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LEFT WING LOONS Title: College-Distributed Advice on Race Discussions Divides Students At the close of a semester that saw a surge in racial tensions on college campuses nationwide, Harvard outfitted a number of dining halls with laminated guides printed with what purports to be advice for students discussing issues related to race and diversity with family members, but that some undergraduates decried as telling them what to think politically. Adapted from a similar guide published by an activist group called Showing Up for Racial Justice, the placemats address controversial topics including student activism about race at Yale and other colleges, the debate over whether the U.S. should welcome Syrian refugees, and Harvards recent decision to change the title of its House master position. Last week, the College outfitted a number of dining halls with laminated placemats described as "[guides] for holiday discussions on race and justice with loved ones." Aaron I. Henricks 16 said he found the publication of the placemats by an official Harvard office beyond inappropriate and arrogant, criticizing their one-sided presentation of highly debateable subjects. The placemats offer a single response to each proposed question. Dubbed Holiday Placemat for Social Justice and described as a placemat guide for holiday discussions on race and justice with loved ones, the placemats pose hypothetical statements on those topics and offer a response to each of those in a question and answer format. For example, under a section entitled Yale/Student Activism, the placemat poses the question, Why are Black students complaining? Shouldnt they be happy to be in college? and suggests that students respond by saying, When I hear students expressing their experiences on campus I dont hear complaining. In the center of the placemat are what it calls tips for talking to families, with recommendations such as Listen mindfully before formulating a thoughtful response and Breathe. Adapted from a similar guide published by an activist group called Showing Up for Racial Justice, the placemats address controversial topics including student activism about race at Yale and other colleges and the debate over whether the U.S. should welcome Syrian refugees. The placemats are endorsed by Harvard administrators. The product of a collaboration between the Colleges Office for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and the Freshman Deans Office, the placemats first appeared in Annenberg last week. Jasmine M. Waddell, the freshman resident dean for Elm Yard, described the placemats goal as giving freshmen strategies for discussing those issues with their families over winter break. This is a way to say, Youve been exposed to a lot of different ideas, and particularly in this moment when theres a lot of discussion about various topics, youre going to go home and you may or may not be able to speak the same language, Waddell said. Its not that you have to believe in whats on the placemat, but it gives you some tools to be able to have productive conversations. Waddell added that the Freshman Deans Office decided against emailing the placemats directly to students, instead installing them in Annenberg without comment as a piece of passive programming. Some students, such as Ivraj S. Seerha 19, praised the placemats and their stances; other were not so positive. Aaron I. Henricks 16 said he found the publication of the placemats by an official Harvard office beyond inappropriate and arrogant, criticizing their one-sided presentation of highly debateable subjects. The placemats offer a single response to each proposed question. I dont think thats the place of any Harvard employee to tell students the right way to think about the Syrian refugee crisis. Thats ridiculous to me, Henricks said, referencing a statement on the placemat that reads Racial justice involves welcoming Syrian refugees. Emelyn A. dela Peña, the Colleges assistant dean of student life for equity, diversity, and inclusion, said the placemats do not express any official positions of the College. Still, she said their recommendations are in line with recent statements Harvard administrators have made in support of students of color. Weve expressed support for black students on campus very visibly, for Muslim students during a time thats difficult for them, and the House masters themselves voted to change their title, dela Peña said. I think the sentiments in the placemat are in line with the spirit of things that have been expressed to students. Dela Peña also maintained that they are not forcing students to hold any one opinion. Its not about stifling opinion, but about giving us a starting point, dela Peña said. Some students might not find it helpful, and thats OK too. But if theyre sparking dialogue across campus or even just in the dining hall, I think weve done a good job by helping students to have difficult conversations. Dean of Freshmen Thomas A. Dingman 67 acknowledged that some statements on the placemats, such as the one on Syria, may be controversial, but said others, like the quadrant defending Yale student activists, were more rooted in fairness than politics. Waddell, too, maintained that the placements are residential education but not indoctrination. Dela Peña said she received positive feedback on the placemats from freshmen like Seerha, prompting her to forward them to the masters of Harvards 12 undergraduate residential Houses. A number of Houses, including Dunster, Currier, and Mather, elected to print the placemats or display them on television screens in their dining halls. 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#1. To: cranky (#0)
Of course not. It's just coincidence that all the suggested responses are far left.
"Listen mindfully before formulating a thoughtful response" doesn't sound "far left" to me. It sounds sensible, actually.
Nor to me. But the suggested response sure does.
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