Bellevue Community College Apologized over "Condoleezza" Quiz

Bellevue Community College, Bellevue, Washington has had to apologize for a questionable math problem on a practice test. The teacher responsible for this remains anonymous but has been reprimanded and has requested "cultural-sensitivity training."

Richardson, 25, said she found the question on a practice test for a math final she was studying for in March. The question read, "Condoleezza holds a watermelon just over the edge of the roof of the 300-foot Federal Building, and tosses it up with a velocity of 20 feet per second." The question went on to ask when the watermelon will hit the ground, based on a formula provided. The question propagates a racial stereotype and denigrates Secretary of State Rice, said Perryman. While Rice's last name wasn't mentioned, the reference was clear, he said.

There is more than "cultural-sensitivity" involved with this. The question was deliberately changed. It has been demonstrated by the left that especially in the case of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice her race is fair game for criticism. While employing stereotypes critical of some liberal political figure would elicit calls of hate crime and demands for dismissal, the collage administration was reluctant to do more than take the question off the test until public outcry forced a statement from the President:

Floten praised the courage of the students who brought the question to the college's attention, and promised that the college would redouble its efforts to improve racial and cultural sensitivity on campus, including increasing staff training and creating an ombudsman position.

"We called this meeting, and we had the courage to meet each other and learn from each other and put that learning to use," Floten said.

The hour-and-a-half meeting, attended by more than 150 people, opened an important dialog, but more needs to be done, said Chelsey Richardson, one of the students who brought the issue to college officials.

The dialogue that needs to come about should be the inserting of political expression into material that has no political context. Educators at all levels seem to have lost the desire to teach the subject they are charged with in favor of pushing some social agenda. Fortunately students are shining light on this nonsense.

Basil's