Love and Kindness Has No Color

Posted Date: 10/27/2021

Every time I hear a student using inappropriate language, I stop to correct them. When I ask if they use that language in front of parents or grandparents or in places like a church or family gathering, they of course say “no.” I realize we are all human and we all say and do things we should not do, but I recently got an email from one of our African-American students who said, “Dear sir – I am writing to you because a lot of my classmates are using the “N” word and it is very offensive. I tell them to stop, but they are laughing at me and they ignore me. This is not OK. Can you please talk to the students about this when you talk about treating others the way you want to be treated and doing the right thing and making NVMI a better place? People using that word is not doing any of those things, and I am offended when they say it. Thank you.”
Frankly, this email broke my heart. I need everyone on this campus to be attuned to foul language. If you hear someone saying it, stop and correct them and don’t just allow it to go unchecked. As this student said, IT IS NOT OK. I have been correcting everyone when I hear unacceptable language, but please hear this – each time I hear someone using the “N” word, I am going to immediately call their parents, schedule a parent meeting, and assign that student to a 20-hour online course on cultural sensitivity. We need to do better at thinking about what we say and do.  Dr. Ryan