Clemson Dining apologizes for serving Mexican food
- Clemson Dining issued an apology to 'offended' students after hosting a 'Maximum Mexican' food day.
- Students took to Twitter to call the event culturally insensitive and to question the school's efforts to promote diversity.
Clemson Dining’s "Maximum Mexican" night, has become a student favorite over the last several years, and this year was no different, at first.
Everything was going great. Students were loving the food and festivities. Except for
two students, who took to Twitter to voice their displeasure with the school's decision to host such a "#CUlturallyInsensitive" event.
Clemson senior Austin Pendergist told Campus Reformhe felt the post-event uproar was “ridiculous.”
“This is something that Clemson Dining has done for years without any sort of backlash. People love the cultural nights in the dining halls,” Pendergist said. “What's next? Are they going to take away all potato based food as to not offend students from Irish decent? Remove the stir fry station so Asian-American students don't feel as if they are being misrepresented? When does it end?”
The university, however, took a different position. Dr. Doug Hallenbeck, Clemson University’s Senior Associate Vice President of Student Affairs apologized for the event’s “flattened cultural view of Mexican culture.”
“It is the mission of University Housing & Dining to create supportive and challenging environments that enrich and nourish lives. We failed to live out our mission yesterday, and we sincerely apologize,” Hallenbeck said.
