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Students protest selling cookies based on race

Southern Methodist University ended an affirmative action protest Wednesday initiated by the Young Conservatives of Texas. The protest consisted of a bake sale offering cookies at different prices based on the consumer’s race and gender. White males were expected to pay $1 for a cookie; white females, 75 cents; Hispanics, 50 cents; and blacks, 25 cents.

The closure of the bake sale resulted in national media attention and a lot of publicity for the YCT.

SMU officials shut down the event because it had created a “hostile environment,” according to the administration. The YCT at SMU could have prevented their exercise from getting canceled by informing officials of the political nature of their bake sale ahead of time.

School officials are responsible for providing security and taking other precautions to ensure the safety of students. SMU officials were never given the chance to do so because they were unaware that the YCT’s bake sale was actually a protest.

Contrary to some news reports, the protest was not canceled because of the opinions expressed by the YCT at SMU or complaints filed by SMU students. The event was cut short because SMU officials feared they were unable to handle the situation. For that SMU should take a serious look at its ability to police its campus, and the YCT at SMU should learn to be more forthcoming with their plans.

The university later added that the protest was a “violation of the University’s nondiscrimination policy to sell goods at different prices based on race, ethnicity or gender.”

The bake sale was held to protest the use of race in college admissions. By showing how giving some students a preference based on their race is racial discrimination. The YCT evidenced this by giving certain groups a discount to represent a boost in a college admissions score.

While we’re certain the YCT meant no offense by offering goods at different prices, the practice remains an example of discrimination and should not be allowed. The YCT has the right to share their beliefs with a listening public, but the group’s form of protest should not violate the university’s guidelines.

The YCT bake sale incident at SMU is not about free speech, free expression or the suppression of conservative ideas. It’s about ensuring students safety and following campus rules.

This is a staff editorial from the Daily Texan at University of Texas at Austin.
This editorial was distributed by U-Wire.