At 10 am on Saturday, April 3, more than 100 people gathered at the Fence at the heart of Carnegie Mellon’s campus to rally against racism and ignorance. The gathering was organized by the brothers of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., in response to the use of a racial slur in the April 1 edition of The Tartan. The paper in question, a special April Fool’s Day edition renamed The Natrat, is intended to be satirical. However, many members of the campus community were deeply offended by a comic strip that included both the slur and a reference to killing African Americans.

Tommy Taylor, senior electrical and computer engineering student and brother of Kappa Alpha Psi, organized the rally. He began with a prayer to bless those who are ignorant and hoped that the meeting would benefit the campus community. Brian Orr, a sophomore history major, gave a brief history of the black national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” The assembly of students, faculty, staff, administrators, community members, and local media joined together to sing the anthem.

After these introductions, Taylor addressed the gathering and explained that the theme of the rally was “We Will Be Heard.” He said that while he can typically find humor in any situation, he found nothing to joke about in The Tartan’s comic. He stated that this issue was funded by a $2,500 allocation from the Student Activities Fee, and that The Tartan is overseen by a seven-member editorial staff. In reference to the April Fool’s theme of the issue and the oversight that allowed the comic to be published, he asked, “Who is the fool?”

Taylor also articulated his dissatisfaction with the actions taken thus far to correct this offense. He felt that “[The Tartan’s] only act of politics, to quiet us down in my opinion, was not sincerely meant.” He expressed his belief that an apology is insufficient, and that such an event should never have happened in the first place.

He asked the crowd to forgive the writers, but also called for punishment. He argued for the expulsion of those involved, citing both University policy and Pennsylvania law to defend his suggestion.

Taylor was followed by other representatives of Kappa Alpha Psi who echoed the “We Will Be Heard” theme. Several members of Spirit, a student organization dedicated to promoting African-American awareness on campus, also spoke against the actions of The Tartan. Cortney Ricketts, president of Spirit, claimed that the comic was only one of several racially offensive pieces that The Tartan has printed in the last five weeks, but that when Spirit had previously spoken to its editors and University administrators, “We were told we need to respect freedom of speech.”

Senior Darren Canady also spoke for Spirit, saying of The Tartan’s actions, “We’ve reached into the Dark Ages.” He, too, asked for punitive action against the newspaper. On behalf of Spirit, he requested that the entire editorial board step down, and that they issue “a unilateral apology, not one that passes the buck.” He also asked that the University consider suspension of the publication.

Alexander Meseguer, editor-in-chief of The Tartan, then addressed the crowd. Some booed as he was introduced, but everyone quickly grew silent and moved closer to hear him speak.

He admitted that “The Tartan has committed a grave error,” and that changes must be made. He went on to describe what those changes would be. He stated that he would suspend normal publication of The Tartan after this week’s issue, with the exception of the Carnival and Commencement issues; however, with just a few weeks left in the semester, only two issues will be cut.

He outlined a plan to create a content control board consisting of respected faculty and administrators that would monitor future publications. He also said that The Tartan would hold a series of forums on free speech and diversity, and lastly stated that he wishes to seek an amendment to The Tartan’s constitution to create the office of Ethics Manager for the newspaper.

Dean of Student Affairs Michael Murphy spoke on behalf of himself and President Jared Cohon. He stated that he and the president “condemn in the strongest sense the actions of The Tartan,” but went on to emphasize his belief in the importance of the newspaper as a voice for the students. He further stated his firm belief that the University should not take over publication of The Tartan.

Following the scheduled speeches, Tommy Taylor opened the gathering to questions and comments. Most of those assembled addressed their questions to Alexander Meseguer. One woman demanded to know the name of the person responsible for the comic, and Bob Rost, a Masters student in entertainment technology, stepped forward to announce that he had drawn it. Rost, identifying himself only as Bob, went on to say that the comic did not represent his opinion and then quickly left, refusing to answer any questions. Meseguer responded to charges for further information by stating, “The artist is Bob Rost, and he has been dismissed from The Tartan entirely.”

Meseguer also fielded questions regarding The Tartan’s finances. When asked whether it was true that the newspaper planned to seek University funding next year and whether The Natrat fiasco had changed those plans, Meseguer confirmed that he had and still did plan to seek full funding for The Tartan due to his fear that the paper would cease to exist without such funding. He shocked the crowd by announcing, “The past administrators of my newspaper have allowed it to accumulate a debt of nearly $88,000.”

Still more questions were asked about why the comic was ever published. Meseguer answered by stating that he had not personally seen the comic until after it had already been sent to the publisher. Later, Cortney Ricketts expressed her anger that no one had come forward to claim responsibility for allowing the strip to make it into print. “Who is responsible?” she asked. “Alex hasn’t taken responsibility. Someone needs to take responsibility.”

Meseguer spent much of the rest of the rally speaking to various reporters, but refused to speak to The Carnegie Pulse.

The rally ended with mixed feelings. Some left content that the University was taking steps towards reprimanding those responsible for the issue. Dr. Gloria Hill, Director of the Carnegie Mellon Action Project, the campus’s minority support group, said that she felt the rally “was probably one of the most important events in the University of all time,” while expressing her confidence in the administration to take action.

Others, such as Gaius Charles, a junior drama major, left feeling disappointed with the responses given by Meseguer. “The apology presented today was a calculated attempt to nullify the backlash,” Charles said. Charles also expressed concern about allowing The Tartan to publish Carnival and Commencement issues, stating that if the paper is going to be halted, all issues should be halted, even those highlighting positive events.

Overall, the consensus throughout the crowd was that the rally had given those offended or distressed over the content of the April Fool’s issue of The Tartan a chance to speak out.

Valerie Alcindor, a junior electrical and computer engineering major, said that the students “have a right to be happy with what’s posted in The Tartan,” and later added that she felt “[their] voices need to be heard.”

University employees, such as Gina Casalegno, Coordinator of Student Activities, expressed similar sentiment. Even though the rally served as a forum to promote discussion, many also stated that the responsibility to take action should not be forgotten. Celeste Taylor, a representative from the NAACP, called the cartoon and its racist tone “an issue all people need to care about” and encouraged students to “stay strong, stay vigilant, and make sure there’s some corrective action.”