Choose one of the following scenarios which illustrate a variety of incidents that have occurred on a university campus.
Scenario #2: Jim
Jim is an 18-year-old white student living away from home for the first time. He and his girlfriend were
hanging out at the park when they noticed a car pull into the empty parking lot. No one got out of the car
for nearly an hour, and it was getting dark. Jim and his girlfriend had planned to stay a while longer, but
the car made them feel nervous.
As they left the park, they passed nearby the car, and Jim knocked on the window to see if the occupants
needed any help. As the window rolled down, Jim noticed that the men were black. He said, “Hey, what’s
up? What are you guys doing here?” One of the men was insulted, became angry, and stated that they
had every right to be in the parking lot. He claimed that Jim was racially profiling them. He has gone to
the campus mediation center to report the incident and is demanding that Jim formally apologize.
Jim is very upset because he feels he is being unfairly called a racist.
Imagine that you are a residence hall counselor on campus, and the student described in the incident has come to you to ask for advice.
- What sort of advice would you give to the student?
- Explain why your advice represents the best course of action for the student to follow.
