At University of Michigan, the black student union has presented the college leadership with a list of seven demands. If the demands are not met within seven days, the students promise “physical action.” Because that’s what you do when you don’t like your surroundings for whatever reason: You make demands and then threats. But this isn’t some noble gesture. It’s not like they’re declaring independence from a tyrant here. They want money, among other things. (Bold text added.)
- We demand that the university give us an equal opportunity to implement change, the change that complete restoration of the BSU purchasing power through an increased budget would obtain. (More money.)
- We demand available housing on central campus for those of lower socio-economic status at a rate that students can afford, to be a part of university life, and not just on the periphery. (Free housing.)
- We demand an opportunity to congregate and share our experiences in a new Trotter [Multicultural Center] located on central campus. (New facility.)
- We demand an opportunity to be educated and to educate about America’s historical treatment and marginalization of colored groups through race and ethnicity requirements throughout all schools and colleges within the university. (Forced indoctrination of our version of history.)
- We demand the equal opportunity to succeed with emergency scholarships for black students in need of financial support, without the mental anxiety of not being able to focus on and afford the university’s academic life. (Free school without having to work.)
- We demand increased exposure of all documents within the Bentley (Historical) Library. There should be transparency about the university and its past dealings with race relations. (Was UM involved with the KKK and I didn’t know it?)
- We demand an increase in black representation on this campus equal to 10 percent. (Let in black students regardless of grades or academic performance.)
The obvious question is this: Who do these people think they are? It’s not about their color; the only people who care about that are probably them. It’s about how they’re attempting to accomplish their goals. Threatening “physical action?” That’s not how adults settle differences. That’s how thugs do it. That’s how children do it. If they want to be taken seriously, perhaps they should try not acting like toddlers. Then again, what else can we expect from the entitlement crowd?
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