This semester the University ordered the Grease Trucks on College Avenue to cover up the names of many of their famous sandwiches. The ruling came after members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community claimed names such as "Fat Dyke" and "Fat Bitch" are offensive and promote homophobia. The University said the signs breach the contract the Grease Trucks have with the University, which provides numerous stipulations meant to protect students' rights
The LGBT's complaint against the Fat Dyke name was certainly well founded. The term "dyke" has been used as an offensive and discriminatory term for lesbians. The word carries with it a history of oppression and negativity, and the Grease Trucks should not use something like that to make a profit.
The Grease Trucks are a famous fixture at the University, and the sandwiches and their names are iconic. The Grease Trucks should be careful not to discredit the University as a whole by featuring names with a twinge of hatred in them. The truck's owners should have been more responsible about what appeared on their trucks, because they know how popular they are. In the future they should use good judgment and implement self-censorship on the trucks.
The University has shown it will not act until students themselves raise complaints. It is too big to recognize all rights violations on campus, and issues it is aware of are too numerous to handle. The incident revealed that unfortunately, discrimination as a whole is not likely to be addressed until enough students are provoked and take a stand.
In addition, history has proven the attention the University has brought to the Grease Trucks by censoring them has only made the sandwiches more popular. Students now rush to the trucks at night screaming the name of their favorite censored fat sandwich.
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