Each generation wonders about future generations. What should we make of this?
A Greek Life retreat at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) was promptly canceled this weekend after a banana peel was found hanging in a tree.
“To be clear, many members of our community were hurt, frightened, and upset by what occurred at IMPACT,” Interim Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life Alexa Lee Arndt remarked in an email between Greek leaders, according to The Daily Mississippian. “Because of the underlying reality many students of color endure on a daily basis, the conversation manifested into a larger conversation about race relations today at the University of Mississippi.”
The peel was present because a student could not locate a trash bin and decided to toss it up into a tree instead. In doing so he culturally weaponized it, turning it into a banana peel of “Greek retreat destruction.”
“The overall tone was heavy. I mean, we were talking about race in Mississippi and in the Greek community so there’s a lot involved,” McNeil recalled, later adding that she and her friend were “all just sort of paranoid for a second” after spotting the banana.
After word of the banana spread throughout the retreat, leaders decided to end the event early. Arndt explained that she “felt it was imperative to provide space immediately to students affected by this incident.”
Keep in mind as you read “after word of the banana spread throughout the retreat” that these are (supposed to be) adults, and they are serious.
So, what about the insensitive litterbug who triggered this modern day Greek tragedy?
While it is unclear how the university will proceed to handle the incident, Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Community Engagement Katrina Caldwell noted that she will be speaking with fellow leaders to decide “what makes the most sense.”
“Right now, we’re just talking to people on campus who have some experience working across diversity to help the students process what happened,” she added.
It would not be inappropriate to weep for the future.
