It seems to be spreading to all corners of the land.
“The student body president of Western Washington University says she has received death threats and no longer feels safe on the Bellingham campus.”
This seems like an uncontroversial use of the term “safety” – the university clearly takes the death threats seriously if it canceled classes. I wouldn’t feel safe if I were getting targeted death threats, either.
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/local/article46488630.html indicates that the police are investigating and have served a warrant to Yik Yak for information on those who made the threats. However, the threatened students are not satisfied in that they want bodyguards that the police and campus are not providing.
Apparently, bad feelings started with efforts to change the 90 year old mascot, “The Viking”, which was termed “too masculine”, among other things.
The people who threatened the students should be prosecuted.
All this folderall over the mascot.
That statement by a student rep is idiotic.
I 100% support the investigation into these death threats and the full and complete prosecution of anyone found to have made them. However, I start to get a little weary when I read this statement about a call to find a new mascot - “Those supporting a change said the Viking was too masculine, too violent and didn’t reflect students of color. They advocated for a more inclusive mascot.” It’s a mascot for heaven’s sake. I’m sure no matter what mascot is picked, someone could argue they don’t “see themselves” in the mascot and therefore it’s not inclusive. And didn’t you know what the school’s mascot was before you went there?
I’m trying to understand the first post in the thread here. What is supposed to be “spreading all over the land”? A person feeling unsafe because someone has threatened to kill them? @JustOneDad, I’m here to tell you that people feel unsafe when other people threaten to kill them. There is nothing new about this. It doesn’t need to spread all over the land. It was already all over the land.
Or, JustOneDad, did you mean to be saying that what is spreading all over the land is people issuing death threats over social media when they disagree with someone? If so, that’s certainly a concern. Rape threats, too.
The larger issue would be campus unrest involving racial tensions and to some degree, “inclusiveness”. Since WWU is in “The Fourth Corner”, it seems interesting that usually quiet campuses are involved.
I guess they could go to Oregon State University (or simply inter collegiately appropriate) their mascot which is a beaver. Those are awfully cute animals, on a protected list, cuddly and completely non-offensive and seemingly acceptable in a safe space.
Oh wait…never mind 