Roy Exum
As college students across the country strutted and preened across the country with their new-found “influence” after the University of Missouri president was fired by the football team, Vanderbilt was no exception. Over 200 protested, marched, sang or whatever they were compelled to do in this tough old world where we all must live together on Monday.
But when they awakened the next morning, a black bag containing dog poop was found on the steps of the University’s Black Cultural Center.
While Vanderbilt, which believes itself to be the Southern Bastion of Intellectual Superiority, does not have a White Culture Center or a Gold Culture Center (the other two school colors), the sack and its contents evoked unbridled fury from those who believe they have been oppressed since long before the Civil War.
A public statement was immediately released:
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“The Hidden Dores team is appalled to announce that our demonstration yesterday was met this morning with a vile act. This morning someone left a bag of feces on the porch of Vanderbilt University's Black Cultural Center. The center has served as the nexus of many aspects of black life on Vanderbilt's campus since its inception 31 years ago.
“The violation of a place that in many ways is the sole home for black students is deplorable. As many of us sit in grief, recognize that these types of actions are what we speak of when we note the reality of exclusion and isolation of students of color and specifically black students on our campus.
“This act has hurt many and will not be received lightly. We will not allow for the desecration of the place we call home.”
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Whoa! The administration immediately called on the Vanderbilt Police Department to study images taken by a number of security cameras in the vicinity. The law-enforcement sleuths looked at every inch of every film and not only found but tracked down the vile perpetrator of the heinous and obviously racial act. The poop came from “Marley,” the service dog of a blind student.
Here is what the blind girl posted on her Facebook page:
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“I would like to inform everyone on this campus that no racial threat occurred. I am a blind student on this campus with a guide dog. I was meeting with a group last night to go over our debate for one of my sociology classes. My dog did her business outside on the grass and I picked it up and put it in a bag like always.
“I did not want to bring the feces inside and make the building smell, so I left it outside by the door. Everyone is going to point me out now as the blind girl who left her dog feces by the black cultural center. I am sorry that I do not know where all the trash cans are on main campus.
“The Vanderbilt police were obviously able to look at cameras and figure out that it was Marley and I because I got a call asking if I left her feces outside of the door.”
In a side note she added, "This action of posting a post like this on Facebook for everyone to see before investigation isolated and excluded blind people on this campus who also face discrimination."
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Is America great or what?
So now the black students had little choice but to retort:
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“It has recently come to our attention that we were absolutely misinformed about a situation that happened this morning at Vanderbilt's Black Cultural Center, where a black bag filled with fecal matter was left at the front doorstep of the place that feels most like home to many black students on campus. We have discovered that the fecal matter was not left at the BCC by a vindictive member of this community.
“A VUPD report released at 11:26 pm today reads: "The investigation found that the bag was inadvertently left by an individual with a service dog who was authorized to be in the building, who could not find a trashcan near the entrance, and did not want to take the bag inside."
“Given the recent elevation in polarization on this campus in the aftermath of our silent protest this Monday, evidenced by tough personal exchanges and anonymous targeted posts, it was too easy for us to believe that a member of our community would stoop low enough to maliciously leave fecal matter at the Black Cultural Center.
“Nonetheless, we apologize to the Vanderbilt community for jumping to conclusions and for any personal trauma caused by the quick escalation of this situation. We have personally contacted [Name Withheld] and apologized for our reaction to the nature of this incident.
“At this moment, we recognize that the needs of students with disabilities on this campus are also often marginalized, and there are improvements to be made to make the perfect Vanderbilt experience accessible for all of its students. In an effort to contain the situation, the original post has been deleted at this time.
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Now, go back to the first sentence of the apology. Who misinformed the black students? It appears our Southern Bastion of Intellectual Superiority still has a way to go.
royexum@aol.com