Rumor has it that 1999 was a good year for recruiting bright African-American students for the next freshman class.Clearly none of these future Buckeyes were in town two weekends ago, when Ohio State hosted the 8th annual African-American Heritage Festival. If they had been, they would have witnessed a campus whose attitudes toward black students was quite different from the shiny, happy brochure pictures. And they probably wouldn’t have decided to attend OSU in the fall.What they would have witnessed instead of the multiracial utopia we sell them was a campus where white students advised each other to stay at home all weekend because “Black Out” is dangerous for white people. They would have witnessed mounted police patrolling High Street at 4 p.m. on a sunny afternoon. They would have heard comments from white girls saying that they were “afraid to wear a tight shirt” because they expected to be harassed. They would have seen young African-Americans, who congregated in Columbus to dance and eat and celebrate – not to pillage the neighborhood – but who were asked to show ID if they wanted to drive in the area.Would you pay money to attend a school where both the police and your fellow students treat you like a criminal if you gather in a group of more than ten people of your own race?If you were around during the festival, nothing I’ve described should be surprising. But the tents have been cleaned up for a week and a half, and ignorant white people can finally get on with more important things, tight shirts and all. Here, in the quiet aftermath of the event, the work starts. To criticize the campus’ attitude about the Heritage Festival after it is over accomplishes little. At least I hope that this is why no columns deriding the police presence of the event emerged and why the only opinion piece discussing the event was a dutiful (though accurate) editorial by the Lantern staff. I also hope that this is why some of the only letters that addressed the event were by a white student who complained of being harassed and by an area resident who criticized the event for “inconveniencing” her. I hope that those who were outraged at the way the event was handled – and not only because it upset their traffic route – are silent only because they are focusing their energies on improving campus attitudes for next year.I’ll start there, too. The Heritage Festival is one of OSU’s greatest accomplishments – at least before the entire Columbus Police force rolls in. It is one of the few large events which shows that OSU has a commitment to African-American students on this campus and in the greater community, despite the “hassles” and “problems” the affair causes. But sadly, this commitment is obscured by the police and blockades which appear as soon as the souped-up convertibles roll in.I dare OSU to try something new next year. Bringing thousands of energetic young people into a small area is perhaps likely to cause some disciplinary problems, but why don’t we take a different approach to keeping the event safe and peaceful? I propose using the resources of the Columbus police to train students: Just as events such as Spring Fest are regulated by students, let’s expand the same idea to the Heritage Festival.Anyone who has ever lived in the dorms knows exactly how seriously student RAs take themselves once they are given an ounce of responsibility. If we make students responsible for the quality of the event, perhaps participants will react less negatively than they do to armed police. If anything illegal does occur, the students can always ask for help from the cops, who might take the hint and stay discreetly out of sight until they are actually needed. Perhaps white students, whose racist attitudes are often based on the assumption that police are required to “control” black people, will realize the mistake they are making.To change attitudes about the Heritage Festival takes more than one person writing a stupid column; it takes hundreds of people finding a way to make the event a positive experience for African Americans who visit our campus, be they guests or new freshmen. OSU has shown something of a commitment to black students by hosting the festival in the first place – now let’s show our commitment by finding a way to make the participants feel welcome.
Jessica Weeks is a sophomore sociology major from Shaker Heights, Ohio.