This year’s annual Student Government presidential debate may be missing the voices of minority students.
The University’s Black Student Union declined to participate in the SG-sponsored debate. Instead, the group will sponsor its own debate March 20 at 6 p.m. for multicultural and underrepresented groups on campus.
Myranda Adams, history senior and president of the Black Student Union, said the catalyst for a separate debate came when SG Senate Speaker Aaron Caffarel contacted her to participate in SG’s annual debate as the sole representative for all University minority groups.
Adams said she wasn’t offended, but she was surprised that SG would “lump all minorities into one group, which masks any of the issues the groups may have.”
“It’s like saying all minorities have the same perspective,” Adams said.
At the Black Student Union’s meeting Tuesday, a small group of students prepared the questions and structure for the debate.
Adams said there is a definite under-representation of minority groups at the University. According to the Office of Equity, Diversity and Community Outreach’s annual diversity report, about 20 percent of undergraduate students are minorities.
Nyasha Hill, mass communication junior, said the Black Student Union contacted 43 minority organizations to participate in the debate.
Hill said this debate is the Black Student Union’s way of asking SG to come out and see the amount of minority and underrepresented groups on campus because one person can’t speak on behalf of every group.
The Black Student Union participated in SG’s debate last year, but Hill said the representative was only speaking on behalf of African-American students.
Hill said she hopes representatives will be more sensitive to minorities at next year’s SG debate.
 
____ Contact Marylee Williams at [email protected].