Wednesday, April 20, 2011

SGA Meeting 4/19/2011 Recap

Cool meeting, went on for 2.5 hours and I was pretty sleepy by the end.
  • Today I decided to say ‘present’ instead of ‘here’ during the Roll Call
  • I would like to thank Senator Reighart for passing out the name tags during the meeting
  • Student Speakout
    • Joanna Purich
      • Talking about why we should not raise student fees, led to a long discussion. Senator Chandwaney asked if it was rude to ask her to stop talking, to which we all responded, yes that is rude, please allow her to continue talking.
    • Girl who works at Chick Fil A kinda defending the group via they give out scholarships and such.  
      • Cool to see someone who opposed banning Chick Fil A showing up to voice an unpopular opinion
    • A group of 8 kids saying why we should sever ties with Chick Fil A
      • They mentioned something like ‘putting down human beings, just like you and me’ but I am actually a robot, so I take offense to this comment, assuming that I am a puny human
  • On facebook Lisa Neu said that I was ‘best chair ever’ (via chairing the SGA meetings)
  • Thinking about writing a resolution thanking the class of 2011 exec board for getting 1$ beers at the pub on the 28th of April
  • That bill regarding increasing the time for walking between classes is back up since Senator Chandwaney is here today.  
    • Senator Reighart pointed out that this will affect ‘feeding times’ via we are all farm animals
    • Did not pass
  • Relay for Life Club!  They have done it for two years now and it’s been super successful and cool, so this is a good idea.  
    • I totally knew that Treasurer Smith wanted to say something so I called on him before he raised his hand
    • Yo the two girls presenting this club constitution have cool ass shoes.  Gold Cleopatra sandals and Sperrys.  
      • One of them taught a Zuma class (that weird work out thing that I do not understand) which made me giggle
    • This club passed
  • I want to write a resolution that says ‘Kelly Schroeder is pretty cool’
  • Next is a resolution in support of publicizing bias-based harassment
    • Some kids have been targeted on campus for race, sexual identity, and other things, all of which sucks
    • Senator McGrath admitted that he is a windbag
    • This passed
  • A Bylaws Amendment to put the Club Coordinator on Finance Board.  The reasoning is the Finance Board does funding stuff with clubs, so this would give the Club Coordinator a lot more understanding of what clubs are asking for.
    • Senator White just said ‘freshman’...tisk tisk
    • This passed
  • A Resolution urging the school to sever ties with Chick Fil A
    • So delicious but so homophobic, sigh
    • President Santangelo would in fact not support a resolution forcing people who eat Chick Fil A to go to camps.  I love camp, but I don’t think he was talking about fun camps.
    • Senator Chandwaney said that Starbucks does nothing wrong.  He is incorrect though I feel via Starbucks being anti-union, don’t use fair-trade coffee, also they are hella expensive.
    • President O’Neil just said ‘damn’...SGA is getting into bad language!
    • This passed after much debate
Coooool SGA meeting wooo

91 comments:

  1. Sigh...I guess its time people investigate every single product we sell in the grind. I'm sure Starbucks is definitely a "shining" example of corporate morality...right. I will miss you Chick-Fil-A...your deliciousness will never be forgotten.

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  2. Second the tisk tisking at 'freshman.'

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  3. Just to clarify, we don't sell starbucks coffee on campus. Well maybe like a few bags of coffee grounds at the Grind but it isnt served at the Grind or Green Bean: they use delicious fair trade, organic, shade grown coffee! So delicious, so ethical.

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  4. It IS time that people investigate every single product they buy in the Grind, and everywhere else for that matter. It is ridiculous to me that this has turned into such a clusterfuck. A company supports the discrimination of a group of people, which is quite obviously contrary to the St. Mary's ethos of tolerance, acceptance, and safe haven for traditionally persecuted persons. We absolutely should sever ties with them. If you want to eat Chick-Fil-A, go do it with your own money. This public institution should not be purchasing from any discriminatory organizations if it can be helped. It IS important to be an informed consumer, because what we collectively choose to buy and not to be will shape the future of our society.

