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Winthrop campus in uproar over column
Racially charged piece in Johnsonian newspaper sparks angry student responses
By Charles D. Perry The Herald
A racially charged opinion column in Winthrop University's student newspaper created a campus uproar last week, prompting a forum and angering many black students who found the column offensive.
The column, with the headline "Student observes double standards at Winthrop," was written by copy editor Christine Byington and ran in Wednesday's edition of the student-led weekly newspaper, The Johnsonian.
In the column, Byington, who is bi-racial, criticized blacks who complain about Winthrop and went on to oppose minority scholarships and organizations devoted to blacks, arguing that equal treatment should be given to other races. She also compared today's racial climate for whites to the oppression blacks faced before the Civil Rights movement.
"Black people at Winthrop will probably be angry," Byington wrote in the first sentence of the column.
And she was right.
As soon as the paper hit students' hands, it sent an emotional ripple through campus that was so powerful it inspired some students to call for a rally. The strong feelings prompted university officials to hold a forum Thursday night to discuss the controversy. The forum was attended by an estimated 400 students.
http://www.heraldonline.com/local/story/5312007p-4814654c.html
Racially charged piece in Johnsonian newspaper sparks angry student responses
By Charles D. Perry The Herald
A racially charged opinion column in Winthrop University's student newspaper created a campus uproar last week, prompting a forum and angering many black students who found the column offensive.
The column, with the headline "Student observes double standards at Winthrop," was written by copy editor Christine Byington and ran in Wednesday's edition of the student-led weekly newspaper, The Johnsonian.
In the column, Byington, who is bi-racial, criticized blacks who complain about Winthrop and went on to oppose minority scholarships and organizations devoted to blacks, arguing that equal treatment should be given to other races. She also compared today's racial climate for whites to the oppression blacks faced before the Civil Rights movement.
"Black people at Winthrop will probably be angry," Byington wrote in the first sentence of the column.
And she was right.
As soon as the paper hit students' hands, it sent an emotional ripple through campus that was so powerful it inspired some students to call for a rally. The strong feelings prompted university officials to hold a forum Thursday night to discuss the controversy. The forum was attended by an estimated 400 students.
http://www.heraldonline.com/local/story/5312007p-4814654c.html
