"Listen" is one of the suggestions Kenneth A. Shaw, president of the University of Wisconsin system, offers to fellow college administrators trying to deal with campus racism.
Shaw's comment is included in a new book on dealing with a problem that many contend is becoming more visible at U.S. colleges and universities. The book, "The Lurking Evil: Racial and Ethnic Conflict on the College Campus," was unveiled by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities during a news conference Wednesday."It is clear that this is an issue that is rearing its ugly head in a lot of segments of society," said Anthony F. Ceddia, president of Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania.
The publication contains 16 articles - most of them written by college administrators - that describe problems with campus racism and offer suggestions for dealing with them.
"Listen. Listening gives us information about what is important to other parties. It allows adversaries to relax and focus on solutions," Shaw wrote in the book.
Another writer, Washington lawyer David S. Tatel, said, "Universities should respond by doing what they do best; namely education."