Letters to the Editor

Service campaign needs community

Whereas many of you may know me as a representative in the student government here at Vassar, but today I would like to address an issue that is very important to me as a resident of Dutchess County and transcends my affiliations with the College.

Dutchess County has a variety of humanitarian crises to resolve. Many distinguished agencies work each day to help address issues such as poverty, domestic violence, affordable housing, basic needs provision and youth services. The United Way is a collaborative funding provider that brings together the private and public sectors to deal with these problems. It helps link local business to human service agencies; the organization also engages politicians, not-for-profit leaders and other members of the community.

In 2001, Vassar College severed ties with the United Way of Dutchess County, which is arguably one of the most effective tools of collaboration in the region. The basis for separation was that the College wanted to commit itself to a non-discriminatory policy of giving. United Way once gave funding to the Boy Scouts, which, according to the Community Works Web site, “retains its legal right to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.” In 2005, the United Way of Dutchess County chose to sever its ties with the Boy Scouts.

United Way policy is now such that “no United Way program can discriminate against any individual based upon age, race, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, military status, sex, disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, or material status. Any program which does so is by default not eligible for United Way funding.”

Taking a stand against injustice is the right thing to do in any situation. Maintaining a policy of non-collaboration even after the United Way has done its soul-searching is foolish. Vassar College would be wise to reintegrate itself into the wider web of community that is represented and embodied by the United Way Campaign. Many of the agencies covered by Community Works are also covered, or have been covered, by the United Way. By establishing an entity separate from the basic organ that the rest of our community (including Marist College, a prominent leader in the campaign) uses to help those who less fortunate, Vassar continues to manifest itself as an isolated and, dare I say, elitist, institution. Non-participation is inimical to the development of wider community relations.

I do not advocate for Vassar to end its Community Works Campaign. I do, however, suggest that Vassar consider contributing those parts of its Community Works dollars that go to United Way agencies to the United Way Campaign. Only when we work together can we begin to address the most fundamental human services crises within our community.

In the meantime, I urge students to consider the alternative to Community Works. Giving can be done to the United Way online at unitedwaydutchess.org/GiveHelp.htm.

—Jimmy Kelly ’09, Vassar Student Association Vice President of Activities

Costumes insensitive to diversity

With the Halloween party taking place immediately after the discovery of the noose in Jewett House, I would have assumed that everyone would be more conscious of their choice of costume. But it seemed racism and offensiveness were more likely to appear at the event than any ghoul or ghost.

My friends and I managed to spot several people with “Rastafarian Hats,” a number of people dressed as other black stereotypes, an entire troupe of students pretending to be Amerindian and several stereotypes from different groups in Asia. I truly don’t understand why anyone would think that being a racist, sexist or otherwise caricaturing a group of people is a good idea. Vassar is supposed to be a progressive bastion, yet the students have a lot of trouble acknowledging their own privilege.

Just because one is physically able to dress as something so offensive does not mean one should do so. I personally feel that as members of an institution that claims to be an open, safe place, we should know better. In my hometown in the Deep South, where not a single person would ever proclaim themselves as “enlightened” as Vassar students routinely do, no one would ever show up at a school function dressed as a caricature of a person of color. This is not because they have some higher standards, but because they interact with people of color everyday. Also, the outside world is a place where being offensive can lead to real consequences.

Therefore, I hope next time there is a costume party, people use their heads. Dressing offensively isn’t cute, and it isn’t funny. There is no reason to be offensive and reinforce the stereotypes of a white supremacist society.
—Royce Drake ’10