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  5. 1) It's true, I am a windbag
    2) WRONG! That bylaws bill got tabled
    3) STOP USING "VIA" FOR STUFF THAT IT DOESN'T APPLY TO, NOW EVERYONE'S DOING IT

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  6. really think the SGA should do something about the rapey SMUT chants. via they offend me and a lot of other people.

    (intentional misuse of via, via wanting to annoy kyle mcgrath.)

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  7. Then come to a meeting and bring it up or talk to your senator about it.

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  8. Speaking of, something needs to be done about the elitism of some of the athletes on this campus. Just sayin'.

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    Replies
    1. lol watch out for this anon everyone, justice will be done

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  9. YO! my bylaws amendment got tabled! it did not pass.

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  10. via via via via via

    and yay for the cfa bill

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  11. i used to say present, its badass in a old fashion way

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  12. To the person who wants the SGA to pass something about the SMUT chants, why don't you just tell them it offends you and ask them to stop, instead of bringing student government into another issue that could be solved personally?

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  13. people have already asked them to stop... they get all defensive about it. fuck that, it's rape culture and it's uncalled for. We as a campus are moving towards not giving money to chik-fil-a because their values as a company conflict with ours as an institution. I would argue that no-means-yes SMUT chants conflict with our values as an institution as well, and that this legislation sets an important precedent.

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  14. Anybody talk to their coach or advisor?

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  15. yay being against rapey cheers! down with government! anarchy!

    on a side note, via caring, im a fan of equality.

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  16. yay anarchy! yay dollar beers!

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  17. The whole SMUT-rape-culture thing is something I can't quite understand--not that I don't know what rape culture is or why it's offensive, but because so many of the people I know offended by it are also extremely anti-policing other people's behavior. Isn't that just what telling this is? I know it's personally offensive, I get all of that. It's just a contradiction I can't quite wrap my head around.

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  18. Freedom of speech doesn't mean freedom from consequences. If what they're chanting creates a hostile environment, then they ought to get called on it, and they ought to stop.

    If nothing else, tell them respecting women makes them hot ('cause it does). Being an intentional douchebag does not.

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  19. yo tonight I definitely plan on putting the sensual into conSENSUAL sex

    for real though, would you say its policing someone's actions if you call someone out on gay-bashing or harassing someone? this is basically no different. it is not 'policing people's actions.' its saying "please stop doing something that is incredibly hurtful"

    just a reminder: rape happens allllll the time, everyday, 1 in 3 women.

    would they go to leah's house (local women's shelter) and do that chant? I hope not.

    but even at st. mary's, chances are someone who has been raped is listening when they do that chant. I get that that isn't the intention, obviously, but making a chant about it and expecting it to be okay is totally ignorant of those hard facts.

    its weird, I'm confused why people are so attached to it, and it makes me a little uncomfortable/upset/pissed, as someone who has consistently said "no" and had that mean for other people,"yes."

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  20. you know what sucked? being raped. Don't wanna hear macho athletes screaming that no means yes because it never fucking does.

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  21. just because something is incredibly offensive, doesn't mean they have to stop saying it. if the westboro baptist church is allowed to say the things they do, fat chance something like the smut cheer is going to get banned. freedom of speech, state school.

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  22. But at the same time, Westboro Baptist says what they say because they INTEND to offend (for their own twisted reasons). Why does SMUT want to INTENTIONALLY offend people? Makes them out to look like douchebags. Are they?

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  23. The chants shouldn't be banned, but SMUT should be decent human beings and voluntarily stop using them. WBC is full of twisted, sick individuals who have caused mental anguish for millions and have had thousands of people fighting back, shouting for what is right and good in this world, not just what is legal. SMUT is far better than that, and I'm truly hopeful that they'll soon stop.

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  24. yeah if you are having to default to westboro baptist church to defend smut's right to say shit thats a bad sign. like, really? westboro baptist church is THE pre-eminent hate speech group in the country. it may be legal to say what they say, but who would ever want to be compared to WBC?

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  25. Ultimate teams intentionally try to offend to be obnoxious

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  26. Just a little side note about Ultimate teams being intentionally obnoxious and crossing the line: it's true. The culture originally was based on how fucked up your name and chants could be. Truckstop Glory Hole is the best club team in our club section, just gross.

