Tonight’s gala to honor minority graduates is sending the wrong signal. Such events will only foster more problems between the races at NIU—the least being misunderstanding, the most hatred.

Knowing that racism is often presumed to be the underlying reason for disagreement between people of different color, it’s difficult to fault the organizations involved. After all, on the surface, the celebration is nothing more than honoring those students who arguably had a more difficult path to travel in order to get a college education by virtue of economic and social disadvantages.

But taking a closer look will raise some eyebrows.

Like although the reception for minorities is open to all students, no other minority groups were officially invited.

While reporters conducted interviews for the story, sources said the reception was for black students. Later they called back to clarify that the event was for minority students.

Signs promoting the event specify black students, denoting the race in a bolder type than the other letters.

Students walking through this ceremony will wear a black, red and green tassel to symbolize unity. That translates into a separate function to promote unity, a concept that seems to run at odds with each other.

By the way, red, black and green symbolize black heritage.

There are other disturbing aspects, but all of the above mean nothing. What is downright scary is what an event like this can do to NIU.

It is obvious that NIU’s black students wanted to have a separate celebration. There’s nothing wrong with that. College departments do it all the time.

But it is deceitful to orchestrate a celebration for black students, giving out certificates and small awards, and guise it with open-arm fanfare.

Who is paying for the Holmes Student Center room? Who is paying for the certificates and small gifts? How many other costs are there to this?

This is a university-endorsed celebration for black students, not all students. Everyone else taking classes at NIU is invited to watch, not participate—an ironic fact because one of the reasons for the ceremony and reception is to promote unity.

Unity for whom? Black students supposedly are united already. So too, supposedly, are white, hispanic, asian, Jewish, Iranian, Iraqi, Irish, Italian, Polish, … . There’s not enough room for the list.

This isn’t a denunciation for black students joining together to celebrate college graduation—one of the greatest moments in a person’s life. But functions should be billed as what they actually are.

This function is wrong. It only will serve to strengthen the walls the NIU community should be so feverishly working to tear down.

There already exists resentment between the races. Long memories about enslavement and unequal opportunities push some to feel they are owed something. Unofficial quotas and fears of being labeled racist push others toward resentment. Neither is totally true.

What would happen if the tables were turned? It’s on old and overused argument, but the point is still valid: If this was for whites, caps and gowns would be hitting the fan.