Syracuse University, of course, follows all of these laws to the letter. While this institution cannot claim to have had a perfect history of tolerance, it has made important progress in its efforts not only to eliminate blatant discrimination but to foster acceptance and appreciation. Legal barriers, however, do not guarantee that certain forms of discrimination have been abolished. It is outrageous when a disrespectful epithet is scrawled on a bathroom wall in a residence hall or ethnic hatred is broadcast by e-mail to hundreds of unwilling recipients. In these cases, the response must be swift and unequivocal - the perpetrator must be found and dealt with through the University judicial system.
Discrimination can also be very subtle.
These are not easy matters to deal with. But we can begin by acknowledging that our perceptions are shaped by our experiences, and, where one person sees a normal activity, another can perceive bias. National polls show us that whites and people of color equally value family, hard work, fairness and the like. These groups part company, though, in their perceptions of social institutions such as business, education, healthcare. The majority of whites say that these institutions treat everyone fairly while a significant percentage of people of color disagree.