As I picked up The Daily Orange on April 7, I noticed the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry made the front page. There were two articles in which ESF was mentioned. One article discussed SU and ESF’s standing among Ivy Leagues and the other discussed the recent drug charges brought upon a student at ESF and the student’s suspension from the institution. Also mentioned was the e-mail President Murphy sent out to all of ESF students regarding his sadness and disappointment.

I feel the article was very biased and accusatory, especially with the quotes from President Murphy’s e-mail printed. It mentioned how patrols around campus have increased but failed to mention they have also increased on SU’s campus, not just ESF’s. The way in which it was written implied that only the events ESF students partake in caused the patrol increase.

To top it all off, the illustration on the opinions and ideas page was ridiculously offensive. I don’t know if the artist was trying to be slick by drawing the letters ‘E-S-F’ on the hat kind of small so that maybe no one would notice, but many other students and I did. It was enough that the guy was shown wearing stereotypical ESF clothes (ex: a flannel shirt and sandals) and looked completely tweaked out in front of ‘grass,’ obviously representing marijuana.

The way in which it poked fun at our tradition to not walk across our quad, implying it’s a huge marijuana field, is the worst. It is one thing to have people make their own assumptions, it is completely different to flat out be. Making jokes is one thing, but there is a line in which the joke can do more harm than the laugh was worth.

I feel this illustration only perpetuates negative feelings, associations and stereotypes within ESF and SU. It was a slap in the face to see such blatant disrespect. I know if an illustration of a student with the letters SU on their clothes or hat, kind of hidden, was shown dressed in Uggs and a North Face and leggings (a blatant stereotype) and was participating in an illegal behavior, it would never make it on the page. I believe if our relationship is to stay positive and moving forward, we need to not allow such actions to continue.

As ‘stereotypical’ as this may sound coming from an ESF student, let’s come together as a community and realize this behavior is not acceptable. Why waste thousands of dollars hating on each other? Everyone came here to get a degree, get a career and do amazing and influential things with their lives. Let’s move on!

Erin Maryrose Murphy

Natural History and Interpretation, SUNY-ESF

Published on April 19, 2009 at 12:00 pm