHOT! Holy hell, what concept?” (Panther Talk Live, Jan 14, 2006)

As well as

“Sara Dekeuster ought be [sic] raped today. And after that, she ought be [sic] raped tomorrow, by someone else…she might be killed by her attacker. Maybe then, she’ll get it, and if not, she’ll be dead, and the world will be a less f***ed up place.” (Village Voice, July 11, 2006)

These are only a few of the quotes grabbed from his blog with this expression of hate and racism. Now although he has the right to freedom of speech, being the Speaker of the Senate he is the voice for all UWM students. Do you want this person to represent you or the diverse University of UWM? Kyle Duerstein, the Speaker of the Student Association Senate is paid by UWM $6,500 of your student money. Also the speaker of the senate has a large impact on the $10 million that is spent on student groups and resources at UWM. Right now there is a collation being formed to take care of this increasing issue of racism, hate and discrimination established in the UWM Senate, and now I ask you to be part of that. Our first meeting was last night and another is in the process of being planned. Throughout the next week on campus keep your ears and mind open for more information on this collation. You can also join the Facebook group “UWM Students and Faculty for Respect and Equality.” I know there are always two sides to a story and I don’t want you all to think I am attacking Kyle, all I am doing is trying to make an effort to get rid of the racism and hate on our University as well as in our community. The saddest fact is that this is still an issue, especially on such a diverse campus.