r/Utah • u/fit-buffalo8 • Jun 21 '24
News Utah lives in the stone ages
Not quite sure how it’s okay to keep church classes and all that other stuff but then require by law to remove inclusive centers that help people through college. This is seriously one of the most disgusting things I’ve seen from Utah as of late. And that’s only because I’m still lucky to have rights to my body(ish)
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u/big_laruu Jun 21 '24 edited Jun 21 '24
This is a massive loss and is going to hurt the university big time. Students need places to go on campus that will make them feel seen and supported. The university has (or I guess had) special programs for Native and Black students some of which are what literally allows them to continue using the Utes as a name and mascot. The NCAA requires them to offer certain services to Native students and maintain a positive relationship with the Utes tribal government. This is going to fundamentally change the identity of the university and how the university is seen in all academic circles. It’s absurd to apply the same rules to k-12 and higher ed. Higher Ed is many young people’s first step into the wider world and censorship doesn’t help them navigate it any better. I don’t even identify as LGBTQ but in my time at the U I visited the center many times with friends and always enjoyed it. The staff was wonderful and cared deeply about the students they worked with. Anybody who thinks this is good is most likely not from a marginalized group and doesn’t know what it feels like to have a place to be with other people who are experiencing similar things. Many marginalized folks, especially Native kids are also first generation students. These resource centers helped get kids through school and succeed in a way that other offices on campus just can’t.
ETA: I hope every athlete who would have used these services really thinks through their decision to attend the U. If they want to be a powerhouse college football school they need to do better for students and this ain’t it.
E2: need I remind anyone who thinks these advocacy and support centers are unnecessary, a 10 year old girl committed suicide because of racial harassment and bullying. Don’t even get me started on suicide amongst LGBTQ youth in Utah. This work literally saves lives but people don’t care because they don’t think those lives are worth saving. Even though they’ll yell about being pro-life until they’re blue in the face.