Some mistakes are hard to understand

People make mistakes -- some more understandable than others.

The Sigma Pi fraternity at UC Irvine seems to be guilty of a few

mistakes that members of the campus’ Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano

de Aztlan pointed out last week.

One mistake the fraternity made was calling its Cinco de Mayo

party “Drinko for Cinco.” While one can understand that bit of bad

judgment, the flier the fraternity distributed to advertise the party

crossed the line. It contained a caricature of a Mexican man holding

two pistols and wearing a sombrero with Sigma Pi’s logo on it.

Students at a University of California school should know better

that such stereotypical images can be hurtful and will draw fire.

If that weren’t enough, the fraternity also promoted a “Dirty

Sanchez Look-a-like Contest.” What part of that concept sounded like

a good idea at any time?

In this day and age, there are no acceptable excuses for such

insensitive stereotyping on any college campus, especially somewhere

as ethnically diverse as UC Irvine.

What’s worse is, the fraternity has a history of bad judgment

specifically related to Latinos. In the fall, Sigma Pi members wore

T-shirts of road signs depicting people crossing the road similar to

those signs found near the border. Again, it crossed the line.

As punishment for the latest incidents, Sigma Pi members will have

to attend cultural awareness seminars and may have to issue formal

apologies, including one in the school newspaper. These punishments

are the least they suffer to appease everyone on campus, not just

those who saw the fliers.

One would hope that Sigma Pi -- with its members now or those in

five to 10 years -- would give every flier they plan to disseminate

in the future long consideration before doing so. There are many

people and cultures on this Earth, and it would behoove everyone to

treat each other with respect. It’s the least they can do.