The Bullsheet

To the Denison Community:

It is very interesting (and quite ignorant) that so many Denisonians think that they deserve to speak on issues concerning the relationship between The Black Student Union and DCGA when they are not fully informed about the issue at hand from each point of view.

Most often, this ignorance stems from Denison students not being actively, let alone physically, present during these events and having hasty sidebar conversations with other poorly informed individuals.

As Denison University scholars, it is important that we stress what it means to be a well-versed scholar and not a gossip expert. Thus, it is imperative that before publicly or privately, positively or negatively addressing ANY issue that concerns The Black Student Union and DCGA, individuals should make sure that they are completely and thoroughly informed about the matter.

Here are the basics: DCGA’s funding policies have a history of numerous flaws. Such policies and inconsistent practices (yes, the ones they are trying to cover them up with 13 page dissertations of heavy white lies) have the affect of hindering the very people that they were originally supposed to defend. THIS IS AN ISSUE!!! The very reason that this issue is so important is because whereas it looks like The Black Student Union has been throwing around its weight, it has actually been certain persuasive members of DCGA that allowed their fellow Denisonians to be misguided into thinking such contradictory and irrational myths.

Members of The Black Student Union make a steadfast commitment to benefit and support the entire Denison community- regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, religious beliefs or sexual orientation, etc. Ironically, it has been falsely stated that The Black Student Union is acting with hostility and violence toward DCGA members, both individually and collectively. We have tried to facilitate civilized conversations with these members in attempts to simply remind them that many members of The Black Student Union feel neglected and misrepresented by their decisions not to fund The Black Student Union for the 2009-2010 fiscal year. The Black Student Union members’ feelings challenge DCGA’s constitutional promises "to protect the rights of ALL [sic] the students of Denison University and to mind the legitimate NEEDS and DESIRES of the students and manifest them in policy and institutional action" (DCGA website, 2009). Right now, people feel attacked by DCGA’s decision; next semester incoming freshmen will be hurt by DCGA’s decision as well as a long list of campus organizations that depend on the co-sponsorships of The Black Student Union.

All of these feelings of hurt and neglect will drastically transform our campus atmosphere. It is ignorant and disrespectful to allow an entire community of individuals to harbor said feelings without doing a damn thing about it and exhausting so much time to deny us the abilities to progress and live at Denison as comfortably as they live. If any individual or group believes that this attitude or the organization’s demands are arrogant and/or exclusive, they are 1) negating The Black Student Union’s role on this campus, 2) they have failed to read the demands in full before passing judgment and 3) they have been brainwashed into the white, patriarchal views of oppression that continuously faults the subtly oppressed. Furthermore, if ANY member of DCGA feels violently attacked or treated with hostility "they are free to publicly announce the occasion that led them to feel this way rather than speaking about it privately and/or simply allowing such childish rumors to spread across campus" (Owens, 2009).

If anyone wants to discuss The Black Student Union’s history they should be well informed that in the past The Black Student Union has "generally presented good budgets" (Freiermuth email, 2009). However, despite The Black Student Union’s professional practices, DCGA has repeatedly created roadblocks in the organization’s funding processes. This year alone, DCGA Finance disrespectfully denied The Black Student Union funding for The Black Men’s Summit after previously allocating the same money for the event. Let us acknowledge that this forum was designed to "bring three International scholars to address Denison’s significantly low retention rates for Black Men" and its affect on the ENTIRE Denison community (Collins, 2009). Historically, however, there have been significantly less conflicts with DCGA’s funding of Culture Jam compared to The Black Student Union’s intellectually inspired events. Perhaps that is because stereotypically, that is all us Blacks are good for anyway, right? Dancing, jigging and rapping have been seen as our strong suits— not mentoring our youth and serving our community in various ways (which we do); not scholarly engagement inside and OUTSIDE of the classroom with students, faculty and administration alike (which we do partake in); not producing an abundance of Denison’s student leaders (which The BSU does)… we could add on to this list for an eternity actually, but we are going to stop here in order to be environmentally friendly (which The BSU also is).

It is problematic that even while attending and promoting a liberal arts education, many of our community members still incorporate society’s conservative and stagnate views in every aspect of our campus life while The Black Student Union and its allies are left to continuously contest these same obsolete and unchanging perspectives.

It is problematic that even while attending and promoting a liberal arts education, many of our community members still incorporate society’s conservative and stagnate views in every aspect of our campus life while The Black Student Union and its allies are left to continuously contest these same obsolete and unchanging perspectives.

Respectfully submitted by concerned student activity fee payers,
Ja’Vida Ja’Von Ford
Tyra Chanel Owens

Significant contributions by,
Jamie Nicole McDonald

P.S. We are speaking as individual members of informed members of The Black Student Union and not on behalf of the entire organization.
P.S.S. Please do THOROUGHLY read the 2009-2010 BSU "budget clarification" submitted by the DCGA Executive Board members. If you cannot find this document, please refer all initial requests to DCGA President Ryan Burandt who should have a "working attachment" in his email.
P.S.S.S. This entire situation is some BullSheet!!!