There is no anti-discrimination clause in the UM system-wide code of conduct.
The MU-Columbia exclusive M-book does address discrimination, but it hasn’t been revised since 1989 — wait, what? Yes, that’s right. We haven’t updated our rule book or non-discrimination policy in 22 years. Maybe no huge movements have happened in the last 20 years, but as a population, our views on discrimination and inclusion have changed.
As the flagship university of Missouri, MU has an obligation to the state and to its student and to its staff to be more progressive.
The lack of a statement is embarrassing. Rather than being progressive, we’re moving through an unfortunate time warp to catch up with modern-day sensibility.
Part of what’s behind the time is the exclusions of certain aspects of discrimination, such as sexual orientation or identifying as transgender or disabled in any way. As the issue of discrimination has expanded beyond race, MU has not followed policies.
Updating the M-book to cover discrimination of any kind against the rest of these groups may be what seems easier as Donell Young, senior coordinator of the Office of Student Conduct, said, but the leading groups and offices of our campus should be pushing for all governing documents of the UM System to be up-to-date when it comes to policy changes such as these.
These policies that are still missing from our rules and regulations are concepts that should be implied and go right along with stealing and cheating. It’s alarming and disappointing for people who call themselves students of this university to have to identify with others who will repeatedly go unpunished by the university for their hate crimes. Being held accountable by the police department is a start, but no one wants to be that person’s lab partner or sit next to them in lecture.
Being clear with these policies is another way to be sure we are accomplishing an anti-discrimination clause. There are obviously different opinions of what “discrimination” is if even our own student body president doesn’t believe we have an issue on this campus. Missouri Students Association President Eric Woods said this is not a means to address a current problem, but to deal with future problems.
Unfortunately, there are more actions that can be considered discrimination aside from full-fledged hate crimes, especially in the eyes of the victim. Just because obscenities aren’t spray painted on the sides of residence halls every day doesn’t mean there aren’t hurtful things said and done to these groups that often.
This issue of discrimination is nothing new, and it seems as though there is still no clear understanding of what is unacceptable on this campus. These groups have just as much of a right on this campus as the others and also deserve to be treated fairly, which this policy would only support.
