Politics from the Palouse to Puget Sound

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Demanding an Investigation into Racism at WSU

We are use to hearing people contacting the media anytime something happens to a minority individual here in Pullman. There was an article that talked about recent firings at WSU, but what was not talked about was the underlying racism that is obviously taking place at WSU.

According to the article in the Daily News Al Jamison, a ten year administrator; Lavon Frazier, a member of the "Quarter-Century Club" (people working for the university for 25 years; and Lynn Hulett all received their walking papers.

What needs to be investigated is that all the people getting fired are white, and those replacing them are minorities. The ONLY explanation is that racism is taking root in the French Ad, and that those who are white, very possibly can be fire next due to their race.

Take this rant how you would like. Maybe it was tongue-in-cheek, maybe I hit a nerve. I would love to hear about it.

4 comments:

The Red Knight (aka, Dr. Know) said...

Scotty, I think your rant is well founded. Do you remember an article that appeared on the front page of the Daily Evergreen earlier in this semester talking about this Fall's enrollment? They spoke about the high minority enrollment at WSU as if it was the best thing to happen to the school since it's birth. It the school is so incredibly focused on minority students, then why not on minority employees as well?

I keep thinking about this institutional form of racism largely due to my plans to go to medical school. Med school is competitive enough as it is. But current law requires that they can only have a certain percentage of white males (that's me) accepted!

I'd hate to think that perfectly qualified students are kept out of med school due to the color of their skin and their sex.

Bruce Heimbigner said...

I'm not making any comment on the abilities of any particular old white WSU administrator, but there is much positive to be said about clearing out the chaff. Hopefully the new hires are well qualified and can think 'outside of the box' that has been holding back WSU for, well, 25 years.

BTW blogspot is too smart for it's own good, I'm waiting for my flight out of here in Thailand and blogspot 'knows' that and puts everthing except the posts in THAI. so I have to guess on the 'buttons'

Barenjager said...

I have to go with Bruce on this one. At least one of the firings was well deserved and another was only surprising in that it didn't happen sooner.

Remember, these folks were "at will" employees and the President has every right to make these changes with no reason given. Guard against behaving like a bunch of congressional Democrats and turning this into a US Attorney firing kind of thing.

Michael said...

I know nothing about the qualifications of replacements, but I am pleased to learn that we have a president willing to trim away deadwood. I've seen too much of incompetent people left in place or simply shifted into make work positions where the linger, drawing undeserved paychecks until retirement.