Cal Poly’s Los Lecheros Dairy Club is being scrutinized for a recent Facebook posting that banned gay couples from attending the group’s year-end formal.
The event invitation, posted by one of the club’s officers, invited students to the formal, but noted that “if you bring a date, it must be someone of the opposite sex.”
The event has since been canceled.
The investigation is centering around whether the formal was an official club-sponsored or a private party, with no connection to Cal Poly. According to the Cal Poly Club Handbook, “Cal Poly Student Clubs shall not discriminate either in the content of bylaws or in practice against any person by reason of … sexual orientation.” If the controversial event is determined to be affiliated with the Dairy Club, the club could lose its charter.
Dairy Club officials are claiming the event had no affiliation to the university, and Vice President for Academic Affairs Cornel Morton said the individuals who posted the Facebook event do not represent the club and the club does not sponsor the “private” party.
Morton described the page’s language as “abhorrent.”
“When we have concerns about discrimination, we have to speak forcefully and resolutely that those behaviors are not indicative of the university’s values or supported in ways that would alienate or marginalize any person or group,” he said.
While Morton said the discriminatory policy does not inhibit Cal Poly’s effort to provide a more inclusive community, he is “concerned that students in our community would place these kind of conditions on admission to a party.”
When asked if the event reminded him of the crop house incident in 2008, Morton said he is not focused on that.
“Cal Poly is focused on any incident or any behavior that is counter to the university’s goals for creating a tolerant and inclusive community so we don’t have incidents where people feel unwanted,” he said.
Morton said this can be used as a reminder that creating a tolerant environment is a long-term commitment and a means to create educational opportunities and spur discussion.
“If any good comes out of this, it is that people are reminded we have more work to do and we must participate in conversations that lead to understanding,” Morton said.
Cal Poly statistics freshman Melody Samuels said this incident makes her uncomfortable since society has generally become more tolerant of people’s differences.
“Clearly I’m unhappy that things like this are still happening,” she said. “It hurts that people will still be vocal about things that are discriminatory against other people.”
Cuesta College student Sara Vieira said, “It’s pathetic that occurrences like this are still happening.”
“This is the second time people from the Cal Poly agriculture department have openly expressed discrimination towards minorities,” she said. “Regardless of whether this is a club-sponsored event, their open display of discrimination is ridiculous and unacceptable … Obviously someone needs to teach Cal Poly agriculture students a serious lesson in tolerance.”
Kate McIntyre, Alex Kacik and Dave Meyers contributed to this report.
I think it’s interesting that one of the largest stories pertaining to campus isn’t on the front page of the website, yet a story that is now 2 days old is at the top. Go figure right?
Guess it pays to say something now and then lol
Ms. Vieira and probably the majority of students who are not in the Cal Poly’s College of Agriculture are extremely misinformed about the college itself. The college has no authority, nor should it, over private parties.
The first "incident" and the Los Lecheros event page were done by individuals in circumstances not affiliated with the university, and their discriminatory actions were not endorsed by Cal Poly. To attack the entire College of Agriculture, and to say we need to be taught tolerance is completely irrational.
The Mustang Daily reporters, and other students from other universities should know that the College of Food and Environmental Sciences incorporate a diverse body of students, and support all peoples with different backgrounds. Being a minority in the college, I have never felt discriminated from the professors now fellow agricultural students. We are a diverse college, comprised of different backgrounds. The department has always encouraged these beliefs. Just because individuals are expressing their personal freedom of speech does not mean the entire college supports them. I am sure those involved will be given proper punishment.
I am wondering why someone who does not attend Cal Poly has the pertinence to say our college is intolerable. Perhaps she should meet some of us, to at least have some knowledge of who she is bashing. I know others feel the same way she does and I am wondering if any of them have been educating other than a biased news report.
After the first "incident" relating to an off-campus party, the College of Agriculture made it clear to us that actions such as these are inappropriate, and although personal, are never acceptable. Once again, a private event from an individual has been taken out of context and shown as an onslaught against the entire public community.
I am disappointed with those involved with this event, but more so with those who are ignorant of my college.
I’m sure that saying the entire college is “ignorant” is a vast overstatement but their track record certainly hasn’t shed the most positive light on them.
If you are referring to the Crop Unit thing that didn’t happen off campus…that was on Campus, but yea it’s unfair to blame the entire college of agriculture for the actions of a few, because most of the people I have met have been very friendly and open. And this is coming from a gay guy.
word – im in the ag college, and ive had no problems when the fact i’m gay comes up with classmates in my major classes – while we (along with ever other college, i’d imagine) undoubtedly have a few students that feel the need to broadcast their intolerance, letting a few bad eggs set the precedence for the entire school/department is just giving them attention.
Regarding ethnicity, country of birth, county I grew up in and religion, I’m a minority in the College of Agriculture.
Some of my closest friends are students in the Ag College.
The love, patience and acceptance I received from students and faculty after switching from the College of Architecture and Environmental Design to the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences prompted me to stand up for the College of Ag at the Crops House Incident public forum.
