What these students are saying basically, is that the event was just too white. What does that have to do with raising money for pediatric cancer?The College Fix reports:
Pediatric cancer fundraiser not diverse enough, Penn State students sayAn annual fundraiser at Pennsylvania State University that raises money to help kids suffering from cancer is too white, according to some student leaders.Called THON, the annual event involves 46 hours of dancing and entertainment and “raises funds and awareness for the fight against childhood cancer,” according to the group’s website.But the event, run by campus fraternities and sororities, is not diverse enough, according to the editorial board of the campus newspaper and a student government leader.Jeanelle Loiseau is the chief of staff for the University Park Undergraduate Association and was a Black Caucus representative.She said she “never felt safe” attending the annual event and wrote that “THON wasn’t made for people of color.”One issue is that the primary event is run by two Greek life organizations but does not include the “the National Pan-Hellenic Council and Multicultural Greek Council,” which she said are primarily made up of racial minorities.She wrote in the Daily Collegian:
While Panhel and IFC likely contribute the most, this name discriminates against those who are not associated with greek life, which circles back to people of color, who may not want to be in greek life or chose to be in a NPHC or MGC organization. Diversity in Panhel and IFC is low as well, so it is not a win-win situation for anybody.
Loiseau also said there was “known racism” based on one complaint about one black girl allegedly being told something about her hair. The student leader also said that a “gender-fluid” student was not treated well because there were only bathrooms for women and women.
She wrote:
Last year, Teddy Wilson, a gender-fluid student, participated in THON as an IDC pair. While they were provided gender-neutral storage, they were not provided a gender-neutral bathroom to use. They were forced to use either the men’s or women’s bathroom, which gave them great anxiety. Their message was addressed to the whole Penn State community — that there should be accessibility for all.
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