    Do I think we should stop the rape chants? You betcha. But is it because they're awful people who don't care about women and think rape is a joke? No

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  27. ^^^ which is all the more reason you all should change them, now. We know you're not awful people... many of the people complaining, myself included, are friends with most of the SMUT team. So do the decent thing and stop the chants.

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  28. So perpetuating rape culture is the only way to be intimidating? Way to be classy.

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  29. Hey anonymous 10:37,
    Way to miss the point.
    Sincerely,
    Critical thinking

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  30. 42,000 died last week because they don't have access to fresh drinking water
    5000 died from AIDS yesterday
    1200 died from smoking cigarettes yesterday

    BUT...LET'S GET IRATE OVER THIS SMUT CHEER!IT WILL CHANGE SO MANY THINGS FOR SO MANY PEOPLE!

    "but why why don't we focus on what we can change in our own community?"
    "because it is so annoying and painful to listen to when so many other important things are going on"

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  31. 2:57- If you can't make a difference in your own neighborhood, how can you intend to change the rest of the world? Yes, there are other problems in the world, and yes, there are greater problems in the world, but that doesn't make our problems here any less worthy of notice.

    If you are interested in other issues, then that's great. But if you don't care about this one, then focus your energy on fighting for the justices you would prefer to see instead of bashing people for voicing their opinions.

    At least people are starting to speak up about something.

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  32. Dear 2:57 AM, all we can do is keep trying, in all aspects of our world. Eliminating this cheer requires almost zero effort on the part of those using it, and will stop reminding rape victims of when they were raped. While implementing that zero effort move, we'll jet over to Africa and work to install clean water systems in remote villages and to educate the populace about AIDS and how to fight it. Then we'll come back over to the US and tell people to stop killing themselves and others through smoking. While we're at it, I'll release a dove and suddenly the world will be at peace. With all these problems, at least there's one small area that can be fixed instantly.

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  33. dear SMUT, stop glorifying rape culture. also. fuck you.

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  34. wait so how is another team's chant of "we're gonna destroy you" not an example of homicide culture? you could just as easily make a case for that type of culture existing (via the media), only then you would need to ask virtually every sports team to modify their cheers.
    I am not trying to be sassy here, I am legitimately just wondering!

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  35. Guys, take a step back for a moment. Yeah everyone has a right to free speech, but first think about our values as St. Mary's students.

    We take pride in the fact that we are polite, that we live on a safe campus, and can become friends with someone just because we see them on the path everyday. We love our welcoming, and inclusive community. We even had a presidential open hour last week to discuss how we can promote civility and show respect for each other on campus.

    Yeah sure, athletic cheers are often meant to be offensive and rile people up, but on this campus, in our community, that chant seriously offends people. Instead of making people feel unsafe, can we just respect them? If not in the real world, just here at St. Mary's?

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  36. We're going to destroy you translates to the field: destroy on the scoreboard, dominate, win, etc. Butt sex does not translate to the field.

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  37. Anonymous athletic supporter (LOL)April 26, 2011 at 12:32 PM

    To Anon at April 25, 2011 12:57 AM
    Didn't miss the point - chants about rape perpetuate a rape culture. That's pretty much the definition of "rape culture."

    SMUT, take the high road and knock it off. You're decent guys and should know better. It's one thing to be brutes on the field, but now that you're aware you're making people off the field - you know, the people who are there to SUPPORT YOU - feel like shit, then just knock it off. There are other ways for you to chant your prowess without being hurtful dickheads.

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  38. I think this is a cool discussion but it's probably not as useful as actually talking to the captains

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  39. "We take pride in the fact that we are polite, that we live on a safe campus, and can become friends with someone just because we see them on the path everyday. We love our welcoming, and inclusive community."

    This is a nice myth and I wish it were true, but over the past semester I have realized that St. Mary's students actually have next to zero conviction in these values. People would rather eat a generic tasting chicken sandwich than make a statement of informed consumerism against institutionalized anti-gay sentiments. Go figure. I guess people here are just as selfish, mean-spirited, apathetic, and shitty as any other spoiled middle class kids. For once however, Benjes is right. It's not very productive to discuss this via his crappy blog (correct use of via for you there, ken).

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  40. It's not crappy :[

    Wait how is that being polite at all! I agree with your points though.

