Things are a little tense on the campus of Towson University in Maryland as a student, Matthew Heimback is interested in starting a new organization on campus: White Student Union. Heimback says that white students deserve a club meant exclusively for them, and defends his reasoning in the university newspaper.
“We want to replicate what every student union does on campus,” Heimback was quoted as saying in the paper, with a picture of him holding a Confederate flag in front of Martin Luther King Jr.’s church in Montgomery, AL.
Many students are outraged, and even staff members disapprove. Julian Carroll, a junior at Townson University, insists that “there is a difference between a White Student Union and a Black Student Union based on the history of America.” Heimbach started his first student organization at the college, Youth for Western Civilization, and garnered negative attention when the club started writing white pride messages in chalk on campus. Communications professor Richard Vatz, resigned as the club’s advisor after realizing the true motives of the group.
An application to start the White Student Union has yet to be submitted, but will not be approved if it’s found to be discriminatory. Heimbach claims 17 students have shown interest in joining so far.
Click here to view a news segment on the story from Baltimore’s WJZ.
BMWK family, what do you think about the idea of a “white student union”? Are black student unions outdated? Were you a member of a BSU on your campus? How did it benefit you?