Staff Editorial
Big Brother ain't watching MSU

Want to steal something from MSU?
Go ahead. If no one sees you, you’re scot free.
Last year, someone walked out of the Fowler building with a computer. No one saw the person, so he/she now has a free computer. You can do the same thing. You just need to know where the surveillance cameras are not.
Don’t try anything foolish in Killingsworth or Sunwatcher Plaza because they are equipped with new digital surveillance cameras. Unless of course, they’re not working. Such was the case two weeks ago in Sunwatcher when someone snatched the stack of Wichitans.
Don’t try to take anything around the Clark Student Center information desk, computer lab, or the business office in Hardin. Big Brother’s watching these places.
Why is it that MSU lags in surveillance technology? Most of the cameras are old, analog systems and the tapes are recorded over weekly.
The surveillance videos aren’t being watched 24/7. In fact, the tapes will only be viewed if an illicit or illegal act has happened and can be pinpointed to a particular timeframe. What is the point in having these cameras if they’re not going to be used to their full advantage?
On Oct. 6, when the newspaper was stolen out of Clark Student Center, the tapes were recorded over in five days. When police were given clues last Friday, the surveillance video had already been taped over.
A similar situation happened at the University of Texas in Austin on Martin Luther King Jr. Day last year. The statue was pelted in eggs. Despite two cameras aimed toward the statue, UT police found them inoperable. No evidence could be gathered.
The new digital surveillance cameras at MSU are erased about every month. The analog surveillance cameras are recorded over every five days. With up to four or eight videos in one frame on an old tape “video quality can be so bad,” said Police Chief Michael Hagy.
The university has about 6,000 students plus property it needs to protect. According to police, there are no surveillance cameras in the parking lots. The MSU Police Blotter lists reported tire slashings and car vandalism. There are cameras outside McCullough-Trigg. But, according to police, they don’t work.
The residence halls, Clark Student Center and Hardin are the only places, police said, where surveillance cameras are installed and working. This doesn’t speak well of MSU. What if someone is assaulted elsewhere?
There is no state law that requires MSU to use surveillance cameras, but MSU has a responsibility to protect its students. If better surveillance technology exists it should be implemented.



Open Letter To the Multiculturalists and Proponents of Diversity at MSU
Wayne Schields | For the Wichitan

Dear MSU Multiculturalists and Proponents of Diversity,
While skimming through our fine university’s undergraduate bulletin last year, I came across the beautifully written “Human Dignity Statement.” However, upon further review of its brilliance, I found myself scratching my head, puzzled by some of its assertions.
 “Differences such as race, religion, age, gender, culture, physical ability, nationality, and lifestyle,” according to the statement, “are learned best in collegiate settings that are rich with diversity and they must be learned if the ideals of human worth and dignity are to be advanced.”
Again, I want to congratulate the author for such a well thought-out plea. But, if you don’t mind, I was wondering if you could answer a few questions for me in an effort to clarify the statement.
First, am I supposed to accept the notion that all cultures are equal to one another and therefore equal in value? Frankly, I have a hard time accepting all cultures as being equal. For instance, cultures that produce “honor killings,” and the forced removal of female genitalia don’t exactly advance human worth and dignity.
I guess I could sanitize my knowledge of these cultures by focusing on their “contributions” to society instead. But, if all cultures are indeed equal, as many of you assert, then you cannot justifiably denounce these cultures or the cultures of Al-Qaeda, the Ku Klux Klan, or any other objectionable group ideologies. Or, can you do it in such a way that doesn’t “offend” them? I eagerly await your response.
Second, if MSU deems it appropriate to put this statement in its Bulletin, shouldn’t it practice the same principles it demands of the students? Currently, 10 percent of the MSU student body is black. Yet, according to one professor I talked to, you can count the number of full-time black professors on one hand.
Furthermore, if the goal of diversity is to create a campus that best resembles society, why are there 14 percent more female students than male? Maybe you can work to remedy this situation by accepting apparently “oppressed” male students over more qualified females. Just a suggestion.
Third, shouldn’t MSU focus more on diversity of opinion instead of diversity of appearance? After all, wouldn’t it be racist to believe that all black students think alike? Of course it would. Perhaps your cause would be better served if emphasis is placed on an individual’s personality and intellectual substance, characteristics which are indeed race, lifestyle, and age neutral.
Additionally, although I don’t have exact statistics for MSU, I think it’s safe to say that professors on this campus that have a liberal tilt far outnumber those with conservative ones. By the way, how many of you on the multicultural bandwagon will be voting for President Bush? Do you even have any friends who are conservatives (besides me)?
Finally, how does simply being exposed to a different culture leave you with a better understanding of that culture? For instance, when I was a kid, my mom dated a Greek guy who was very passionate about soccer. Since then, despite being exposed to his culture for a considerable amount of time, the first thing I think about when someone mentions Greek culture is “the passionate soccer guy who cried when Olympiakos lost a match.” Do I have a deeper understanding of the Greek culture? No.
Simply creating a campus that looks diverse does not create a campus that is diverse. Have you ever walked through the Clark Student Center or the cafeteria? If you have, then you know that those two areas, despite numerous cultures being aptly represented, are shamefully segregated. Except this time, it is by choice. In other words, you can’t force the multicultural utopia on students who don’t have the innate thirst to break from their comfort zones.
Tomorrow, Mr. Victor Gonzalez will present a seminar on campus called, “Diversity: A New Perspective.” Unfortunately, due to prior commitments (which I’m trying to get out of), I will be unable to attend. I’m sure Mr. Gonzalez’s insight will be similar to that of the presenter at a “Cultural Competence” workshop I attended last month. It was enjoyable and even though I disagreed with the speaker’s conclusions, I have to honestly say that he was the nicest gay, Latino, Buddhist I have ever met.
Thanks for taking the time to consider my questions, and if I don’t see you tomorrow, I’ll look forward to your responses in next week’s edition with unprecedented anticipation.
Sincerely,

 W. Wayne Schields