I would like to explain how it is for me to come to NIU. I’m hard of hearing. Obviously, it’s not always easy for me to meet people. I’ve noticed that when I meet white people, half the time they tend to look at the floor and mumble. But the black people are the easiest people for me to meet. They look at me in the eye and speak up. When someone can look at you in the eye, that demonstrates he’s a man. Therefore, I look upon the brothers as men.

I don’t see the separation around campus as a separation of black and white. To me, it’s a separation of the men from the boys; the women from the girls. Ask yourself: are you mature enough to meet people different from you?

I’m not calling all white people kids; but there does seem to be a disproportionate number of children on campus. One example is that attack on a black man performed by white boys. I would hope the men around campus don’t stoop to the level of boys. They’re too good for that.

Many people have attempted to say the attack was not racially motivated. I would like to ask all those white people who claim this, “How do you know?” Many of you state this without the facts. Many of you stated this before you had a chance to find out the facts. Are you attempting to discover facts? Or are you trying to shuffle problems under the carpet?

To be racist, you must be two things: stupid and mean. Even if the attack was not racially motivated, the people who performed the assault are still stupid and mean. These people should not be at an institution for higher learning. They should be in kindergarten. I learned in kinderarten not to hit, and to be fair. Even if fighting was an acceptable way to settle disputes, two or three boys against one man is not fair.

The one thing that bothers me is even if those boys who performed the attack are brought to justice, the worst thing that can happen to them is suspension. New rules or new punishments are called for.

Burton Kent

Sophomore

Pre-business