Brown and White Vol. 116 No. 20

              the brown and white lehigh university's student newspaper founded in 1894 vol 116 no 20 friday november 14 2008 all the lehigh news first crowd packs auditorium to fight racism by chris knight black students at lehigh have been the targets of racism since barack obama won the presidential election last week students and faculty said tuesday night at a town hall meeting more than 300 people packed into per ella auditorium with standing room only in response to the racist acts president al ice gast who called for the meeting after hearing of the incidents said she hoped the meeting would help repudiate racism at least three racist acts have occurred since obama swept the election on nov 4 according to students at the meeting two of the racist acts occurred when people from passing cars yelled racial slurs at black female students one of which was on tuesday a car slowed down next to me rolls down the passenger-side window and the person in the passenger-side window yells out the n-word one of the students said in an audio recording at the meeting i just kind of stood there in disbelief another black freshman female who asked to remain anonymous said a white student called her an ignorant black bitch on nov 5 after overhearing her talk about her excitement over obama a guy approaches me and walks by me but he overhears what i'm saying and he says you don't know what you're talk ing about you're just an ignorant black bitch the student said the student said she was so shocked that she froze and did not confront the student b&w photo by chris knight president alice gast answers a question tuesday at a meeting addressing racism international steps b&wphoto by chaucy dixon students participate in a salsa dancing class in the global union lounge tuesday night the event was part of international week which began sunday and ends tomorrow most homeless don't fit stereotype panelists say by ben rautenberg the homeless are typically thought of as lazy poor job less alone and drug or alcohol addicted but try telling that to chris tine who was thrown out of her home when she was 18 years old and said her family threw her belongings onto the street christine spoke as part of the faces of the homelessness panel program tuesday which offered a chance to hear first hand accounts of what it's really like to be homeless the presentation was held at 7 p.m in maginnes hall between 750,000 and 850,000 people are home less every night 42 percent of whom are children under the age of five three people spoke about their experiences being homeless christine moved from house to house until no one would house her anymore she said she then lived in her car in a parking lot and showered in public bathrooms christine now has four jobs and attends lehigh carbon community college it's not that i'm poor or lazy christine said janelle 26 who also spoke has three children and lived in a house in bethlehem until her husband began abusing her she fled to philadelphia to stay with family he son began having trouble in school so janelle decided to move back to bethlehem the restoration house helped her find a job and get her and her family's lives back in order scott 49 is a formerly home less single parent of two teenag ers and is a veteran in 2006 complications after having back surgery left him unable to work the movement renews its fervor after election by elizabeth fontaine the movement reached its highest turnout in three years after racist remarks were made toward black students at le high group representatives said more than 80 people at tended the meeting monday night said movement repre sentative sara bailin 09 to respond to racists acts on cam pus last week which included racial slurs and racially charged remarks about president-elect barack obama fliers were distributed around campus to inform stu dents of the meeting hilary chadwick a member of the movement said the rac ist comments on campus are disgusting why the hell is this happen ing on our campus chadwick said at the meeting it makes me pretty embarrassed to go here discussion lingered on the ambiguity of a flyer that has been posted and seen around campus in classrooms and residence halls the paper read your president is black how does that make you feel many agreed that the intent of the message was unclear bailin said the group began in 2006 because angry students wanted to make a change after realizing that some students did not feel comfortable at lehigh their second home students should feel com fortable they should have an outlet that they're comfortable going to bailin said adding that outlets do exist at lehigh but that it is up to students to pursue them amy forando 11 who at tended the meeting said when she told people about the meeting on monday a lot of students responded that they wouldn't bother to go because they didn't think they could make a change nikki bayard 10 said when she discussed the recent events with others their responses were not of shock the response i got was i'm not surprised people at lehigh are racist sexist homophobic bayard said even if you're not hearing it it's happening she said she believes lehigh is small enough that students can make a change but there is a culture of silence at lehigh it is our community here for four or more years bayard said and if racism is the norm i would like it to be different than the norm lara boffey 09 said that until monday the movement had been 10 people sitting in a room she said the 70 people in the room were all their own movements she said she's dis gusted by the stories circulating around campus of the racist comments shouted at students see racism page 4 see hunger page 2 see movement page 6 live music s^^l^sl wrestling team check online for has gone green gl____h_i defeats maryland breaking news page 7 w^^tm^j m vb page 16 www.thebrownandwhite.com __________ __■ —> i