Forum promotes discussion about ethics, tolerance

by Philip T. Ewing
For The Post

Ethics, racism and sensitivity dominated a discussion led by Ohio University officials yesterday in Copeland Hall.

About 75 people attended the presentation, exceeding seating capacity and leading many participants to sit on the floor.

Michael Bugeja, OU professor of journalism, began the evening with a multimedia presentation about ethics and tolerance. Erek Perry, special assistant to the president for diversity, then led a discussion about the importance of diversity in the OU community.

Bugeja clarified his view of the role of free speech in discussions about intolerance.

"The First Amendment does not call for a right to be hateful," he said. "In an educated society, people will know right from wrong."

Ethics is a major part of tolerance, he said. Ethics are universal – not confined to regions or cultures.

Bugeja discussed a number of case studies relating to intolerance and ethics. In one, Bugeja described a 1988 controversy when the Mayo Clinic officials in Minnesota wanted to use data from experiments performed on human subjects in Nazi concentration camps.

Bugeja said he questioned if it was ethical to use the data.

Sometimes, racism is a lesser concern than sensitivity, Bugeja said. Jimmy Snyder, a CBS sportscaster, was interviewed in 1988, the day before Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and asked about his view of black progress. Synder said blacks dominated professional sports because slave owners had "cross-bred" big men with big women.

Snyder then wondered why he was criticized, Bugeja said.

Bugeja said he thought Snyder's comments did not show racism, but insensitivity.

Perry took the podium next, asking each audience member to consider a time when he or she had been in the minority. After a few participants shared their experiences, Perry described that each person had felt what many minority members of society feel.

Tolerance begins with a personal decision, he said.

"We not only have to be mindful of others, we have to be mindful of ourselves," Perry said.

OU graduate student Michael Willits said he enjoyed the presentation, but more steps should be taken to further diversity.

"It's incorrect to think (forums like this) can change diversity on this campus," he said. "It's one small component to open people up to diversity."