Dear Columbia Students and Members oI the Columbia Community,

Recently, the Columbia University Marching Band put up Ilyers around campus advertising Ior
Orgo Night. One Ilyer in particular stood out as oIIensive and unacceptable. This Ilyer contains
the image oI a pole-dancer with the title 'The Gaza Strip written above, and 'Everybody wants
a piece written below. Thus, these posters link the history oI massacres in Gaza, including
the most recent attack where 160 Palestinians and 7 Israelis were killed, with the silhouette oI
a naked woman all in the spirit oI humour. This is not only deeply misogynistic and sexist
in its objectiIication oI women or its making light oI sex-workers` lives; it is also shockingly
insensitive and oIIensive towards the intense suIIering oI the people oI Gaza. This Ilyer
sexualizes and trivializes violence, death, a high inIant mortality rate, an extreme population
density, serious malnutrition and a constant siege under threat oI aerial bombing, Ior the sake oI
RXU entertainment. While we appreciate that the marching band has acknowledged the hurt that
their Ilyer caused, we would like to emphasize that more than hurt Ieelings are at stake in this
debate, and the problem is larger than one tasteless Ilyer. Like many jokes that characterize Orgo
Night itselI, this Ilyer is one instance oI systemic racism, sexism, and rape culture, which harm
each member oI community.

We understand that Orgo Night is a Columbia tradition, and the student body values this annual
event where on the night beIore the Organic Chemistry exam the Columbia University Marching
Band perIorms in Butler Library. Our aim is not to undermine Columbia tradition. We do,
however, want everyone who is a part oI this community to ask themselves:

- Does Orgo Night have to be racist, sexist, and extremely oIIensive on multiple levels in order
to be Iun?
- Do we have to laugh at the systematic killing of thousands of civilians in order to advertise
events?
- Do we have to trivialize the lives of sex workers to let oII the stress oI Iinals?
- Do we have to objectify the bodies of women as a tool to mock a people whose history of
oppression we can not comprehend?

To the Columbia community we ask, do you Iind WKHVHmessages oI racism, sexism, insensitivity,
etc, appropriate? Can you stand by this Ilyer? We cannot because we value this community,
and respect all oI its members regardless oI how they identiIy. It is because we respect our
community that we think all people oI color should be able to attend Orgo Night without having
to watch other students laugh at the murder oI Trayvon Martin, as was the case last year. It is
because we respect our community that we think people oI any and all genders should be able
to go to their library without being conIronted with Ilyers that use sexist depictions oI women`s
bodies to promote their events.

Above all, it is because we respect our community that we believe Columbia University must
truly be a safe space Ior all its members, as it promises to be. We do not believe students can
Ieel secure in their learning environment while their identities are being disrespected so blatantly,
and their suIIering used as a source oI humor. We also do not wish to believe this is the image
the Columbia community chooses Ior itselI. We do not wish to believe that what is a valued
tradition Ior this student body includes poking Iun at other people`s suIIering, or at the death
oI thousands ranging Irom 3-month-old babies to 80-year-old grandmothers. As conscientious
members oI this community we reIuse to be part oI this extreme insensitivity, misogyny,
racism and sexism; we reIuse to be complicit by our silence as this takes place, and we ask all
conscientious members oI our community to do the same.

For this reason we have decided to make our discomIort visible during Orgo Night itselI, by way
oI organizing a silent protest. In doing so, we wish to reiterate that our desire is not to oppose
the very idea oI a night oI Iun Ior our community, but to point out exactly what aspects oI this
night distress us proIoundly and create an extremely unsaIe environment Ior many students. We
hope that our silent act oI protest will call the rest oI our community to question the content oI
Orgo Night in light oI its recent disrespectIul Ilyering campaign, and will also give voice to all
those who Ieel silenced by jokes that attack their identities and trivialize extremely traumatizing
experiences.

Signed,
Asian American Alliance
Barnard Poetry Collective
Black Students` Organization
Caribbean Students` Association
Columbia-Barnard V Day
Columbia Queer Alliance
CU Sewa
Columbia Students Ior Justice in Palestine
Everyone Allied Against Homophobia
FemSex
Freedom School
GendeRevolution
The Residents oI the Intercultural Resource Center
International Socialist Organization
LUCHA
Multicultural AIIairs Advisory Board
Muslim Students Association
Native American Council
Proud Colors
Radical CUNTS
Students Against Mass Incarceration
Students Promoting Empowerment and Knowledge
Turath