At the forum I stood at a microphone and pointed out how the then-Vice President of Crops Club invited me to his birthday party, a low-key bbq at his friend’s parents’ ranch. It was at his birthday get-together where I learned how to fire a rifle at a target and eat a persimmon. He and his friends were kind and patient.
I do not believe the entire college should be labeled because of the actions of a single individual or group.
That’s absurd.
What am I? An agriculture major who doesn’t respect minorities? As Cuesta College student Sara Vieira says, should I be taught a serious lesson in tolerance?
Anyone who knows me well knows I love agriculture, I study other religions besides the one I practice, I appreciate people because they are different from me, and several of my close friends growing up were gay or bisexual.
But the other ground-floor speakers at the Crops House Forum and Vieira don’t know me at all.
I must be like everyone else.
Of course I am, because all agriculture majors are the same. We are all cut from the same cloth. All however-many-thousands of us.
I agree that Cal Poly rules must be followed when a chartered club posts information on the web, or conducts any activity.
However, it’s important to understand that you cannot force anyone to truly like or accept anyone else. You can tell them they legally must accept others, but you can’t change someone’s heart–that is outside your bounds.
After studying religious theologies and practices (Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Protestant Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Daoism, Confucianism and Islam) at Cal Poly and attending related services and lectures on my own, I now realize “tolerance” to one person does not mean “tolerance” to another person, and opinions on gender, sexual orientation, people you believe are different than you, people you believe are similar to you, and every belief or opinion you have regarding yourself or another is based on something. Nothing we say or do is a completely independent thought, for we are shaped by the things and people around us.
Therefore, the background to the request of opposite-sex dates only stems from something. You might not agree with the reasoning or the wording, but you cannot force someone else to accept who you are or what you stand for.
I know this, because some people didn’t like me because I didn’t look like them, or worship like them, or vote like them. They would tell me I was wrong, and I should be more accepting, or less accepting, or accept nothing or accept everything.
But I approach each critique with dignity and maturity. You might not agree with my lifestyle, but here I am, in this world, an individual in a larger community.
I do not think a Cal Poly club should engage in an activity that may lead the University to drop their charter.
I think an individual has the right to free speech.
I think an individual within an organization must be careful what they say, because apparently it might mislabel an organization and the community sponsoring it.
…but I do not think all ag majors are the same, and I do not think this Facebook page event reflects the opinions of all the students studying within the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.
Perhaps the best solution to this issue would be to educate the member of Los Lecheros who posted the request on acceptable conduct of a Cal Poly chartered club.
I understand that the club is under further scrutiny because they might serve minors alcohol. If the school would like, I can provide testimony of individuals, groups, fraternities and sororities who have promoted under-age drinking at organization events.
…which might include crazy Facebook photos, because apparently the Facebook site is a trustworthy source of information.
The club should be shut down. period.
If it was indeed a private event that was not part of the club then it is their prerogative to exclude who they want. Doesn’t mean we have to like it but banning something because of “tolerance” is just idiotic. If it is found to be a club sponsored event then by all means have serious punishment. But forcing someone to be “tolerant” in private is not the right way to go about bringing change to those ideals. In fact, it will inspire animosity and further entrench their views.
Cal Poly doesn’t tolerate my idea that I should be able to conceal carry on campus but you don’t see anyone complaining that I am being discriminated against.
If it were private, then why would they have it public on facebook. They are reaching out to the Cal Poly community as they’re main target….not making it “private.”
this article just reinforces that the dairy club is full of hillbilly trailer park white trash..lol
I think it’s merely drawing a correlation that students coming from ag related majors are incredibly discriminatory. I don’t see anyone raising the question why the organizers of the event decided to even single out gays in their event invite. None of the actions coming from the Crop House incident or this would make me feel welcome in any portion of the agriculture department.
Blanket statement, yes. But if that’s all there is to go off…it’s probably not a correct statement but we all make stereotypes from impressions.
I would hope the club is investigated on ALL accords, because they are, based on charter, a representation of Cal Poly and I hate to see the school’s reputation tarnished.
Anonymous Bullshit says:
May 13, 2010 at 10:13 pm
this article just reinforces that the dairy club is full of hillbilly trailer park white trash..lol
And you are a hypocrite that is discriminate, prejudice, and racist towards the Dairy Club.
Oh! It’s a “private” annual Dairy Club formal…one that isn’t “affiliated” with the club…and the club officer who posted the statement concerning the party was acting on behalf of those holding the Dairy Club formal, not the club itself. Wow, are people actually falling for this line? Smells like bullshit to me (pun intended, albeit lame).
Really lame. You cant milk a bull. XD
SO GLAD THIS GOT CANCELED! This incident is an absolute DISGRACE. (And to be honest, it’s one of the main reasons why I’m leaving Cal Poly.)
Grow up. Get off of your high horses and over your “moral upbringing” and worry about your own life. From the looks of it, it could use a LOT of work.
I find it odd that the event specifically targeted the LGBT community. Whoever created the event must have know there was going to be backlash for posting something like that. It’s my hope the creator wasn’t expecting people to go BECAUSE it was discriminatory. That is a scary thought! I think something else is going on.
