Letter to the editor: Civic Duty: A Response to ‘A Call For Political Neutrality’
Editor’s Note: To submit a response to this column, or submit a letter to the editor on a new topic, email your submission to opinion@usustatesman.com.
In a recent edition of the Statesman, a letter to the editor was published on behalf of three individuals calling for political neutrality from the University. In the letter, Thomas Young, Jared Young, and Karson Thompson condemn Utah State University for a recent email sent to students that admonished systemic racism and vowed to combat “generations of inequity.” In their letter, the three claim that it is the duty of a publicly funded university “not to take a stand on political or controversial subjects especially one as groundless as systemic racism.” The letter continues to say that such a statement from the university “supports the notion that those of us who are not minorities, by default, oppress and discriminate against all others who are.”
The statements of their letter are misguided. First, it is not the duty of a public university to remain independent on issues that may be controversial. This idea, known as the middle ground fallacy, has allowed for a number of injustices in our nation’s history. Just because a statement is controversial does not make it any more or less true. The purpose of a public research institution is to discover truth and publish that truth for the benefit of our communities. Since systemic racism is an objective fact that is often researched by universities, it is the duty of academia to shed light on such an injustice and condemn it where necessary. To withhold the truth or hold our tongue is to fail to do our job as a premier public research institution.
Most embarrassing in these gentlemen’s letter, however, is the attempt to place themselves as victims. These individuals seem to believe that the university’s admonishment of systemic racism threatens their status and way of life. They seem to be afraid that if society opens its eyes to the institutional systems in place that unconsciously support white Americans at the expense of blacks, that they may not look as good for their accomplishments, or worse, they may have to work harder to achieve the same things. This serves as a direct response to you, Thomas Young and friends, to recognize your duty as educated members of the academic community. Discover the truth and you will discover that generations of racism has caused a discreetly racist system of rules and authority in our deeply divided nation, and that these disparities have contributed to the numerous disadvantages black Americans face in their waking life. Before criticizing our university for doing its job, you ought take a step back and examine your own values and why you hold them.
– Nick Sauer
Nick is a Junior from Indianapolis, Indiana studying Biology and Philosophy.