While April 1 is often known for its jokes and pranks, fliers posted in residence halls and around campus in the early hours of April Fools' Day drew varied responses from within the Boston College community that caused University officials to take action. Five different fliers with forged Office of the Dean of Student Development (ODSD) approval stamps were placed in elevators, around dining halls, and throughout BC, and attempted to satirize several current campus issues.
Most of the fliers dealt with neutral issues, including the listserv incident and proposed "shuttle bus passes," but one, titled "Black Baby Petting Zoo," crossed a controversial line in the eyes of the school.
The flier featured a photo of black children, and said students could skip service trips and "satisfy your need to cleanse your whiteness" while staying at BC. The ODSD was notified of the fliers and worked with the BC Police Department and ResLife to remove them before most students were up for their first class.
After some detective work by the BCPD and information from a resident assistant, six sophomores were found to be involved in the postings. the ODSD is currently meeting with the students before taking further action.
The controversial flier has been called offensive and racist by some due to its prominent headline and photo. Dean of the Office of Student Development Paul Chebator said he had talked to some of the students involved, which he described as a "racially diverse group," and they had said they had not meant to be offensive.
"Their motivation, as [one student] explained it to me, was a social critique of people who go on service trips and come back and forget about social justice issues," Chebator said. "They were just not thinking about the consequences of it or how inflammatory it could be."
Chebator said that the students initiated a letter of apology to be published in The Heights (see Letters, A6) to address the BC community, but that further disciplinary action was still pending.
Brian
posted 4/06/08 @ 5:09 PM EST
BC strikes (out) again.
Racism at BC is no April Fool's joke.