Letter to The Editor--The Current

http://theonlinecurrent.com/letter-to-the-editor-paying-attention-to-diversity-on-campus/


At our most recent faculty meeting, President Eastman made the assertion that in order for Eckerd College to succeed in the long term, it needed to attract a body of students that more closely reflected the rapidly changing demographics of the United States.
Despite my inherent distrust of administrators, I was heartened and even inspired by an administrator who shares my aspirations for a more diverse campus and who is dedicated to the broader principles of a liberal arts education.
Two days after our meeting, Eckerd College prepared for its annual Family Weekend. As part of the weekend of celebration, the college proudly displayed a wide array of state and national flags in order to represent symbolically the geographical diversity of the college.
Included in the display of flags was the “official” state flag of Mississippi. While many of the southern flags still allude to the “Stars and Bars” in their flags, (Florida still maintains the red cross from its days as part of the Confederacy), Mississippi is the only state that still includes the entire flag of the Confederate States of America as part of its flag’s design.
By no means do I want to pick on the Magnolia State; however, I do want to suggest a disconnect between the admirable discourse that administrators at Eckerd College promote verbally, and the implicit discourses of racism, segregation and violence that proudly flying “rebel” flag evokes.
By raising the “Stars and Bars” in any form, Eckerd College runs the risk of discouraging certain students from applying to Eckerd or matriculating to this remarkable institution.
The flag potentially deters not only African Americans whose ancestors were directly affected by the horrors of the Confederacy and Jim Crow laws, but also students of all colors who are committed to the ideals of social justice and equality—pillars of the liberal arts principles that Eckerd vociferously promotes.
Supporters of the Confederate flag claim that the flag represents the “tradition” of The American South and not its brutally violent and racist past.
However, the flag has too much history to separate this history from its most visible symbol.
The swastika has a rich history in Indian spirituality; however, despite this history, the horrors of Nazi Germany remain deeply imbedded in the symbol. To those who are insistent upon the importance of “tradition,” I propose that Eckerd flies The Magnolia Flag in order to honor the “tradition” of the state through a sign that is much less wrought with the unavoidable baggage of the “Confederate Flag.”
If Eckerd truly wants to attract a broader swath of traditionally college-aged students, it should commit to being an international liberal arts college, and sever all ties to the “Old South” and no longer allow any version of the Confederate Flag in any official capacity on its campus.