Our view: Unequal treatment of student groups a quiet problem

Students wear different hats. They can be members of the student media organization, athletes, artists and politicians at the same time.

As members of multiple groups, we have noticed the inequality between the way students and faculty members treat these different organizations. It’s a problem.

There are a number of reasons why this occurs. First off, people are creatures of habit. They don’t like change until after it’s happened. If someone questions a policy or procedure, the answer is frequently, “This is how we’ve always done it.” Another reason for unfair treatment is that people hold onto grudges. We’ve all been guilty of this, and often rather than assigning a bad experience to a person or specific situation, the negative stereotype is permanently linked by the offended to the organization, which an individual once represented, even years after an unpleasant encounter.

It’s not fair that just because some organizations are smaller, they are considered less important. It is not right that some organizations have been shoved into a stereotype because of things that happened in the past. Though members of these organizations may turn the other cheek, try to put on a brave face or even attempt to repair the damage that’s been done, the problem does not go away.

The goals of individuals associated with this university ought to be synonymous with what’s written on USU’s President’s Office webpage. People here should be “student-centered ” and meet goals “by cultivating diversity of thought and culture.” We should reevaluate the reasons behind what we do or don’t allow. We need to ask ourselves if what we do is motivated by our mission statement.

As a Student Media organization, we want to get the real stories out. We want to include balanced articles that show the voices of those who too often are ignored by those hired to represent them. We hope those who see injustices will voice concerns in as many outlets as possible.

Talk with student and administrative leaders, and please talk with us.