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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories New Southern Oregon University board votes to bump tuition nearly 5 percent in the fall Police Reports Schneider Art Museum installation re-imagines Rivera UPDATED: Two lanes open after I-5 truck crash near Siskiyou Summit 10 things to know for Friday Education New Southern Oregon University board votes to bump tuition nearly 5 percent in the fall Why OLLI matters: A personal perspective Southern Oregon University names director of marketing Dianne Williamson: College admissions mania ill-advised Rotary Club of Ashland names Riley O'Sullivan as Student of the Month Environment Mt. Ashland Ski Area to host party March 28 Mt. Ashland hopes coming storm will reopen ski area Wild Side: Selfish and other reasons for saving endangered species Mt. Ashland Ski Area: Low snow closes 'bunny hill' chairlift for beginning skiers With pre-season conditions worst in 25 years, catastrophic wildfires expected in region this summer Business Ride & Drive: 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Snow hopes dashed, Mt. Ashland Ski Area hosts season-ending party Saturday Iconic Ashland bookstore to celebrate 35th anniversary on April 19 Test Drive: 2015 Honda Accord Cars We Remember: The original Candymatic Ramchargers Politics and elections Jackson County Commissioners plan no tax on marijuana for first year Grassroots group campaigns for Plaza paver do-over Arthur I. Cyr: Iran – a crisis without end Short-term rental restrictions kept in some areas, loosened in others Arthur I. Cyr: South Korea represents long-term triumph – for them and for US State News Oregon's governor appoints new secretary of state Nation - World Obituaries Death Notices Alicia Applegate Hardy Death Notices Rosalind Dee Death Notices Shareable Sports Latest Stories Grizz baseball team caps Arizona trip with another win Ashland Rowing Club hires highly touted coach and national-award winning team director to lead expansion Antionette Kerr: Tourney fever gets superstitious Blazers fight back, edge Jazz Grizzlies rally past Colorado school for Greenway Festival victory High school Grizz baseball team caps Arizona trip with another win Grizzlies rally past Colorado school for Greenway Festival victory Ashland softball team splits pair in second day of Bend tournament Grizzlies rally past GP, to 2-0 start Ashland boys capture another Sato Cup snowboard title at Mt. Bachelor Southern Oregon University Grizz baseball team caps Arizona trip with another win Grizzlies rally past Colorado school for Greenway Festival victory Ashland softball team splits pair in second day of Bend tournament Ducks enjoy the challenge Oregon bows out Voices Latest Stories Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent Herb Rothschild Jr: Failing at charity Philip Maddocks: GOP plan offers hope for poor once they become rich Matthew T. Mangino: A clearer picture of police shootings begins to emerge Letters to the Editor, March 27 Editorial Our View: Build it; they will play Our View: How it should work Our View: Ashland High principal is the head of her class Our View: Tuition trauma Our View: SOU's economic clout Letters Letters to the Editor, March 27 Letters to the Editor, March 25 Letters to the Editor, March 23 Letters to the Editor, March 20 Letters to the Editor, March 19 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent Guest Opinion: Hannah Thomas-Garner's father thanks the Ashland community Guest Opinion: Ashland is asking for trouble with new room rental rules Guest Opinion: More reasons to oppose Jordan Cove Guest Opinion: It's Groundwater Awareness Week; test your well Columns Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent Herb Rothschild Jr: Failing at charity Philip Maddocks: GOP plan offers hope for poor once they become rich Matthew T. Mangino: A clearer picture of police shootings begins to emerge Jeffrey Gillespie: Pax Americana? At what price? Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Top 5 things to do this week Laurie Lewis and Kathy Kallick pay tribute to Arkansas bluegrass duo Vern Williams and Ray Park The Oregon Shakespeare Festival presents Eugene O'Neill's autobiographical 'Long Day's Journey into Night' Community blog: Words, wine and Craig Wright 4 Things To Do This Week Theater Ticket availability Ticket Availability Ashland Contemporary Theatre seeks new artistic director Ticket Availability The Oregon Shakespeare Festival presents Eugene O'Neill's autobiographical 'Long Day's Journey into Night' Music Futureshock: Kendrick Lamar release points to road ahead Laurie Lewis and Kathy Kallick pay tribute to Arkansas bluegrass duo Vern Williams and Ray Park Album reviews: Recent and recommended for March The Farr Side: New format for ‘American Idol’ as show continues a strong run Improv rock and folk band hosts a dance party at the Ashland Community Center Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Movies Movie review: In ‘Danny Collins,’ Pacino helps us imagine a Lennon story Noah Baumbach talks Ben Stiller, adult comedies and more In 'Timbuktu,' lust for power disturbs peace Movie review: ‘The Gunman’ misses the target Movie listings: March 20-26 Food and Drink Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Ride & Drive: 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque App Finder: Best barbecue apps Health Watch: It’s OK to have a cheat day Inner Peace: The good, the bad and the spiritual Antionette Kerr: Tourney fever gets superstitious Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Rogues: Tales from the Valley Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Ashland Calendar: Saturday, March 28 ... Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent ... Herb Rothschild Jr: Failing at charity ... Ashland Calendar: Saturday, March 28 ... Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent ... Herb Rothschild Jr: Failing at charity ... Kent Bush: Things will never change unless we change them Comment By Kent Bush More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Kent Bush More Content Now Posted Mar. 10, 2015 at 6:42 AM Updated Mar 10, 2015 at 6:43 AM By Kent Bush More Content Now Posted Mar. 10, 2015 at 6:42 AM Updated Mar 10, 2015 at 6:43 AM » Social News Hello, you are reading this column in 2015. I’m not making that announcement because of daylight saving time adjustments from the weekend. I am making that announcement because on the 50th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday Civil Rights events in Selma, Alabama, an Oklahoma University fraternity was disbanded after video of overtly racist chants on a party bus were posted online. Members of the school’s Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter were seen and heard chanting “There will never be a n--- in SAE” and following it with cute phrases about hanging those same people who are excluded from SAE membership from a tree. University President David Boren wasted no time and handing down swift and harsh punishment. The house was cleared, and the fraternity was disbanded and no longer has a presence on campus. Everyone in the National Sigma Alpha Epsilon organization rushed to paint this as an isolated event. I would love to believe that. But several facts drive my belief that this was not isolated on the Norman campus and probably not isolated nationwide. That was not the first time that chant had been yelled. When a couple of idiots started it up on the party bus – because nothing says “Let’s have fun at a party” like shouting racist epithets – far too many partygoers knew the chant and shouted and clapped along. It wasn’t isolated among that group of fraternity members. It was a fight song, a rally cry, a declaration. Other evidence doesn’t support the claim that those beliefs are isolated among the group. As the controversy began to unfold, interest was drawn in the SAE fraternity house just up the road in Stillwater on the campus of Oklahoma State University. A rebel flag is proudly displayed in the window of one of the member’s rooms. One would hope that at my alma mater, the young man was just a really big “Dukes of Hazzard” fan, and not a symbol of more widespread racism within his fraternity. I want to believe that. I don’t, but I want to. This incident has been hurtful to many students at the university. It has been nice to see the overwhelming response following the incident from President Boren, to students on campus, to former OU fraternity members who have been posting their disbelief that this happened in their Greek system on their alma mater. That was the most disturbing thing about the video. Groupthink led many on the bus to clap along and giggle at the chants. Only one person, purportedly a young lady invited along to the party, had the courage to use her phone to record the incident and expose the horrible truth. Like I said before, it is 2015. We are 150 years from the abolition of slavery, 50 years from Selma’s Civil rights march, and six years from electing our first black president. But in the blink of an eye, it will be 2065. If we as a society truly want to see this behavior end, there has to be fewer chanters and cheerers when incidents like this happen. We need more people to stand up and have the courage to shine the light on these cultural cockroaches and drive them out of our shared spaces. As the adoptive father of a black child, I don’t want to feel this way again. I don’t want him to suffer the pain of people treating him this way. Things don’t just change. People change things. It is time we all stand up and say that this is not acceptable on our campus, in our neighborhood, on this party bus, or in my house. If we want it to get better, we have to do our part to make it better. Kent Bush is publisher of Shawnee (Oklahoma) News-Star and can be reached at [email protected]. By Kent Bush More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Kent Bush More Content Now Posted Mar. 10, 2015 at 6:42 AM Updated Mar 10, 2015 at 6:43 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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