Brock University faced controversy this Halloween when a group of students dressed as the Jamaican bobsled team, painting their faces black as part of their costumes.
The students in question won a costume contest put on by the Brock University Student Union (BUSU).
Roland Erman, BUSU president, said the incident happened at the campus bar, Isaac’s, which is owned and operated by the student union.
According to Erman, Thursdays are the “big bar nights” at Brock, and they hold a contest each year.
“Students get picked to go up on stage and then the MC . . . gauges the crowd reaction. The loudest group or individual person wins $500,” Erman said. “The Jamaican bobsled team was not originally picked to be up on stage. However, they ended up being there and won the competition.”
“The students’ union have taken responsibility for the entire events that happened last week. That includes the inappropriate costume and the contest as well,” he added.
“University officials are satisfied that BUSU is taking its responsibility seriously and dealing with this in an intelligent fashion that educates people about sensitivities and makes sure this type of incident doesn’t happen again,” said Jeffrey Sinibaldi, manager of media relations at Brock.
Sinibaldi said Brock has an inclusive culture and discrimination has no place on its campus.
“The University is satisfied that this incident was the result of a lack of awareness, not a lack of sensitivity, and that the participants had no intention of being inflammatory or racially offensive,” he said. “While we don’t believe there was malicious intent from these students, we certainly can understand how there are people who are offended.”
Although the media has been focusing on this incident, Erman said the actions of the BUSU have not been changed by the attention.
“My first media interview on this issue [was] Tuesday,” he said. “By then our message and the steps we were taking were already out. Nothing on our end has actually changed since the mainstream media came to us.”
Brock president Jack Lightstone issued a statement saying universities should be responsible for making their students more aware of world issues.
“I think we all take some responsibility,” Erman said. “This has become an incredible learning experience for everyone. This is a great question, and we are in a true academic learning environment, where we will learn right from wrong in intended situations and unintended situations as well.”
