ASUA used its weekly Senate meeting Wednesday night to show a united front in regard to a cartoon that appeared Wednesday in the Daily Wildcat (“”The K Chronicles,”” Nov. 5, 2008). In order to attend a public discussion of the topic held at the Martin Luther King Center, the meeting was kept to 30 minutes, and most of the issues that would have been addressed were tabled until next week.

The comic used part of a racial slur to derogatorily describe black people.

The Senate report was unexpectedly re-geared into statements made by virtually all of the senators regarding their patriotism and allegiance to the ideals of the U.S.

“”It is very important that basically, the students voices are heard and there is a difference between hate speech and freedom of speech,”” said Sen. Jason Mighdoll. “”Those two are clearly identifiable.””

Although the senators all felt that a unified front was necessary, Sen. Andre Rubio addressed the issue on a more personal level in his report.

“”Being born in Mexico City, I am proud to live in a country where we can even have freedom of election and expression of opinions on both sides,”” Rubio said. “”As a student and a senator, I would like to say that I am here to represent their opinions if there is an encroachment upon their ability to come to this university and feel comfortable.””

After a very brief address by ASUA President Tommy Bruce, the meeting was promptly adjourned and together all of the senators left for the rally.

“”What it comes down to at the end of the day is that our university thrives on the ability for students to live, learn and grow in an open and a welcoming environment,”” Bruce said. “”Printed material like this is offensive and hurtful to any population of students and does not belong on our campus. It should have never made it into the Wildcat.””

The students at the Social Justice Leadership Center specifically requested the presence of ASUA because of their relationship with the students.

“”It’s kind of across the board – from outrage, to being hurt, to being disheartened,”” Bruce said. “”Timing here is a lot of what is going on. This is just completely inappropriate. I don’t usually read the cartoons of the Wildcat, but they have been the focus of my day.””