URI Paper Faces Charges Of Racism

A group calling itself the Brothers United for Action at the University of Rhode Island (URI) demanded last week that the editors of the campus newspaper resign, complaining that an editorial cartoon published last Wednesday was racist.

The cartoon depicts a white professor standing at a podium labeled "U.T. Law School." A black man, carrying books, enters the classroom, and the professor appears unclear whether the student is a custodian or a student.

"If you're the janitor, please wait until after class to empty the trash. If you're one of our minority students, welcome!" the caption reads.

On Friday morning, the protestors wrote a list of demands that was circulated around the campus.

"We call for a new campus newspaper that reflects a campus-wide commitment to ending racism, sexism, and homophobia, and promotes a vision of cultural empathy and understanding," they wrote.

But the editors of newspaper, The Good 5cent Cigar, said their intentions were just the opposite.

"I felt that the cartoon was clearly a worthwhile commentary in favor of affirmative action and minority rights," said Patrick R. Luce, the managing editor who selected the cartoon for publication.

According to Luce, the confusion likely arose because students were unfamiliar with a 1997 Texas-court ruling that forced University of Texas to drop affirmative action in admissions policies.

Although the case is a year old, Luce defends the timing of the cartoon.

"This is always a timely issue," Luce said. "It's not like the Texas courts did something, made a decision, and it went away: the repercussions continue."

Yet a spokesperson for the URI Student Senate, which provides 18 percent of the Cigar's operating budget and to whom complaints were directed, said the student government believes Luce was wrong.

"The Student Senate Executive Committee has proposed a resolution calling for a formal apology from the Cigar's editors for the hurt that was caused the campus community," said Peter P. Pascucci, communications chair of theStudent Senate.

Pascucci said the intention of the cartoon'sartist was to promote affirmative action and notto oppose it. He also noted that the Cigar ran thecartoon a second time last Thursday with aneditorial explanation in response to studentprotest.

At an emergency meeting of the Student Senateon Friday, Finance Chair Dennis Guay announcedthat funding for the Cigar would be frozen pendingan inquiry into their financial status.

In a letter to the Cigar, Guay wrote that hisaction was a response to several students concerns"from a financial standpoint."

"In no way am I addressing the `CartoonControversy,'" Guay said in the letter.

But Senate President Daryl J. Finizio said hesees things differently.

"The budget of the Good 5cent Cigar should beunfrozen effective immediately," Finizio wrote ina report to the Senate.

If the Senate were to continue the freeze, hesaid, it would be acting in violation of theSenate's laws and the Constitution of the UnitedStates.

Luce said he agrees.

"It's ridiculous," he said. "This is a clearviolation of the first amendment."

Representatives from both the Cigar and Senatesaid they were optimistic that the situation willbe resolved. The Senate will discuss the issue ina regularly scheduled meeting tonight.

Individuals involved with the Brothers Unitedfor Action could not be reached for comment

Pascucci said the intention of the cartoon'sartist was to promote affirmative action and notto oppose it. He also noted that the Cigar ran thecartoon a second time last Thursday with aneditorial explanation in response to studentprotest.

At an emergency meeting of the Student Senateon Friday, Finance Chair Dennis Guay announcedthat funding for the Cigar would be frozen pendingan inquiry into their financial status.

In a letter to the Cigar, Guay wrote that hisaction was a response to several students concerns"from a financial standpoint."

"In no way am I addressing the `CartoonControversy,'" Guay said in the letter.

But Senate President Daryl J. Finizio said hesees things differently.

"The budget of the Good 5cent Cigar should beunfrozen effective immediately," Finizio wrote ina report to the Senate.

If the Senate were to continue the freeze, hesaid, it would be acting in violation of theSenate's laws and the Constitution of the UnitedStates.

Luce said he agrees.

"It's ridiculous," he said. "This is a clearviolation of the first amendment."

Representatives from both the Cigar and Senatesaid they were optimistic that the situation willbe resolved. The Senate will discuss the issue ina regularly scheduled meeting tonight.

Individuals involved with the Brothers Unitedfor Action could not be reached for comment