Editorial: Don't hate
Issue date: 10/8/09 Section: Editorial/Opinion
10/8/09 - Bravo to the University of Rhode Island's Theatre Department for bringing the powerful tale of Matthew Shepard to campus.
Shepard, a gay college student, was murdered in 1998 because of his sexuality. A play that details his experience is premiering in theatres next week around the world, including the one right here at URI. Not to mention, admission is free to students and the general public.
Regardless of one's opinion on the wrongs or rights of a specific sexual orientation, committing hate crimes is unacceptable and can range from violent encounters to offensive graffiti.
According to URI Police's 2008 Cleary Act Report, a series of statistics that shows what types of crimes have been committed on campus from 2004-07, a hate crime is defined as, "any crime motivated by bigotry and bias, including, but not limited to threatened, or completed acts that appear after investigation to have been racial, religious, ethnic, sexual orientation, gender or disability prejudice."
The most recent data indicates that URI hasn't received any reports of hate crimes. Though, that does not speak for crimes that went unreported.
According to a report issued by the University of Arkansas, though the number of hate crimes might seem miniscule, the issue is still prevalent. The report states that, "almost one million college students experience racially or ethnically motivated violence annually."
The report continues that these low numbers of incidents may have something to do with the difficulty of proving that an offensive or violent act is actually a hate crime. In addition, a campus' fear of "bad publicity" might hinder police as labeling a crime as a hate crime. Hopefully that is not the case at URI.
Though this year's Diversity Week is officially over as of Tuesday, it's important to keep the spirit of embracing different cultures and ideals alive. Students should not forget that it's easy to develop a prejudice against a group of people different from themselves. Be it based on stereotypes or an unfortunate encounter with a member someone who has a different look, a different culture or a different belief, tolerance needs to become a priority for all.
Though Shepard's story is graphic and will likely be disturbing for some, it should not deter students from seeking the truth.
Reading about his experience, and those of other victims, can be a progressive tool. It's often said that knowledge is power, especially in a university setting. And in this case, it's especially true.
Shepard, a gay college student, was murdered in 1998 because of his sexuality. A play that details his experience is premiering in theatres next week around the world, including the one right here at URI. Not to mention, admission is free to students and the general public.
Regardless of one's opinion on the wrongs or rights of a specific sexual orientation, committing hate crimes is unacceptable and can range from violent encounters to offensive graffiti.
According to URI Police's 2008 Cleary Act Report, a series of statistics that shows what types of crimes have been committed on campus from 2004-07, a hate crime is defined as, "any crime motivated by bigotry and bias, including, but not limited to threatened, or completed acts that appear after investigation to have been racial, religious, ethnic, sexual orientation, gender or disability prejudice."
The most recent data indicates that URI hasn't received any reports of hate crimes. Though, that does not speak for crimes that went unreported.
According to a report issued by the University of Arkansas, though the number of hate crimes might seem miniscule, the issue is still prevalent. The report states that, "almost one million college students experience racially or ethnically motivated violence annually."
The report continues that these low numbers of incidents may have something to do with the difficulty of proving that an offensive or violent act is actually a hate crime. In addition, a campus' fear of "bad publicity" might hinder police as labeling a crime as a hate crime. Hopefully that is not the case at URI.
Though this year's Diversity Week is officially over as of Tuesday, it's important to keep the spirit of embracing different cultures and ideals alive. Students should not forget that it's easy to develop a prejudice against a group of people different from themselves. Be it based on stereotypes or an unfortunate encounter with a member someone who has a different look, a different culture or a different belief, tolerance needs to become a priority for all.
Though Shepard's story is graphic and will likely be disturbing for some, it should not deter students from seeking the truth.
Reading about his experience, and those of other victims, can be a progressive tool. It's often said that knowledge is power, especially in a university setting. And in this case, it's especially true.
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