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Bullying: Let's Beat Let's Talk About Race, Baby the Deadly Trend I Editors Note: This !tory is contributed fry a student on McDaniel Colleges compus in Budapest, Hlmgary, and previouslY ran in the McDaniel Messetlger, the netus publication there. To read more sto- riesfro!!, A1cDaniel Europe, check OllllVIV1JJ.tllcdol1ieitIJcssengeron/ine. uordpress.com. VERON KIA TREIT Contributor "Bullying is for losers," said Lady Gaga at one of her concerts, af- ter one of her fans -l4-year-old Jamey Rodemeyer - was bullied into taking his own life. His last message was addressed to Lady Gaga on Twitter: "Bye Mother Monster. Thank you for all you have done. Paws up forever." (wwwdnamagaaine.com.au) Not only has Lady Gaga started a crusade against bullying, she. also wants to meet with the U.S. President to put a stop to the bullying of defenceless kids: '1 am meeting with our President. I will not stop fighting. This must end. Our generation has the SHAYLA BARFIELD Coalition, and the Multicultural as part of this college and part of power to end it. Trend it #MakeALawForJamey," she Tweeted Staff Reparter Club. During my first meeting of what this school could do differ- soon after the tragedy happened. the BStJ, there were many shades ently. She taught Spanish at local, How serious is the bullying-epidemic? of brown, but to my surprise, alternative high schools in Carroll According to a 2009 CDC national survey, 20% of high There are many negative stereo- there was an Asian, a Hispanic, County where the majority of types geared towards minorities, school students have been bullied on school property. During the and a Caucasian student there. It srudents were Caucasian and had such as the stereotype that both was a room full of openness and 2007-2008 academic year, 25% of U.S. public schools reported African Americans and Hispanics freedom, and for once in my life, certain perceptions of minorities. bullying on a daily basis. Yale University studies showed that are poorly educated and doomed race wasn't a taboo topic. The ACe She felt as if her job was not to victims of bulling are 29 times more likely to commit suicide than to forever live in poverty. However, has students of different erhrucities teach a language, but understand their non-bullied peers. Furthermore, 160,000 children st.1.y at the. srude.m.s ,,~ McDaniel College such as blacks (Nige.ri" ...." in partic",- more ..bout the cultu"" i""df. She home each day because of fear of being bullied in school, says an do not fit into these boxes. Me- lar) and Caucasians. The Multicul- confirms that McDaniel has had an Daniel College does a good job of tural club aids students in learning ABC News research. increase in minorities. The class of There are different kinds and levels of bullying exist, accord- making sure that the college has a about the traditions, religion, and 201 s- is comprised of 25% minori- ing to the number of kids doing the bullying ("pack" and "indi- diverse student population because even fun things such as food from ties and as a whole 14 to 15 percent it has more minorities than most backgrounds around the world. vidual" bullying), the mode of bullying ("physical," «emotional" of the same sized schools here It seems as if McDaniel College are minorities. However, she says and "eyber-bullying'') and the medium of bullying ("face-to-face" in Maryland and there are plenty has a high number of minorities, or that some students still feel isolated and "cyber''). of clubs that introduce different at least more than competing col- and disconnected. She believes that Physical bullying means that hitting, shoving, kicking even cultures. leges. Yet again, there arc clubs that spitting is included. This kind of physical abuse is the most obvi- At Goucher College in Tow- encourage diversity, but maybe this regardless of numbers, students should feel a pan of the majority ous and direct way to bully the victim. son, Maryland, there are 174 black is a one-sided or superficial view Emotional bullying is a more subtle way to make the victim's students compared to McDaniel of looking at things. Does any- and it is not only up to the Office life a living hell. It can involve name calling, insulting and delib- College's 270 black srudenrs, An- one really sit down and talk to the of Diversity and Multicultural Af- erately ignoring the target to make him/her feel left out. Bullies other small liberal arts college by students about the subject of race? fairs (ODMA), but the students and may also hide or take away the belongings of their victims. the name of Hood College which 1n interviews that Iconducted the college as a whole. As a student, is in Frederick, Maryland, has 238 Cyber bullying is a relatively newer trend done through e- some students said that they ;ere community member, worker, and black students. Goucher College mails, chat, Twitter, Facebook and involves harassing, spreading unaffected by being a minority. One alum of McDaniel College, she has has 77 Hispanic students compared Ghanaian student said that she has rumours, and creating websites to make fun of somebody, taking To McDaniel's 80 and Hood has always wanted to be a part of the pictures of them and sharing them without the victim's consent. "experienced racism" but she really solution. 82 compared to McDaniel. Finally, "doesn't care" because in "most of Jamey Rodemeyer was the victim of this type of bullying too. Goucher College has only 50 Asian her classes" she is the only black There is absolurelv no reason to After making his own "It Gets Better" video, anonymous persons students compared to McDaniel's person. Even in the Psychology of be skeptical about being a student left him comments like: "JMl1E IS STUPID, GAY, FAT ANNO 106 Asian students; Hood College \Vomen, it states, "Female students at McDaniel College. It is under- UGLY. HE MUST DIE!" and "I wouldn't care if you died. No has sixty Asian students. of color are especially ignored in Standable that many freshman one would. So JUSt do it:) It would make everyone WAY more Not only are the number of the classroom." One Mcican-Amer_ students may nor know what to happier!" minorities at McDaniel College ican student said that it was a "cul- expect during their college experi- Jamey Rodemeyer is not the first and not the last confused, high, but McDaniel CoUege has ture shock" and one Hispanic said ence because they are venturing partnered with the College Bound terrorized teenager who saw no other way out of their troubles that he has not experienced racism away from home and most of Foundation to identify and recruit than death. More anti-bullying laws have to be passed and super- but he "wouldn't be surprised if inner cit}' low-income minor- it happened because you Cannot them have grown up in one place vision in schools strengthened in order to protect the victims and ity students from Baltimore City. all of their lives with one view of enforce laws upon those who hurt innocent kids-like Rodemey- Additionally, McDaniel offers simply disregard the fact that you er driving them to take their own young lives. six-to-eight full tuition scholarships are pan of a minority group and the world around them. Slowly, there are always extremists that will but surely, college will be easier to to highly qualified Baltimore City call you out because of vcur race. " adapt to because students will take students annually. McDaniel also Most s;Udems feel asif -they are .. classes, join clubs, and travel with continues to parmer with College not racist but a little biased because Visions from Providence, Rhode Is- all of their lives, they have grown people that have the same interests land [Q identify and recruit students and race won't matter. A blogger up around people like themselves. of color. Lastl}; college staff par- \Vhile race is a hard factor to ig- by the name of Aaron Thompson ticipates in college fairs conducted nore, McDaniel has so many unique who is a professor of sociology at by 100 Black Men of Maryland, backgrounds that there is no way Eastern Kentucky College says that National cOuncil of Negro Men, students who attend this colle e g diversity enhances self-awareness, National Hispanic Fair, and the won't learn to think in creative ways expands worldliness, and enhances Hispanic Latino Fund that they've never had to before. MCDaniel has many cultural Mahlia Joyce, who is the director the multiple perspectives developed clubs such as the Black Student of Multicultural Affairs at M.cDan by a liberal arts education. McDan- www Carrol! County Arts CounCil org Union, the Asian Community iel CoUegc, has always seen herself- tel COllege exemplifies diversity in a positive and life changing way.