SNT: More complaining about the Freedom Tunnel @ NCSU

The Devil Advocate

By Shirley Min, NBC17,

RALEIGH, N.C. - Two weeks ago, four N.C. State students painted racist remarks in the university's Free Expression Tunnel.


After the Nov. 4 elections, the four students-- whose names have not been released -- wrote racist death threats in the tunnel against President-elect Barack Obama.

Upon further investigation, the university says federal and local authorities concluded what they did was not a crime so no charges were filed.

Now student leaders are debating whether to recommend punishment for the four.

"Even though it is freedom of speech, you know, hate speech should never be tolerated. And this university needs to make sure we send out a message that we don't tolerate it," said senior Zenobia Drammeh.

But no disciplinary action was taken against the students because the university says the words were written in the Free Expression Tunnel.

"Free expression is one thing and just deliberate hatred is another thing," according to Tyler Hawn, a junior.

The North Carolina chapter of the NAACP describes the university's response as "tepid," and is calling for the expulsion of the students.

Last week, student government leaders failed to pass a bill calling for the expulsion of the four students.

"Personally I really don't feel that whoever did it, they should be expelled from the university indefinitely. I just think that they should possibly be suspended," said first year graduate student Samuel Scott.

Now student leaders are pushing another bill, this time calling on the university to punish the students.

"We encourage them in the midst of determining that punishment to think of creative options like having them do community service in the African American Cultural Center," according to Student Senate President Greg Doucette.

First off I don't agree with them on this. What are we back to grade school, when they will force you to like someone. Please, racism and hate will always exist no matter what you do. Now here come the NAACP bitching that the NCSU didn't kick the four out of school for using the N-word, Well if that the case then almost every African-American would need to be kick out as well.

If the NAACP want to do something very useful for their community, then get your own to stop using the word "Nigger" that one be one step in the right direction.

Then again if the four were black who wrote racism remarks on the wall and treated same way as these four white students the NAACP would have gotten involved.

The NAACP pick their fights. They decide what issues they will go public about.

So let all stop using the word Nigger, and move on and in time the word it self will become just a memory.