Biased paper

I am writing this in response to all those who feel that the Star is justified in its reporting of all incidents and affairs on campus. I just transferred to NIU in the fall of 1991 and could not believe how biased the paper was. There have been many articles in the paper that I feel were racially biased. Let’s start with those that feel that the African-Americans were pulling “juvenile stunts” or “cheap theatrics” by tearing up the Star. As a fee paying African-American student, I feel that we had a right to retaliate by any means necessary to get our point across, that we don’t want our money to go toward a paper that relies on headlining the negative aspects of our lives. Granted, there are incidents in which African-Americans have done things that should have been covered by the media.

Yes, the Alphonso Knight incident was unfortunate and immediately led to talk of not allowing fraternities to have aftersets at the Wesley Foundation. That is an extreme measure which could not guarantee students’ safety and seeing that it happened at Grant Towers and not the site of the party, why not talk of closing the dorms? Right! It’s just at ludicrous as talking of discontinuing fraternity parties.

Now, let’s talk about the Maurice Thomas scandal. I understand that knowledge of the phone calls was blown out of proportion and should never have been brought to the public’s attention seeing that he had agreed to pay for them. I wonder how the information leaked to the press? The confidential memorandum that was sent to senate members was illegally put into open mailboxes. Even if Maurice did campaign illegally on the bus, how could the word of an executive adviser on the senate be more credible than Maurice’s, considering he was currently under investigation by I.A.C.? Things that make you go hmmm?

Maybe I’m blowing this out of proportion, but let me at least bring it to the attention of those who may not have noticed it, or forgotten about it by now. Bill Clinton’s picture appeared on the front page of the Star as Democratic winner in the primary presidential election, and even though Carol Moseley Braun won the senatorial election, third-place Al Hofeld’s picture appeared.

I hope there is no one on this campus stupid enough to deny that there are racial problems on this campus. I feel it is my duty as an African-American to tell Colleen King that “she” should go to another school if she felt that we had no right to express our opposition to the Star and that her level of education has far exceeded her knowledge of our constitutional rights. And to Mr. Nowobielski, if you feel that the “tearing” up of the Star was cheap theatrics, that is just “too damn bad for YOU!” We will do whatever we feel is necessary to have our voices heard, and resort to any theatrics that are legal and necessary to show that we as a people do not have to put up with the airs of racism that exist on this campus.

Trinia Tabb

Junior

Accounting