Issue:

A derogatory message targeted a student earlier this month. That’s not acceptable.

Imagine walking back to your residence hall after a long day of responsibilities. 

You walk through the hallway slowly. As you approach your door, you find a derogatory message written there — the place you call home.

That remark follows you through the doorframe, clouding your thoughts into the evening.

It follows you the next day as you walk out of your hall and into your first class. And the next class. And the next class. And into the next day.

The remark follows you as you’re sitting across from university and campus police officials. 

You are forced to relive the moment someone dehumanized your entire existence. Everything you believe and everything you stand for.

That happened to Tanner Johnson. He wasn’t the first and he probably won’t be the last.

Johnson faced a derogatory message written on his residence hall door. The message targeted his sexuality and the LGBTQ+ community.

That is why we, at The Collegian, believe it is imperative that preventative actions are taken to encourage a more tolerant and accepting campus at South Dakota State University.

We recognize the steps the university must take to become a respectful campus, but they won’t be effective unless there is a desire for change.

College is where you come to learn and to grow, to push yourself and your ideas, to influence conversation for others and allow change for yourself.

But for this change to happen, there are many things this university can do. There is a standard that discrimination will not be tolerated — the problem is that it isn’t always enforced. 

The first thing university officials should do to remedy this issue and create a more accepting campus is provide visible support for diverse groups.

In the residence hall Johnson lives in, they will be having a “mandatory” meeting and similar mandatory meetings are being held across campus. Although having these meetings will encourage conversation, it does not take away the fact this meeting is happening more than two weeks after the incident.

By having the discussion so far after the event, emotions have gone from a burning fire for most, to a small kindling. Although that is probably not true for Johnson, it is for many.

There should have been proactive discussions to all incoming and current students instead of reactionary meetings encouraged by university officials.

And the conversation shouldn’t stop there. 

There can be public discussion groups, a campus-wide survey to understand the need or want for diversity education and a possible common read topic. There can be more education for all community assistants on how to be proactive in these situations, rather than having to react. 

The university as a whole can take a stance that all people deserve to and will be treated with respect.

Take a stand against hateful crimes like this one that degrade people.

When regular people don’t stand up, when a university doesn’t make it loud and clear that no kind of harassment is allowed, when people are silent and don’t take any stance — that is taking the side of the oppressor and perpetuating the issue.

President Barry Dunn said diversity is one of his key goals as SDSU’s new president in his inauguration speech. If this is his goal, we look forward to experiencing a more diverse campus and what can be accomplished.

But diversity regards all people, not just race. Diversity is more than statistics on a paper or promotional pictures taken with two racially diverse students.

Diversity includes actions taken to support those in diverse communities, and that’s the only way this university will truly become diverse and accepting.

Stance: 

South Dakota State officials need to take more preventative actions to encourage a more tolerant and accepting campus.

 The Collegian staff meets weekly and agrees on the issue of the editorial.

The editorial represents the opinion of The Collegian.