Our campus culture  allows micro-aggressions to go unchecked — permitting prejudice to fester and escalate into bias incidents and other violent offenses. It might start in a group setting with a comment about a woman’s body, then escalate to degrading jokes about rating women, and ultimately create the conditions for acts of sexual harassment or assault by normalizing misogyny. Similarly, one of your non-Black friends might sing along to a song and say the n-word, and if no one speaks up, that silence tells them that behavior is acceptable. Over time, that person may feel emboldened to use the word in direct conversation with a Black peer, leaving them feeling disrespected and unsafe. What feels insignificant to you can spiral into harm. 

The consequences of leaving bias unchecked are reflected in our national politics, where silence and complicity have paved the way for hate and violence. Nationally, there has been an uptick in bias incidents since the Presidential election. Students across the country received racist text messages shortly after the election, and the use of Asian-slurs has increased since November 2024. 

Racism, at its root, is about the disregard and villainization of the “other” that originates in bias. Though we cannot dismantle the system that upholds structural violence in a single day, it is our responsibility to challenge bias when we see it — in ourselves and in those around us. These interventions act as resistance against the structures that rely on our silence. Yet, when we hear about a horrible incident on campus, too often, we respond with apathy or detached disappointment: “The administration sucks,” or “The people I know wouldn’t do something like that.” The problem is, though, that it’s not just a select group of people that perpetuate the harm. We all participate in shaping the climate of this campus through what we say, what we ignore, and who we protect. Even if you consider yourself or your friends exempt from the need to confront bias, that doesn’t mean you are free from it. Bias thrives in the silence of people who consider themselves “good.” 

You must check yourself and others. Identify your biases, and take responsibility for unlearning them by educating yourself. Fill the silence with questions, and interrupt the laughter at the harmful jokes. Your bias is not my problem, but your refusal to confront it becomes one Accountability is not punishment. Rather, it is care. This care will serve as the basis for a campus culture in which everyone can feel seen, respected, and safe. 

The following members of the Minority Coalition Steering Board cosigned this op-ed:

Rachel Chai ’25

Oluwatosin Ibidokun ’27

Vanessa Muturi ’27

Elijah Wu ’27

Lauren Soto ’27.5