It’s been a over a month since white nationalist speaker Ben Shapiro visited the University of Utah. Things haven’t been the same since, and the campus community hasn’t stopped for a moment to consider why.
The impacts of this even on marginalized students have been devastating. Students have been shown time and time again that their safety and well-being do not matter, and that the University of Utah’s campus remains hostile.
Imagine your university hosting a hateful and discriminatory speaker that actively dehumanizes your existence. Imagine going to class that day, fearful of violent protestors and seeing SWAT members and helicopters on campus.
Ben Shapiro’s event on campus has empowered even more hate speech on campus, which can be seen through the racial slur spray painted on to our building just recently. Students of color do not feel safe on campus with the rise of white nationalism, especially in the ways it has reached our campus.
The University of Utah administration has always advocated for a policy of diversity and inclusion, yet fails to respond properly to threats on student safety and well-being. When met with an event like this, the University of Utah should’ve denied him a platform to speak. It isn’t a question of what the university couldn’t do, but wouldn’t.
These policies have been largely reactionary rather than preventative, and do little to foster a culture of inclusion when they rely on students to protest injustices. The University of Utah relies on student protests to guide our diversity policy, yet fails to enact real change that students of color can count on.
The University of Utah is a member of the Salt Lake community, and needs to step up its commitment to inclusion. Students of color at the University of Utah deserve an intellectual community that will keep them safe. Our community needs to take a stand against the rising tide of hate.
Heidi Qin is a master’s student in the Education Culture and Society program at the University of Utah.