If we’ve learned anything over the last week or so, Plattsburgh State still doesn’t know how to properly talk about race. Calling the PSUC administration’s initial response to Maria Gates’ racist Snapchat post lacking would be an understatement. Any student caught displaying the same hateful language or threats like those said by Gates should be immediately and unequivocally dissociated with PSUC.
We at Cardinal Points are proud to be one of many voices of a student body that so adamantly and vocally stands up for change that it believes in. PSUC should be a place that people of all races, ethnicities, genders and sexual orientations feel safe to be who they are. The fact that this is not the case perfectly illustrates that change is necessary.
We would be remiss to not acknowledge that we ourselves have been a part of the problem in the past, as recently as Fall 2015. Though there are no writers or editors left on staff who worked for the paper when the racist cartoon was published, we carry the lessons learned from that incident in our collective mind every day.
As this movement continues to demand change within PSUC, Cardinal Points will endeavor to provide accurate and in-depth coverage of this historic time on our campus. We hope you will give us a chance to make you proud.