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  41. just to clarify, the buttsex chant actually does translate to the field. in frisbee the point is to the get it into the other teams endzone, so buttsex jokes are always going to ensue. almost every frisbee team has buttsex chants for that reason.

    but I agree with Ken that this should probs be discussed elsewhere

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  42. Anonymous athletic supporter (LOL)April 26, 2011 at 3:26 PM

    Ken, your blog is not crappy, it's awesome! I don't know where I'll get my anonymous campus gossip when you leave. *is sad*

    I think someone should point the SMUT members here. What's their e-mail? DOOOO IIIIIIT.

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  43. I'm a smut member. But if you want to talk to captains, there is Brooke Austin and Davey Clough.

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  44. I'm a SMUT member and also a woman, I don't really understand why people think that changing a cheer that we have is accomplishing anything. We as a team are not promoting a rape culture. As it has been stated before, the cheer is about putting in the disc into another teams end zone. There are many cheers that are used by teams that have to do with sex and especially butt sex because of the nature of the game.

    The people who participate in SMUT are decent people who are not there to make people uncomfortable, we get together to play a game that we find fun and cheer together to get excited to play. I'm not sure that banning our cheer is the most important thing for people to be focusing on. There are more important matters both on and off this campus that people should direct their attention at and not a silly little cheer that our team uses.

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  45. The entire game is a sexual innuendo, if no one has recognized this fact.

    Our schools team is named SMUT - which is a reference to porn.

    A throw down the field is called a "huck"

    the goal of the game is to put it in the other teams "end zone"

    its a game. It is silly that people are getting this defensive about it

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  46. Anonymous 8:13 PM

    You clearly do not understand what rape culture is. Jokes about rape are part of rape culture. You're basically saying that the game is a metaphor for butt rape and that's why the chant is appropriate. That doesn't make it any less hurtful/triggering/offensive/insulting and it certainly doesn't remove it from rape culture.

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  47. Nobody thinks that they are doing something wrong and offensive and still continues to engage in that particular behavior, but if people are getting offended then you ARE doing something wrong. Bottom line: if people perceive this chant as offensive (and I really don't see how you can say that it isn't), it should stop. Is being able to shout "No means yes" really so important to you that you don't care if your fellow students are offended and made uncomfortable by it? If so, I feel sorry for you.

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  48. If we stopped all speech that was offensive to someone, we would hardly need our mouths would we, because we'd constantly be talking out of our asses

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  49. I agree. This cheer has to be allowed because people have the right to say what they want. I think especially due to the controversial nature of this cheer, it must be allowed, because it is a slippery slope once we start banning unpopular opinions.
    That being said, it is gross/demeaning/dumb, but the best part is, if you don't want to hear it, don't go to SMUT games. At least this cheer is limited to a sparsely attended athletic event. Also, I have friends on SMUT, and have noticed that it's cult-like, but I think maybe there's a culture associated with it that is misunderstood/harshly judged. And I think that culture is worth considering when these words are taken out of their very specific context.

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  50. This isn't about telling them they can't, it's about asking them not to. I'd hope they'd listen to that and do the right thing.

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  51. Exactly. exactly exactly exactly. I think I love you, Anonymous 10:37AM

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  52. It didn't start out being about asking them to stop, it started with a suggestion that the SGA should take action to make them stop, and revisionism doesn't alter that fact which is documented further up this page. I disagree very strongly with the person who said that speech which offends is innately wrong. Virtually ALL speech is going to offend someone, this is not a good enough reason to not say something. Furthermore, by allowing yourself to be easily offended, you are submitting yourself to the control of others. The school may ultimately have the authority to pressure SMUT into stopping the chants because the team takes on the SMCM moniker, but that is not a productive solution. How is this rape metaphor fundamentally different from metaphors of murder, war, and other forms of violence which we all engage in every day? Also I would like to point out that thus far the discussion has been all about women being raped, but males can be the victims of "butt rape" as well, so it is obvious that some people here are coming to table with prejudices and generalized ideas about rape, which is also unproductive. Not endorsing rape chants, just standing up for democratic values.

