Students at the University of North Texas recently circulated a petition demanding that a residence hall under construction be named either after a minority individual or a woman. The students claim it would help “promote diversity” at the university. While this might seem ridiculous, a response from one university official takes the cake.
Nancy Kolsti, a spokeswoman for the university, made the mistake of getting involved instead of just letting the petition run its course. She sent an email to one of the student organizers, describing the effort as “a form of reverse racism.”
“UNT buildings should be named after individuals who are deserving of such an honor — not individuals who are chosen to fill a quota system that you think the university should have because you feel that it is important ‘to promote diversity in every aspect of the student experience,’” Kolsti wrote.
She then added, “There are many longtime UNT administrators who are deserving of the honor and were beloved on campus, and they happen to be white males.”
The student naturally posted a screenshot of the email to Twitter, creating a firestorm.
While Kolsti had every right to express her opinion on the topic, a direct email to a student wasn’t exactly the most prudent way to deal with the issue at an administrative level. Moreover, her tone came off as bigoted to some, as she suggested that no minority or female individuals deserve to have their name on a campus building.
The university did some quick damage control with the media, defending Kolsti’s constitutional right to free speech, but noting that she was “expressing her views as a private citizen” and “not as a UNT employee.” Unfortunately, with a comment like that, the damage was done. An incident such as this could set off a full-fledged racial debate on campus, where more than 50 percent of UNT’s student population is of color.
Unsurprisingly, Kolsti resigned shortly after. When will administrators learn to stay out of the way of free speech matters?
Brendan Pringle (@BrendanPringle) is a freelance journalist in California. He is a National Journalism Center graduate and formerly served as a development officer for Young America’s Foundation at the Reagan Ranch.
