42,876 students at Florida State University. 33,000 undergrad students. 8,234 graduate students. 24,990 White students. 8,296 Hispanic students. 3,838 Black students. 1,191 Asian students. 4,088 Jewish students. 41.7% of students are a minority by race alone. 9.5% of students are a minority because they are Jewish.
I am a current sophomore, honors student, and computational science major. What you do not know is that I am also Jewish. FSU minority students have faced racism, and discrimination. While both racism and discrimination may be subtle and blunt, discrimination may be a lot harder to recognize for those it was not towards.
While in the past, President Thrasher, you stood up against racism, and discrimination against minority groups such as the LGBTQ+ community and Black community, you have not stood up for your Jewish students. As the president of FSU you do not stand behind our motto "Vires, Artes, Mores" by not supporting ALL of your students.
FSU has been promoted as a place of diverse unity, but when you allow anti-semitism on campus, or anti-semitic leaders, how can we be united? While I am writing this in response to the disgusting comments of Ahmad Daraldik, there are other instances of anti-semitism on campus that you, President Thrasher, have overlooked. For instance, there was a vendor on campus selling Nazi flags, and you responded saying that was okay because that vendor has the right to Freedom of Speech. You allow hateful people on campus, which can instill fear and danger to those they target.
When selecting a college to go to, I specifically did not choose my dream school because of the anti-semitism at the school. I chose FSU because of the diversity, and unity FSU has and promoted, yet here I am facing discrimination, along with my other 4,088 Jewish peers.
4,088 students are being discriminated against and you have not done a single thing to help that. How could a president of a public university not support his students? You quickly removed the former Student Senate President for their discrimination against the LBGTQ+ community, and rightfully so, but why would you hesitate and not do so for the Jewish community?
Allowing Ahmad Daraldik to remain the Student Senate President is allowing fear to instill within the Jewish community at FSU. He is spreading hate, which results in the division of our student body. Daraldik will not fairly represent the student body because he will be leaving out at least 4,088 students.
President Thrasher, in your statement after Ahmad Daraldik's anti-semitic remarks, you stated that only "some" of the Jewish students would be hurt, and offended. Every single one of your students should be offended by those remarks if they believe in unity, like FSU promotes. YOU should be offended. Those who are not offended most likely do not support the unity and inclusion of this university. I am not a part of the LGBTQ+ community, but when the former Student Senate President discriminated against the LGBTQ+ community, I was furious that someone who represent the entire student body was filled with hate. How could he represent everyone, and how was I supposed to know how far his hate spread?
Spewing hate is not exercising the 1st Amendment Right to Freedom of Speech, and to say so is ignorance, President Thrasher. You stick up for all other minority groups, but why not the Jewish community?
What did the Jewish community do to you, Ahmad Daraldik? Why would you become the Student Senate President if you are openly hateful towards almost 10% of the student body you are supposed to represent? And to those who voted Ahmad Daraldik, how could you elect someone who openly discriminates against people because they have different beliefs?
To those who support people in power who are discriminatory, like Ahmad Daraldik, you are part of the problem by continuing to support discrimination, and division.
The Jewish community at FSU will continue to unite and fight against the discrimination we face at FSU from those in power, and those not.