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  53. Also, I'd like to point out that virtually no one goes to SMUT games except girlfriends and family. I think a large part of why they haven't stopped is because the people who dislike it aren't even hearing it. If a girl (or guy) on the team said, "Hey guys, can we not?", they would stop. If a girlfriend, boyfriend, or family member said, "Um, that actually makes me really uncomfortable, could you not?", they would stop. The issue is that this whole "people going to the games are offended" thing is ridiculous, because almost no one at our school supports SMUT in the slightest. And that's not just our faults for not going--they aren't a varsity sport, so they don't get those god-awful SEAHAWK NATION emails sent out when they have games (they're playing regionals this weekend, btw, you should go see them), so no one even knows when they're playing unless the know the team.

    Bottom line: If you're actually a person going to SMUT games who is protesting this because you've heard this and it made you feel uncomfortable, SAY SOMETHING. They'll stop. They're far less likely to stop if you only have an outside discomfort with the IDEA that they're saying this, because you've never been invested in the team before and are only vaguely interested in it now because it's doing something you don't like.

    Also, interesting sidenote: apparently it's often the girl's team that suggest they do that chant when they're doing co-ed games, so let's stop gendering this so harshly as "SMUT boys suck and and meanies and fuck them", mmkay?

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  54. Anonymous April 28 @ 1:00pm - thank you!!! that is 100% true. No one who actually attends the SMUT games is offended by the cheers. If someone who was coming out support us ever mentioned that the cheer upset them, THEN we would stop doing it. People who do not support our team and are only upset because they hear that this cheer is being used is upsetting to me.

    As a SMUT member, I think that the cheer is fun and silly to yell with teammates before we run on the field to play. We don't cheer to make people upset or angry at us, but I don't think that someone who knows nothing about the sport and has never taken the time to attend one of our events should tell us that the cheer is a no go. If there was a supporter of ours that was made uncomfortable I sure that we could make the choice to not use that cheer, but as of now that is simply not the case.

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  55. yeah because coming forward and saying stuff about rape is SO EASY when pretty much everyone tells you "oh don't be so sensitive" or "you're overreacting"

    I don't care if its a dumb thing no one ever hears. please google rape culture, the article about when this shit happened at yale, and inform yourself. you do not exist in a vaccuum, actually, you exist in a culture where 1 in 3 women are raped and your cheer directly references that, why is no one acknowledging this?

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  56. Oh so, you think that someone who was raped last weekend would be chill with asking you all to stop when he/she used to be completely okay with it?

    Respect the fact that some people don't want to have to ask to not have horrible memories triggered by a stupid chant.

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  57. From 1:00 PM:

    Isn't that exactly what everyone's doing though? Look, I get that everyone's really angry about this, but the confrontational tone that everyone gets to take EXCEPT the SMUT members is really concerning.

    Look, I get that rape and sexual abuse are hard to talk about. In fact, I don't just get it--I know. But the people on SMUT are okay. I'm not saying you should call the entire damn team together and say I WAS RAPED DO NOT SAY THIS NOW LISTEN AS I GIVE AN EMOTIONAL RECOUNTING OF WHAT HAPPENED TO ME. That would be completely ridiculous to make someone do, and needlessly painful. My point is that no one is coming forward who is directly related to or invested in the team to talk about this, and that's what they need.

    Anonymous 8:43, I don't know who you are or what has happened to you. I don't know if you're on SMUT and were raped last weekend and don't know how to talk about it now. But if you ARE on SMUT, you should know by now that taking someone aside like Echo or Brooke and talking to them privately is a totally feasible option for stopping they chant. They'll get it taken care of quietly, no one will know who or why, and it'll be done with.

    Furthermore, I am familiar with rape culture, rape jokes, and how they affect the people nearby. But weirdly, those things don't really trigger me. The things that trigger me are specifically related to my experience--things like my boyfriend breathing on my neck a certain way. Maybe that's not how it is for everyone, I wouldn't know.

    Finally, I'm really concerned with this anger of rape survivors towards everyone who is expressing an opinion not in support of strong-arming SMUT into silence. This is a really controversial issue, but opinions exist for a reason. If we can listen to your criticisms and responses calmly, you should too. It's part of civility. If you can't be civil about this, there is no reason for SMUT to be civil in response.

    For the record, I'm not actually on SMUT, I'm just uncomfortable with their underrepresentation in this debate.

