"Biased" Bake Sale Shut Down By Texas University

The Mad Monk · September 25, 2003, 04:28

Quote:

Texas University Shuts Down Bake Sale

By Associated Press

September 24, 2003, 11:17 PM EDT

DALLAS -- Southern Methodist University shut down a bake sale Wednesday in which cookies were offered for sale at different prices, depending on the buyer's race or gender.

The sale was organized by the Young Conservatives of Texas, who said it was intended as a protest of affirmative action.

A sign said white males had to pay $1 for a cookie. The price was 75 cents for white women, 50 cents for Hispanics and 25 cents for blacks.

Members of the conservative group said they meant no offense and were only trying to protest the use of race or gender as a factor in college admissions.

Similar sales have been held by College Republican chapters at colleges in at least five other states since February.

A black student filed a complaint with SMU, saying the sale was offensive. SMU officials said they halted the event after 45 minutes because it created a potentially unsafe situation.

"This was not an issue about free speech," Tim Moore, director of the SMU student center, said in a story for Thursday's edition of The Dallas Morning News. "It was really an issue where we had a hostile environment being created."

The sale drew a crowd outside the student center and several students engaged in a shouting match, Moore said.

David C. Rushing, 23, a law student and chairman of Young Conservatives of Texas at SMU and for the state, said the event didn't get out of hand. At most, a dozen students gathered around the table of cookies and Rice Krispies treats, he said.

"We copied what's been done at multiple campuses around the country to illustrate our opinion of affirmative action and how we think it's unfair," he said.

Matt Houston, a 19-year-old sophomore, called the group's price list offensive.

"My reaction was disgust because of the ignorance of some SMU students," said Houston, who is black. "They were arguing that affirmative action was solely based on race. It's not based on race. It's based on bringing a diverse community to a certain organization."

The group sold three cookies during its protest, raising $1.50.

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled universities could use race as a factor in admissions under limited conditions. In Texas, universities had been banned from using race as a factor under a 1996 decision by a lower court.
Copyright © 2003, The Associated Press

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationwo...tion-headlines

Well...I thought it was clever...

MikeH · September 25, 2003, 04:31

Brilliant idea.

Drake Tungsten · September 25, 2003, 04:35

Quote:

The group sold three cookies during its protest, raising $1.50.

That means a white guy and two blacks bought cookies, doesn't it? I guess cheap food is more important than being offended.

MikeH · September 25, 2003, 04:36

I was thinking that.

The Mad Monk · September 25, 2003, 04:38

It does sound like a math problem...

Drake Tungsten · September 25, 2003, 04:38

It could've been three Hispanics as well. Or a white woman, a hispanic and a black. Nice little word problem we've got here.

Harovan · September 25, 2003, 04:39

Good edit, Drake.

Drake Tungsten · September 25, 2003, 04:41

I had to edit after I noticed the number of cookies sold had already been given. I never was very good with word problems.

Rufus T. Firefly · September 25, 2003, 04:50

Well, I hate their group, and disagree with their stance on affirmative action...but, yeah, that's very clever.

MikeH · September 25, 2003, 04:50

They could have sold cookies to three hispanics.

duke o' york · September 25, 2003, 05:51

But how many cookies were stolen during the shouting match?

Anybody want to buy a cookie?

DaShi · September 25, 2003, 06:40

Depends on where it's been.

Ecthy · September 25, 2003, 06:42

"protest of affirmative action"

Affirmative action can be OK, BTW... it is applied in Germany and largely accepted, not for racial matters though.

Dr Strangelove · September 25, 2003, 07:54

Quote:

Originally posted by Ecthelion
"protest of affirmative action"

Affirmative action can be OK, BTW... it is applied in Germany and largely accepted, not for racial matters though.

What should have happened is that the blacks should have bought up all the cookies and then resold them at the $1.00 price!

They could then have donated the money to the ACLU, a black fraternity, or etc.

Q Classic · September 25, 2003, 08:34

what did we slant-eyes have to pay?

the white price? or the minority price?

Arrian · September 25, 2003, 08:34

Now THAT would have been funny.

Anyway, I figure 2 white chicks bought cookies ($.75 each).

-Arrian

MikeH · September 25, 2003, 08:39

And they gave one away?

Verto · September 25, 2003, 08:40

Great idea!

Drake Tungsten · September 25, 2003, 08:50

Quote:

Anyway, I figure 2 white chicks bought cookies ($.75 each).

Impossible. It said three cookies were purchased.

Ecthy · September 25, 2003, 08:56

Quote:

Originally posted by Q Cubed
what did we slant-eyes have to pay?

the white price? or the minority price?

yeah, did they sell chicook for chiprice as well?

SpencerH · September 25, 2003, 09:13

I thought we covered this topic a few weeks ago but maybe that was at another uni.

Lincoln · September 25, 2003, 09:22

"My reaction was disgust because of the ignorance of some SMU students," said Houston, who is black. "They were arguing that affirmative action was solely based on race. It's not based on race. It's based on bringing a diverse community to a certain organization."

Well maybe they were trying to bring the diverse community to the cookie sale?

Solly · September 25, 2003, 09:44

Lincoln

MikeH · September 25, 2003, 09:46

As these were students... did they bake anything illegal into the cookies?

Q Classic · September 25, 2003, 09:48

hey, many universities are diverse enough!

i mean, you have your whites, you have your jews, you have your koreans, your japanese, your han chinese, your vietnamese, your hmong, your laotians, your filipino, your cantonese, your taiwanese...

MrFun · September 25, 2003, 09:50

Maybe this is a sign that more and more conservatives are becoming more deranged in United States.

Oerdin · September 25, 2003, 09:54

It seems like these protest hit to close to home for some people. It really was a great idea to bring attention to one of the last areas where racism is allowed.

Lincoln · September 25, 2003, 10:01

Actually, though at first glance I thought the idea is clever, it is really very cruel. If I was a struggling black student and finally made my way into a university the best way I could I would be deeply offended by these tactics. They should direct their gripe to those in authority to change policy. Free speech may enable this protest but common decency condemns it. The minority students are not some kind of pawn to be played for political gain.

The Mad Monk · September 25, 2003, 12:38

I don't see it that way -- are the students "pawns" in the cookie sale protest, but not in the politics of acedemia?

Inverse Icarus · September 25, 2003, 13:17

this is brilliant. and the fact that a black dude was offended is a testament to the fact that they acknowledge their "bonuses".