The Texas Tech community reacted to a student organization after it organized and conducted a game called "Catch the Illegal Immigrant" March 31, which involved a controversial T-shirt with words "Illegal Immigrant" written on the front and the words "Catch Me If You Can" bannered across the back.
The T-shirt and game caused considerable controversy among students and faculty, even prompting two students to write a letter to Tech President Jon Whitmore.
Tech's chapter of the Young Conservatives of Texas hosted the event as a protest to a bill in the Texas Legislature that would give in-state tuition to illegal immigrants, said Cullin Davis, chairman of the group's Tech chapter.
"Anybody, whenever somebody is telling you they're breaking the law, you know, you kind of have this obligation - especially if you're a government entity - to turn this person in," he said. "Whereas, the school is not doing that."
The game consisted of a handful of students, all Caucasian, who wore the T-shirts as they went to classes on campus, he said. If another student encountered one of the students donning the shirt, he or she could bring the "illegal immigrant" back to the Young Conservatives of Texas table outside of the Student Union Building, where he or she would be awarded a prize.
While the event occurred on Cesar Chavez Day, a day intended to celebrate the Mexican-American political activist and leader, Cullin said its organizers did not intentionally schedule it on that day. It was a coincidence.
"We had a couple of people come by (the table to complain)," he said. "Obviously, if you're not an illegal immigrant, it shouldn't be offensive, and if you are an illegal immigrant, then, you know, why are you here?"
Most criticism and backlash for the event came from those who had a qualm with the wording of the shirts, Cullin said. The word "Catch" offended people most because it somehow implied violence.
Two students wrote a letter to Whitmore last week in protest of the event, said one of the letter's writers, Tomas Resendiz in an e-mail Thursday.
In his e-mail, Resendiz, a Tech junior from Petersburg, said he and a friend wrote the letter to Whitmore because he felt "… the game promotes a physical course of action against immigrants who are illegal, and the premise that anyone who is legal has the right to catch them."
When he initially heard about the game, he said he thought it was a joke because of its absurdity, but quickly realized it was real and, in fact, has been played on other college campuses in the past.
Resendiz said he was offended as a student, not as a Hispanic student.
"As a student of (Tech)," he said in his e-mail, "I was offended by this message since it was contrary to many of the university's statements regarding diversity, mutual respect and the goals cited in the Vision Statement of the Division of Student Affairs regarding mutual respect and high ethical standards."
In an April 15 letter of response to Resendiz's formal complaint, Whitmore said he was out of town during the day of the event, but, "now that I am apprised of the situation, I respect and share your concern," and found the event to be "contrary to the diverse and welcoming atmosphere" of the university.
Whitmore continued to say in his letter, however, that every student at Tech retains the right to open communication that "champion debate and the free exchange of ideas."
"Immigration is a sensitive issue," he said in his response. "We are developing meaningful opportunities on campus for people to learn and exchange ideas on this subject and on may other related and unrelated challenging issues as well."
Resendiz said he wanted to reiterate the extent of his and his friend's complaints as merely an addressing of the issue, not an actual protest. Upon receiving the letter from Whitmore, he said the letter's co-author and other supporters did not wish to pursue the issue any longer. They laid their complaints to rest.
"I will continue to push on," he said in the e-mail, "and use this experience as an example on how even such controversial issues can be addressed with civility and in a very educated manner."
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