Once again, NIU has made news in the Midwest about racial tensions on campus, but apparently university officials have forgotten that in the United States one is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Sigma Chi fraternity was suspended for the acts of a few of its members on Nov. 20. The group performed a skit in which the members parodied on the music of the Temptations, in blackface, shower caps and Afro wigs.

Jon Dalton, vice president for student affairs at NIU, said officials suspended the fraternity after students and others in the audience complained that the skit was racist.

Such complaints should be handled quickly, but the fraternity also should have a right to due process before being suspended or sanctioned. The right to due process should be guaranteed regardless of the nature of the charges.

NIU also should consider the legality of the sanctions it imposes for offensive expression. Racial slurs are extremely offensive, but nevertheless are protected by the First Amendment.

The distribution of Thunderbolt, a racially derogatory newspaper, also caused an uproar at NIU, but it too is protected by the Constitution.

The proper response to such actions is not to trample rights, but rather to use the same right of expression to offer an opposing view. The views espoused by Thunderbolt are fortunately in the minority.

NIU’s reponse toward the Sig Chi incident is all too common, both here and elsewhere. It seems the Constitution is ignored when charges of racism surface. The typical response is to throw away the rights of the accused and start a witch hunt.

The charge of racism in the 1980s is all too reminiscent of the charge of communism in the ‘50s. The ’80s equivalents to Sen. McCarthy are out to destroy the reputation of anyone accused of racism without any hearing.

Earlier this year, a few over zealous Chicago aldermen stormed a private showing of a caricature of the late mayor Harold Washington at the Art Institute. The alderman tore down the picture, a violation of the artist’s constitutional rights.

One of those aldermen was Robert Shaw who has now jumped in the bandwagon to accuse NIU of being racist in the decision to dismiss CHANCE counselor Martha Palmer. Even NIU deserves due process before state funds are withheld.

NIU’s bookstore was the victim of such charges last spring when four black students were stopped on suspicion of shoplifting. Student leaders and even Board of Regents member Clara Fitzpatrick were quick to conclude that the bookstore was guilty of racism. A committee who studied the incident during the entire semester concluded an insensitivity to blacks but not racism.

NIU can rest assured that it does not suffer from widespread racism and has not suffered from racial violence. Several incidents have occurred at NIU but have been the work of a few.

NIU does suffer from racial insensitivity and a poor response to the incidents that do happen. Such insensitivity is not surprising because many NIU students have never experienced an ethnically diverse neighborhood until coming here.

A better response to these incidents would be to do what NIU does best—educate. A required class about ethnic diversity in the United States would give white students a sensitivity they can’t get at home, and it certainly would be a more positive step than hurling accusations and starting witch hunts whenever an incident occurs.