The Minnesota Student Association, the student-led governing body at the University of Minnesota, voted against a “moment of recognition” on the anniversaries of the attacks on September 11th.
The University released a statement saying, “Ultimately, although MSA students generally supported the resolution, they voted against it as presented so logistical issues related to its implementation could be addressed.” However, Alpha News received several first-hand accounts saying that the “loudest” opposition to the resolution was a group of students fearing it would “increase islamophobia” and be detrimental to the “safe space” on campus.
We asked several students to weigh-in on the issue, and it appeared that the issue was evenly split between those who supported MSA’s decision and those who did not.
Republican Party Chairman Keith Downey weighed in on the issue, telling Alpha News, “Americans from the President on down take time on 9/11 to remember and honor the dead and the heroes of that day. It would be entirely fitting for the U of M to join in, and the argument that doing so creates an unsafe space is frankly unintelligible. The victims and those who tried to save them had no regard of race, creed or religion, and we should do the same as we remember them.”
The proposal is being re-written and re-proposed on November 24th. Subscribe to Alpha News as we continue tracking this issue.