Monday’s edition of The Daily Eastern News threw me for a bit of a loop.

Page one featured a story on minorities, specifically black students, and how they feel they are treated differently on campus. One student talked about how he feels discriminated against by local police officers because of his race. Another student said she uses her race to connect with other students who may not be from backgrounds with much diversity, but also said she felt somewhat isolated at times in classes.

On page six was a precede to an event sponsored by EIUnity called “Power of Words.” The event is designed to illustrate the effect negative words have on different people. During the exercise, words for different groups will be put on a wall and students are to think of negative words associated with those descriptions. The negative and offensive words will then be ripped down, symbolizing the act of stripping the power from the terms. Residence halls have done a similar exercise called the “Wall of Hate.”

Then, page five boasted a story about comedians C-Dawg and Swift, who appeared at the 7th Street Underground Friday night. The majority of the page is filled with quotes from the two-person performance, which was largely based around race-related humor.

Now, I have no doubt that the acts were meant to entertain. I understand that in today’s society race, gender and sexually orientated jokes are laughable to most (especially college-aged students). And it is good that the comedians seemed to poke fun at many groups, rather than singling out a single race or sex.

However, by booking acts like these to perform in university-sponsored events, is Eastern really sending the right message?

Diversity events like the first two mentioned above are meant to unify our campus and rid it of discrimination and negative thoughts toward people who are from different backgrounds.

There is a fine line between truly discriminatory material and an oversensitive public, and people do overreact to certain terms or give them too much power to offend others. In fact, some would say that Friday night’s comedians help unity efforts by blatantly facing stereotypes and getting them out in the open so to remove any power they may have. This is a commendable effort, but it’s highly unlikely everyone will see it this way.

The bottom line is racial commentaries and stereotypes – whether or not in jest – alienate and exclude people. Groups are set apart because of a unique trait or traits that should be embraced and shared in a positive way – not pointed out with negativity or made to seem like a special circumstance to be understood by only the people in said group.

Students interviewed after the comedians’ sets were entertained, and that’s great for them. I think it’s safe to say, however, not all students would see the humor in such a performance.

Eastern and the members that are a part of its community need to be conscious of the results of their speech. C-Dawg was quoted Friday night saying “If I said anything that offended anybody, get over it. I don’t give a damn, I say whatever.”

This is a statement made by someone who is obviously comfortable with his First Amendment rights, but this kind of attitude will result in neither unity nor a positive outlook on diversity.