A planned ‘Cinco de Drinko’ party had to be cancelled because Mexican students and their supporters at UC Davis protested the party name; the chancellor now wants to add a mandatory diversity course to the university’s curriculum
Here we go again. Political correctness run amok in California. First American flag T-shirts were banned in 2010 during Cinco de Mayo day at Live Oak High School in the San Jose suburb of Morgan Hill. And now students are kept from holding a party they labeled “Cinco de Drinko” at the University of California-Davis because about a 100 students protested the party name. Because Cinco de Drinko was deemed insensitive to Mexican students, the university’s chancellor now wants to add a mandatory diversity course to the curriculum, while the vice-chancellor intends to discipline the students behind the party.
These and other Cinco de Mayo incidents are outrageous. Cinco de Mayo is not even celebrated as a holiday in most of Mexico. Because of the stinking controversies surrounding the day in this country, I call it Stinko de Mayo.
To my Mexican friends I say, Esto es los Estados Unidos, no México! Quatro de Julio, Si! Cinco de Mayo en las escuelas, No!
CALIFORNIA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS PROTEST PARTY NAME
Associated Press
May 3, 2014
DAVIS, Calif. -- Students at the University of California, Davis, have cancelled plans for a drinking party dubbed Cinco de Drinko, after protesters called it racially insensitive.
The party was to be held Saturday ahead of Monday's Cinco de May holiday that celebrates Mexican heritage. Some students who had organized the party worked at the on-campus Coffee House where Friday's protest took place.
The Sacramento Bee reported that about 100 students enacted a sit-in at the Coffee House, wearing red shirts and chanting slogans. They called for a boycott of the student-run cafe and cafeteria, successfully scuttling plans for the off-campus party.
They were prompted by a Facebook page created to promote the party. It showed a picture of four male students wearing sombreros while trying to hop a chain-link fence as two female students stand nearby smiling and wearing Border Patrol uniforms, the newspaper said.
"What kind of message are you trying to send?" student Edwin Roque said, calling the party theme offensive.
But Jonathan Beatty also attended the protest wearing a sombrero. He said the theme was not racist, comparing it to St. Patrick's Day festivities.
"People were being overly sensitive," Beatty said.
UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi told the newspaper she believed that adding a mandatory diversity course could prevent future controversies like this one.
Adela de la Torre, vice chancellor of student affairs, said an investigation was ongoing and the university's administration is considering internal sanctions for the students behind the party.
EDITOR’S NOTE: I posted a version of this on PACOVILLA Corrections blog. 'sfpdcaptain' made the following succinct comment:
The first amendment protects the speech we hate not the speech we love. The University of California started the so called “student free speech movement” in the 60′s. If these folks on the Davis campus are offended by the Cinco de Drinko, simply don’t participate in it or ignore it.
The proper course of action is to offer a first amendment refresher course for the administration, not “Diversity training” for the students. [So right, and I love it!]
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