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Deflated.
That’s the word that best describes the feelings of students living in Chapin Residential College two months after learning one of their dorm members had admitted to fabricating two hate crimes, according to dorm president Nathaniel Whittemore.
“(Before Xander Saide’s arrest) it was a really exciting time to be in Chapin,” said Whittemore, a Weinberg sophomore. “Then we found out, and some people were concerned for his safety, and some people felt betrayed. We didn’t know exactly what to do next.”
More than 500 students gathered in November at The Rock to protest against 10 reported hate crimes and bias incidents, calling upon students to “be the change they wish to see in the world” — one of Mahatma Gandhi’s mantras. As the entire nation reflected on the legacy of civil-rights activist the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, students in the aftermath of Fall Quarter’s events have found themselves at a crossroads between apathy and activism.
The protests and rallies are over. Now Northwestern students are wondering how they can truly “be the change.”
Communication freshman Jaime Alexander Saide, nicknamed “Xander,” captured national attention after Evanston police said he admitted to fabricating two hate crimes on campus. On Nov. 4, the student said he found the words “Die Spic” on a poster hanging on his door and a wall near his room at Chapin. Four days later Saide told police a person physically threatened him and whispered a racial slur in his ear.
The campus reacted with two days of protests, only to learn that Evanston Police Department arrested Saide and charged him with two counts of felony disorderly conduct less than a week later. Saide, police said, made it all up.
“There come times when someone is needed to shake up the general populous/campus,” Saide wrote in an e-mail to The Daily on Saturday. “MLK shocked millions out of their apathy. My own stupidity, rashness, and naivete did nothing but make a mockery of martyrs like MLK. Not, as I’d wished it, help his cause.”
Programming over the weekend honoring King helped the campus remember what King’s dream actually was, said William Banis, vice president for Student Affairs.
“Hate crimes and bias incidents are an anathema, such a foreign act in relation to the spirit of Dr. King in his actions and teachings,” Banis said after Friday’s candlelight vigil. “I would hope that the evening’s program and celebration of Black History Month reminds all of us to live lives with respect and camaraderie.”
Saide’s fabrication gave students a new perspective on dealing with issues regarding race and diversity, said Hillel Cultural Life Sen. Alex Lurie, one of the main organizers for NU’s “Stop the Hate” campaign.
“‘Stop the Hate’ is becoming a more proactive body,” said Lurie, a Weinberg sophomore. “It takes hard work, dedication and passion. It requires a long-term plan to make this a better place to be.”
Lurie is working with members of a standing Associated Student Government committee to produce a code of values for NU. Although the committee is in the opening stages of drafting the code, Lurie said both organizations are working on other practical measures for the campus.
Whether Saide’s reports of racism were real or fabricated, it was natural for dialogue about bias incidents to decrease over time, said Tracy Carson, coordinator for black student alliance For Members Only.
“Any movement starts with a burst of momentum,” said Carson, a Weinberg senior. “People need to think less about stopping hate and more about building a community.”
