Outrage over UCSD party mocking black culture

Nikki Stone1

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Mon Feb-22-10 02:03 AM
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Outrage over UCSD party mocking black culture

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/feb/17/outrage-expressed-over-party/

(UCSD is University of California, San Diego.)

LA JOLLA — A weekend party that involved University of California San Diego students and mocked Black History Month has drawn the ire of black students and prompted a condemnation sent to all students and faculty by the chancellor.

An invitation to the “Compton Cookout” event urged participants to wear chains, don cheap clothes and speak very loudly, according to wording circulated by outraged students and verified by campus administrators.As a guide for girls attending the event, the invitation read, “For those of you who are unfamiliar with ghetto chicks — Ghetto chicks usually have gold teeth, start fights and drama, and wear cheap clothes. …”

Several disgusted students and faculty met with campus administrators last night about the event, which was linked to members of a fraternity.

“These are the people I go to school with and knowing that they’re mocking my culture and the history of black people is really offensive,” said UCSD sophomore Elize Diop of Los Angeles. “I would like to see the fraternity get reprimanded.”

Campus officials say they likely won’t discipline any students associated with the event.

“Because it wasn’t a UCSD-sanctioned event, or run by a student organization, it doesn’t appear that there was a technical violation,” said Jeff Gattas, UCSD’s executive director of communications and public affairs. “At this point, we don’t have a reason to penalize them.”

....But an e-mail obtained by The San Diego Union-Tribune from Gary Ratcliff, assistant vice chancellor for student life, linked the event to Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.

“It was not an official Pike event, but the students who posted it on Facebook were members of Pike and other frats,” he wrote....

My friend from San Diego emailed me news about a protest of this event:

On behalf of SOM Diversity Response Coalition we would formally like to invite you as students, student leaders, future caring physicians, and humanistic people to unite and support our efforts to mobilize a response against the racist "Compton Cookout" party that was put on by a fraternity at UCSD off campus. If you have not heard about the incident, please read about it by clicking on the link. At the end of this email is a description of the party.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/feb/17/outrage-expressed-over-party/

The SOM Diversity Response Coalition is a group of medical students that want to express solidarity with the UCSD undergrad community and the San Diego community to promote diversity and equality on campus and beyond. We are outraged that something like this could happen. However, we also feel that this is an incident that is not isolated. As future physicians, we face health disparities that arise from low socioeconomic status that is historically embedded in racism. Not only that, but the school of medicine has failed to increase our diversity partly because minority students want to attend a university where they will feel comfortable and cared about.

We ask that you please:

1. Join us next Tuesday Feb 23rd at NOON as we march in solidarity toward library walk. We will meet in front of OSA at 12:00pm. Please wear a black shirt or wear a black shirt with your write coat on top.
2. If you have time, please make a poster to represent your ideals.
3. Attend the "teach in" Wednesday, February 24th from 12-2pm at the Price Center East Ballroom as a UNIFIED student body!
4. PLEASE PASS THIS EMAIL ALONG TO ANY GRAD OR UnderGRAD STUDENTS THAT MAYBE INTERESTED IN JOINING US

In Solidarity,

Michelle Contreras
UCSD School of Medicine, LMSA Member
SOM Diversity Response Coalition

Here is the original invitation:

Party invitation
February marks a very important month in American society. No, i'm not referring to Valentines day or Presidents day. I'm talking about Black History month. As a time to celebrate and in hopes of showing respect, the Regents community cordially invites you to its very first Compton Cookout.

For guys: I expect all males to be rockin Jersey's, stuntin' up in ya White T (XXXL smallest size acceptable), anything FUBU, Ecko, Rockawear, High/low top Jordans or Dunks, Chains, Jorts, stunner shades, 59 50 hats, Tats, etc.

For girls: For those of you who are unfamiliar with ghetto chicks-Ghetto chicks usually have gold teeth, start fights and drama, and wear cheap clothes- they consider Baby Phat to be high class and expensive couture. They also have short, nappy hair, and usually wear cheap weave, usually in bad colors,such as purple or bright red. They look and act similar to Shenaynay, and speak very loudly, while rolling their neck, and waving their finger in your face. Ghetto chicks have a very limited vocabulary, and attempt to make up for it, by forming new words, such as "constipulated", or simply cursing persistently, or using other types of vulgarities, and making noises, such as "hmmg!", or smacking their lips, and making other angry noises,grunts, and faces.

The objective is for all you lovely ladies to look, act, and essentially take on these "respectable" qualities throughout the day.

Several of the regents condos will be teaming up to house this monstrosity, so travel house to house and experience the various elements of life in the ghetto. We will be serving 40's, Kegs of Natty, dat Purple Drank- which consists of sugar, water, and the color purple , chicken, coolade, and of course Watermelon. So come one and come all, make ya self before we break ya self,keep strapped, get yo shine on, and join us for a day party to be remembered-or not.

If you are in San Diego this Tuesday (23rd) and can get to UCSD, you can march in solidarity at noon.