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  58. People are saying, "Just talk to someone from SMUT and they'll do the right thing." Isn't that what we're doing right now?

    Also, why does it matter if the person is an active SMUT supporter? I daresay everyone at SMCM is a de facto SMUT supporter, because I've never heard anyone say anything bad about the team except in this one instance.

    Bottom line is that people, regardless of whether they attend SMUT games or not, know of this chant, have heard this chant, and are uncomfortable with this chant for lots of really good reasons. Now that members of SMUT are aware of this, what are they going to do about it? No one's forcing them to do anything, so the decision is entirely theirs.

    What will you do?

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  59. I'm pretty sure I've heard a LOT of negative things about SMUT. People talk about them being a cult or being full or bros all the time. I have legit gotten looks (you know the one--eyebrows raised and tilted head) when I've told people I'm seeing a SMUT player. I'm just saying that as a team, they don't feel supported by the school at all, and that we should try to look at things from their perspective for a hot second: first everyone either ignores you or makes accusatory comments, but then suddenly they're offended by a change you used because they're so invested in the team. It's probably kind of frustrating for them. I don't know, I haven't talked to the captains or anything, I just assume that's a lot of the reason.

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  60. its dumb to get offended about chic-fil-a and then go ahead and get protective about a blantantly inappropriate cheer that promotes rape. c'mon, you cant have it both ways. its not a fun, ridiculous chant that deals purely with scoring on another persons endzone. its more than that and wayyy more hurtful, and this is coming from a male that has very little to do with the troublesome issue. also, the grind promotes plenty of corporations that have a terrible human rights effort (http://killercoke.org/). hypocrisy in general is annoying, but it particularly rubs me the wrong way when entitled college students pick and choose their battles while thoroughly contradicting their own lofty views. SMDH....

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  61. "We don't care if our chant offends you! We'll do what we want!

    Gosh, how come no one's supporting us?"

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  62. Anonymous is the most schizophrenic person I have ever seen, what's up with this guy?

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  63. The font on this website offends me. The national anthem offends me because it mentions violence, and people die from that. I am offended by the Atlanta Hawks, because a hawk killed my cat. I am offended by Coke, since their product is used with alcohol, and alcohol can kill people. I am offended by McDonalds, because they pay people minimum wage. I am offended by hole punchers, because punching isn't nice.

    At some point, we need to grow thick skin, because EVERYTHING can offend someone. If something offends you, talk to the people who did so, but also take a moment to ask if its a real issue, or if you're offended for the sake of being offended

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  64. Anonymous 12:12:

    Fuck you. Rape IS a real issue. Do not fucking dare compare it to your silly excuses for satire.

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  65. OK, here's the thing: It doesn't matter if YOU aren't offended by the chant. It doesn't matter if the crowd at your games isn't offended by your chant. In fact, it's not even really about being offensive. Rape jokes can be very damaging because they can TRIGGER people who have experienced sexual assault. This isn't just a matter of hurting someone's feelings-- a trigger like that can send someone into a panic attack, flashbacks, or an otherwise harmful mental state.

    Furthermore, using rape as material for humor normalizes it as an experience. The more rape jokes are incorporated into our cultural discourse, the more accustomed we become to hearing about rape, the less shocking it becomes, and the more ok it seems to people (either children or visitors) being socialized into our culture.

    I'm sure those of you who are so adamantly defending this chant won't read this, but for anyone who's interested, this is a really good article for explaining the danger behind rape jokes: http://mymilkspilt.wordpress.com/2010/12/09/who-hears-you-when-you-speak-about-rape/

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  66. Natty Boh Hunt offends me because it involves underaged drinking and beer.

    Ponding people on their birthdays offends me because it is a form of hazing.

    May Day offends me because it involves nudity and public indecency.

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  67. I gotta say, comparing that shit to rape is probably the lowest of the low. What happened to building a slightly less hostile campus? Just words, it looks like, and that's a fucking sad reflection on every student here.

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  68. dear ken, respectfully, would you mind maybe taking this whole post down? its clear that we are unable to have any conversation about this that is useful and I think people's comments are starting to get progressively more harmful and hurtful.

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  69. I don't take down comments.

