An FSU Perspective: White Student Unions

By Danielle Wirsansky on December 1, 2015

Racial tensions in the United States continue to mount in the United States from Ferguson to Baltimore to Jacksonville and more. Sparks are flying as more fuel is added to the fire each and every day, stoking the situation to an untenable height. One of the newest trends is the creation of White Student Unions on American college campuses. Such unions, though not officially organized on the campuses, they are created and meant to be modeled like other such student unions. They are created to “promote white awareness”.

An FSU White Student Union Page sprung up last week. Mary Coburn, FSU’s vice president for student affairs, said on 11/24/15 that it was not an authentic site and there’s no such organized organization on campus– FSU was also demanding that the page stop using the University Seal on their page illegally. After that, the page was taken down but it has just been made anew. While it has come to light that many of the White Student Union Pages created were hoaxes and not even created by students, it has still been a controversial topic. The executive branch of FSU’s Student Government Association released this statement:

So what do FSU students really think of the idea of White Student Unions? Below are the collected opinions of FSU students of different races, religions, majors, and more.

*As wide a range of opinions as possible were collected, but only those people willing to speak out publicly on the issue could be featured*

 

An FSU Perspective
Darius Bennett
Major: Clarinet Performance and Applied Economics dual degree student
Senior

“There’s no need for a white student union on a campus where the majority of the student body is white; the campus already services white students first due to the clear majority they hold on campus. Furthermore, pro-white has often had very frightening implications to minority students, whereas pro-minority has rarely meant anti-white. Minority student unions seek to open up a dialogue about the issues minorities face in a society that overlooks them(even in a place as progressive as the college campus); there is already a dialogue about white students and the issues they face due, again, to the clear majority they hold on campus and thus their higher collective bargaining power. White student unions are similar to allies wanting an letter in the LGBTQIA+ acronym; neither allies nor white students are facing discrimination to the point where they need more bargaining power to get closer to equality, so neither should exist.”

 

 

 

 

An FSU Perspective
Ira Stecher
Major: Dual degree in Music Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in Physical Sciences with minors in Math, Biology, and Psychology
Year: Senior

 

“As far as I know these white student unions exist solely to mock and fill the same space as black student unions and Hispanic student unions and other nationality based unions. By making a mockery or joke out of these groups the white student union pages try to devalue the other marginalized student groups. And I think that’s horrible,”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An FSU Perspective
Destinee Haller
Major: History
Year: Freshman

 

 

“Schools already have a White Student Union, it’s just called Student Government Association. The lack of diversity and involvement of minorities in those organizations called for the invention of Black Student Unions, for minority voices to be heard they need a voice. White Student Unions on Facebook are a disgrace to the disenfranchised. White Students don’t need a special Union to be heard.”

 

 

 

 

 

An FSU Perspective
Carla Sanchez
Major: Political Science
Year: Junior

 

“I don’t [support White Student Unions" because I feel like they are mocking minority groups and their suffering, like racism and a history of second-class citizenship. It saddens me that the members of the WSU don't understand that, after all this hatred and bigotry towards minorities that we're seeing lately. The fact that there are still people who deny that racism is still alive even in 2015 is shown by this group, because they don't understand that minorities are uniting together because of the struggles that they face on a daily basis."

 

 

 

An FSU Perspective
Erika Gress
Major: International Affairs
Year: Senior

 

“I, personally, probably wouldn’t join a white student union, mainly because I’m not really into all that. I don’t do much on campus, I’m there to take classes, and I’m super busy outside of school. However, I 100% support the right of students to create a white student union. If schools allow other groups to make unions (black, women, gays) then they have to allow whites to make a union as well. It’s not fair to allow one group to gather and create a union and not allow others the same. Simple as that. We are all equal and all deserving of the same opportunities. I really don’t understand the hate toward white student unions. Why are they not allowed to exist but every other group can? It just doesn’t make objective sense. What you let one group do you must let other groups do. There shouldn’t be special treatment. If a black student union and a women’s student union can exist then a white student union has just as much right to exist. End of story. Fair is fair. If one group can congregate then another group has the same right. To say an Asian student union or a black student union should exist but a white student union should not exist is to be fundamentally and objectively discriminatory.”

 

 

An FSU Perspective
Haley Vaughan
Major: Psychology
Year: Senior

 

“I think that white student unions are needless in a society that denigrates and under-represents those who are not white. White people do not need student unions on campuses that are already majority white, because white people and their needs are already fully represented. To claim otherwise is farcical.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

An FSU Perspective
Veezy Versace
Year: Senior
Major: Statistics

“There is no need for a white student union at Florida State University. The entire campus is a white student union. There is no marginalization of white people or the drowning out of their voices. White student unions are a temper tantrum in response to the growing spotlight and push back on white default. Having a WSU at a PWI is like having a BSU at a HBCU, purposeless. Also, it’s not like white students need a safe place on campus, or a place to meet other students with the same culture as them.

The purpose of a union is to harness the power of the collective to accomplish things one could not do individually. As anyone with a brain knows, ethnic groups collude to their interest in such a way because they need that collective power as they are a underrepresented minority. In my experience, when White people collude solely on the basis of their whiteness, it’s usually to harass POC in some form or fashion.

I think you will find that if a WSU is formed, it will not be a White student’s union, but a union of mostly male White conservatives.”

 

An FSU Perspective
Lindsey Slater
Major: Interior Design
Year: Sophomore

 

“White Student Union? That’s FSU’s student body, which consists of nearly 70% white people. Why do you need a student union when you’re the vast majority? Why do you need a student union when your people aren’t marginalized and oppressed? Student unions and racial/cultural organizations are made to uplift its people when they are constantly pushed down by society; they’re made to preserve culture. How is white culture endangered when it’s the dominant culture? Why do white people need to be uplifted when they’ve spent the majority of history making sure they push everyone else down while at the same time making it almost impossible for anyone else to come up? Student unions and racial/cultural organizations are made to compensate for the lack of representation. Are IFC and Panhellenic not enough for you? 83% of Congress not enough for you? 74% of Hollywood not enough for you?

Do you know what it’s like growing up thinking you could never be as pretty as the girls on TV because they were white and you weren’t? Did you ever not know which Disney princess to dress up as because no matter what wig you put on, you’d never look like her? Have you been assumed to not be American because of the way you look? Because of the color of your hair or skin, the shape of your eyes? Do you fear for your life because of the color of your skin? Do you battle stereotype after stereotype every day? Do you worry about a name for your child because it might affect them getting a job in the future? Do you find yourself abandoning your culture to “fit in?” No? That’s why you don’t need a White Student Union? And lastly, why do white people have a burning desire to always be the center of attention? No, you don’t need White Entertainment Television because every other channel besides BET focuses on White people.

No, you don’t need White History Month because American history is White history. No, you don’t need the National Association for the Advancement of White people because white people are not oppressed in our society. No, Historically Black Colleges/Universities (HBCUs) aren’t racist. You know why? Because HBCUs were made because schools like FSU wouldn’t let black people in. Why do white people feel like their rights are being taken away when another group gains the rights they’ve always had?”

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format