The findings in a USA Today poll printed in The Northern Star last week are startling.

The survey was conducted by the University of Chicago showed that in a national poll of almost 1,400 white people more than 50 percent have negative feelings toward black people.

One only can hope the statistics do not truly reflect the societal norm in white circles. It is difficult to understand how people today might still have these negative attitudes toward each other, but unfortunately, it is not surprising.

There is one point, however, that needs to be made clear. This poll was conducted on a national level and printed on page designated for national news in the Star.

Days previous to its appearance at NIU, the graph was published in newspapers across the country including The Washington Post and The Chicago Tribune. But the information apparently went unnoticed and did not cause an uprising until now.

Since similar research has not been done at NIU, it is difficult to say whether the USA Today’s findings hold true.

What is safe to say, however, is that this information should not be used as more fuel to the fire in separating races on this campus.

If anything, the statistics show that much more still must be done to bring people together. No matter what racial category people fit into, if they don’t like the numbers, change them. If people don’t work together in this and stop yelling at one another, nothing can be accomplished.