    Also, I'm under the impressions that smut captains have been instructed to cease the chants and they're no longer being used.

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  70. * Rape JOKES propagate, oops

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  71. Wait, I posted a long comment before that (the one I meant to correct just now) and it's not there anymore... Maybe it's the internet sucking? Because I assume it wasn't taken down, what with the post just now about not taking down comments.

    Damn.

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  72. Ok, well, here it is again (in two parts):

    Anonymous 6:59 PM: Really? That's your response? Aside from the fact that comparing any of those things to rape is absolutely disgusting (basically, what anonymous 10:02 PM said), but it's also not relevant. Did you not read my comment yesterday, or did you choose to disregard it? Rape jokes propagate dangerous societal attitudes towards rape; none of the other things you listed have such a problematic culture surrounding them.

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  73. Also, do you have any idea what your adamant defense of this rape joke communicates to other people? REAL people, people you know, who may be survivors of rape or sexual assault and who aren't comfortable joking about their experiences (because I will acknowledge that that's exactly what some people do want). This isn't just about people in the immediate surroundings-- rape humor has the potential to sincerely hurt or trigger people and to cause long-term damage on both micro (individuals being triggered) and macro (creating a hostile culture for survivors) scales.

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  74. I haven't taken down any comments. I get email updates of all comments, and the original comment did come to my inbox, so it's clear that it was posted and something happened to it.

    Actually this is real weird, cause I also got the emails of the 2nd comment disappearing. Sorry it's acting weird. But right now it seems to be working Madeline.

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  75. Ken, when you say instructed, do you mean asked politely or ordered? And by whom?

    I agree that rape is a serious issue; that it cannot be equally compared to many of the other issues it has been compared to; that these chants are not positive and may cause mental anguish; that SMUT fully has the right to use these chants; that SMUT should not capitalize on the right to use them and should simply use other chants.

    This debate has gotten quite heated, with some solid points on both sides. I think if we all slow down, take a breath, and think rationally, we'll be much better off all around.

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  76. Well not sure exactly, I've just seen the captains try to discourage the chant, and have been for some weeks/months now. But you'd have to talk to them for the full story because I'm not really sure.

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  77. If they're asking the players not to do it anymore, then PROPS TO SMUT for listening and thinking it through. That's class, and I mean that.

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  78. From what I heard, there was a big serious meeting with the captains about not using the chant anymore, and that Public Safety watched a couple games on Saturday (during Regionals) to make sure they didn't use it. So I think it's safe to say the chant is dead.

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  79. So they've stopped the chant, but people didn't know because no one goes to their games....because of the chant?

    Right. A lot of legitimacy in those people who said it discourages them going to games, they just don't go to games period.

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  80. I did actually go to games. I didn't like the chants. I stopped going. Yes, I probably should have said something, but I didn't. Thank you to SMUT for stepping up and stopping, I really appreciate it. And yes, I'll also be telling them in person.

    Thanks SMUT :)

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  81. now i really just want to hear this chant...

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  82. The chant is

    No means yes and yes means buttsex

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  83. Thanks to all the members of SMUT. That's really awesome to hear.

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  84. So... does this mean we're going to continue this trend of cleaning up athletic teams at St. Mary's, or are we just targeting SMUT? Because I'm pretty sure Rugby has some things going down with it that are also not kosher.

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  85. BREAKING NEWS.... Yale University publicly announced that it's finally disciplined Delta Kappa Epsilon, the frat that chanted, "No means yes! Yes means anal!"...... Yale College Dean Mary Miller made the announcement in an email to students and faculty this afternoon, which has been posted by the Yale Daily News. DKE has been banned from conducting any activities on campus for five years, won't be allowed to communicate with students using the university's email and online forum, and its use of the school's name will be "severely limited."
    This is also linked to the current lawsuit against Yale for promoting a hostile sexual environment.
    So this shit is serious.

    Does this bring a new spin to the debate??

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  86. what kind of spin do you think that this puts on the debate? do you think that the people of smut should be punished/disbanded for using the cheer?

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  87. Yale's decision does not necessarily have anything to do with smcm. St. Mary's is not obligated to follow the precedent of any other school. It is its own institution, and just because Yale acted in a certain way does not give us some objective viewpoint on the issue.

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