At 2:00am on Wednesday, May 2nd (a scheduled <">reading day<"> in our finals week), 300-400 students gathered on the green between our residential complexes on Redstone Campus for what has become an annual <">bonfire<">. 300-400 students (most, if not all, of whom were white students) circled around burning furniture and discarded wood that had been used to loft their beds during the academic year. They chanted, screamed, and caused a pretty significant disturbance for any students who had hoped to get a good night of sleep prior to using the reading day as it had been intended. One anonymous student even fell into the fire yet refused medical attention. I suppose that student would have then had to offer some sort of identification.

Again, they were gathering around burning furniture and discarded loft wood. Let<´>s call it what it is: Arson. It<´>s a privilege for these students (most, if not all, of whom are white) to have the <">event<"> softened by calling it a bonfire that has come to be expected as a way for students (most, if not all, of whom are white) to <">let off steam<"> in the midst of finals.

Now, do something for me. Picture the scene. Only as you<´>re creating your mental image, substitute our ALANA student population for those students who were actually in attendance.

Go ahead. Really add detail to your mind's picture.

Then ask yourself these questions. Then answer them. And answer them honestly.

What would this <">event<"> have been called? A bonfire? A riot, perhaps? A race riot? How would our campus police have responded to an event where our students of color decided to burn furniture and discarded loft wood in the middle of a campus green? How would the fire department have responded? Think about the hoses. How would the media, either campus media or Burlington<´>s media, have responded? What would they have called the <">event<">? How anonymous could the involved ALANA students have remained?

300 to 400 students (most, if not all, of whom were white) are now either on their way home or back to the routine of finishing up their academic year. Nobody is looking for names. Nobody is even really talking about the event any more ... just 30 hours after the <">event<">. We<´>ll not find out who lit the first match.

That<´>s privilege. These students are remaining anonymous for having committed a crime and destroying one of our campus green spaces. They<´>ve made it ugly. Where are the environmentalists that this campus is so famous for now?

Any time a student of color speaks out on this campus they are noticed and, quite likely, identified. That happens easily when there are so few students of color to begin with. Had the ALANA students on this campus spoken up in anger ... in such a way as those who participated in the <">bonfire<"> had ... my guess is that we would be following up a little differently. And we certainly would know where and how to find them.

In this case, it<´>s a privilege to remain anonymous. Specifically, it<´>s white privilege.

Troy Headrick
Coordinator of Residential Programs
Department of Residential Life
Robinson Hall, Redstone Campus
The University of Vermont
Burlington, VT 05405
(802) 656-7927
headrick@house.uvm.edu