A student at the University of Maryland penned an op-ed in the campus newspaper The Diamondback that condemns using English-only in the campus alerts because it could send the message that English is superior to other languages.
Liyanga de Silva wrote about a recent robbery on campus and the resulting alert was sent campus-wide through e-mail. De Silva argued that the minority Hispanic population at the school may not have understood where to stay away from because there was no Spanish version of the text.
“This part of our population deserves attention,” she stated. “However, some fail to see the importance of being inclusive to those who are non-native English speakers.”
De Silva’s complaint stems from a 2015 campaign speech by Donald Trump in which he said Americans should speak English:
It isn't particularly surprising that Trump thinks English should be the only language spoken in this country — it is the opinion of someone in a position of privilege who doesn't understand how destructive it is that English has become the language of power. Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon opinion.
Being able to speak English, particularly the English spoken in academia or the government, often provides access to higher education, better jobs, socioeconomic mobility and, in this recent case, physical safety. The attitude of people like Trump purposely makes certain aspects of American life inaccessible to those who don't speak English. It also upholds the incorrect and dangerous mindset that English is a superior language, and those who don't speak it are inferior.
De Silva noted that her university is made up of nearly 10% Hispanic undergrads and around 4% graduates. Six-percent of the staff and just over 3% of the faculty are also Hispanic. This doesn’t account for the “non-Hispanic people on campus who are native Spanish speakers,” she added. De Silva believes this segment of campus is at risk of missing important announcements if a Spanish version isn’t added soon.
“[S]ending alerts in English only is detrimental to the safety and inclusion of a portion of this university's population,” she wrote. “Sending alerts in Spanish is ultimately a small change the police department can make. It might not seem like a big deal, but it pushes inclusion over assimilation, indicating that this university is a safe space for everyone and doesn't place a higher value on the safety of English speakers than those who speak other languages.”
Did anybody else notice that de Silva wrote her op-ed entirely in English? What a snob!
P.S. De Silva is an English major. She should immediately find another major as to not trigger Spanish-speakers. How does she even sleep at night?
H/T The College Fix