A sorority fundraiser at Quinnipiac University has become a hotbed of controversy after a student who found the event advertisement culturally insensitive shared her concerns and became the target of vicious attacks.
Quinnipiac senior Lexie Gruber said she was offended by a poster for Kappa Alpha Theta's "Queso for CASA" fundraiser, which depicted maracas and other symbols pertaining to Latin culture. Gruber shared her concerns on Facebook.
"I don't think race or ethnicity should ever be themes. I don't think cultures are joked about. These are very important to people," Gruber said.
She never expected the subsequent backlash. Other students sent hurtful, hateful and threatening comments to her social media accounts.
"I kind of figured I wouldn't get a good response. I was hoping someone would understand, but I am absolutely ashamed of those individuals who decided to take it too far," she said. "There were people hiding behind an anonymous app encouraging me to kill myself."
Theta canceled the event, which was intended to raise money for Court Appointed Special Advocates, and posted the following apology on its Facebook page:
"On behalf of all members of Eta Xi's Chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta, we would like to express our most sincere apologies to anyone within the Quinnipiac Campus and beyond into our community who may have been insulted by our scheduled Queso for CASA event. It was never our intent to hurt anyone and so our sisters have decided to cancel the event in its entirety. We make a stand to not tolerate discrimination and therefore will look to raise funds for our philanthropy in a more tasteful way for all to enjoy. It is our expectation of the Quinnipiac community treat each other with civility and respect."
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Gruber said she never wanted Theta to cancel the event, which raises money for foster children. She herself is a foster child.
"I'm one of the few kids at this university that actually understands what they are raising awareness about," she explained.
Gruber said she hopes her experience will now direct the conversation to cultural sensitivity and tolerance, a topic she believes needs more attention on campus.
"It's starting a great dialogue about cultural, how to be inclusive and the importance of diversity, which I think is so critical," she said.
University officials said Quinnipiac does its best to be inclusive.
"The university is always striving to uphold a community that is inclusive and respectful of all people," said university spokesperson Lynn Bushnell. "Each year, the university works to create opportunities for our students to learn and enhance their sense of diversity and cultural awareness with the hope that they will graduate as open-minded, global citizens."