Something is rotten in the state of Denmark…
1st of all, I want to apologize for the action committed by one person who, unfortunately, is in a position that is supposed to represent the Los Lecheros dairy club and its members.
MinorityinAg, thank you for your testimony. You are a real asset to our college and I personally appreciate your contributions to this collection of Agriculturalists.
Musty1, shutting down the club doesn’t change anything. It revokes the opportunity for hundreds of people to express their interests and participate in interest-related activities based on a remark by one person affiliated with it by study of choice. An action such as this effects a lot of people who are just as appalled and disgusted by this as you are.
Anonymous Bullshit, you are reciprocating the exact same thing that the Dairy officer did. You’re being narrow-minded and hateful toward a lot of good people. Slamming back with a retort like that is not going to fix anything at all, but rather breeds more violence and aggression in an otherwise already heated time.
Really, I agree with you that disciplinary action needs to take place and investigation should and probably will ensue. Something labeled the CP dairy club DOES represent the Cal Poly dairy students and it’s absolutely not okay that this happened. However, this was an act by one person, not a club-wide movement.
Christine, you’re angry and that’s fair. But most of us didn’t have that "moral upbringing" you’re talking about. I grew up on a farm near San Francisco. I never had that better-than-others value in my house. We were bred and raised to be understanding, tolerant, and compassionate to our neighbors and that was a value that was prominent in my community, as it is here at Cal Poly. Most of us are hurt and angry about this and would hope that any and all narrow-minded nonsense be eradicated from our lives.
Again, I’m sorry that this happened, but please, I beg you to realize that this was one outlandish circumstance and an abuse of title by one person. This does not represent the morals and wishes of the Dairy affiliates and I hope that being a Dairy major does not mean I will need to suffer even more for my peer’s mistake.
The problem with the Crop Unit incident was that those people totally disregarded the fact that they live ON CAMPUS and ARE representing the college of AG by doing so. That entire incident was handled so incredibly poorly by President Baker and the whole school. That student should have been expelled for putting up a noose.
As for this incident. Even if the club is not directly involved, if their members are promoting bigoted, ignorant points of view on their public facebook page, it makes them involved. Members should be aware that their actions are tied to the clubs they are in. if they post things publicly on that page, regardless of that party being a private non club sanctioned event or not, they are now bringing the club name into play and bringing the club bad press.
It’s disgusting to me that people would so completely discriminate against gay couples. I hope that the people who posted that are ashamed of themselves for being such close minded fools, and for poorly representing the club they are in. They should be punished for poorly representing the club, and barred from any club events.
Even if the club is not directly involved, if their members are promoting bigoted, ignorant points of view on their public facebook page, it makes them involved. Members should be aware that their actions are tied to the clubs they are in. if they post things publicly on that page, regardless of that party being a private non club sanctioned event or not, they are now bringing the club name into play and bringing the club bad press. It’s the same thing as wearing a club shirt while commiting a crime. The club is not approving the actions, but to the public it looks that way. I think people forget that THEY represent the clubs nature, and should think about their own actions in a bigger context instead of selfishly assuming that nothing they can do can tarnish a clubs image. Just like all the frats on campus now have to fight to show that they aren’t all a bunch of hazing idiots who leave their friends out in the cold to choke to death on their own puke at night, this club will now have to prove it’s not filled with people who discriminate against gays.
I hope that the people who posted that are ashamed of themselves for being such close minded fools, and for poorly representing the club they are in. They should be punished, and barred from any club events.
To avoid any further blanket statements, I would like to shed some light on the specific issue that this article was written about. The “Dairy Club Formal” Facebook event page was written by a good friend of mine; but they do not hold a position in the Dairy Club. They are however a frequent supporter of the clubs educational and social programs and were making an attempt to advertise one of the clubs year ending events. One aspect of the issue this person created that has not been reviewed (because it has not really been released) was the INTENTION behind the word usage. The purpose behind the statement, “If you bring a date, it must be someone of the opposite sex” was to prevent a ticket sale issue. Couples tickets were $30 and singles $20. The statement was made (clearly tho, without much forethought) to prevent people who were indeed going “single” to buy the discounted “couples” tickets with someone who was not their “date”. For example, my heterosexual roomate and I could not by “couples tickets” to save us each $5. This was the intention, unfortunately, because of poor word choice, a different message was conveyed. That messag of intollerence, as the article reference, is one that that Ag department has been trying to distance it’s self from because that is NOT what we want to be known for.
As a freshmen Dairy Science major, I hope this incident is seen for what it truely is. It was a poor choice, but not with the aim or goal that this article suggests.
I hope that all Ag related clubs will choose their diction with intention and care from now on because of this issue. I also hope that non-ag people (at our school and elsewhere) will understand that this individuals poor choice is not an accurate representation of all of us “aggies”. Just as I would not exclude someone because they hold a different belief than I do, I would hope that people do not prejudge all those who wear Wranglers and boots base on this incident.