Nor is it an attempt at silencing the debate.
So where has the Blue Rinse post gone to, and why?
Well, the where is quite easy to answer - it's gone to that cyber-bucket of deleted posts and lost links and 404-cobweb pages. And why? That's perhaps worth a fuller explanation.
The original post was intended by the blogger to record the frustrations of a clash of Campus Cultures arising from the introduction of a group of people who don't all subscribe to our Values, particularly when it comes to respect and tolerance for difference and the valuing of diversity. I find racist behaviour abhorrent, and do not feel it is something that should be tolerated simply because of the perpetrators' age and social class.
The duty to oppose racial and other forms of harassment, and unfair discrimination, is something I take very seriously. We have policies and procedures in place to govern the way we as staff and students behave towards each other. There is a code of conduct which extends the framework towards the contractors who work among us. But what recourse does, say, a cleaner have when her dignity is assaulted by a visitor implying that her colour predisposes her to theft? What structures and systems protect other frontline staff subjected to racist epithets by visitors? Are we creating a welcoming environment for disadvantaged black students by exposing them to racist and classist comment being uttered about them with impunity, by visitors to this Campus who don't necessarily share a view that values diversity?
Should we not be requiring of all people on Campus - even those contributing their presence in the most fleeting way to transient Campus Communities - to uphold the behaviours enshrined in our Values, even if in their heart of hearts they don't necessarily subscribe to the values themselves?