Let me start off by saying I owe you a sincere apology. It seems as if many of you misunderstood my intentions of using a pseudonym, and for this reason many of you have misinterpreted my message. There have been rumors floating around that I chose to use a false name in order to make provocative statements and avoid the consequences of said remarks. Those of you that know me understand that I have no problem standing behind my words; and frankly, if you could not tell that it was me writing those articles, you should seriously question your ability to read between the lines.

                “Until philosophers are kings, or the kings and princes of this world have the spirit         and power of philosophy, and political greatness and wisdom meet in one, and those               commoner natures who pursue either to the exclusion of the other are compelled to                 stand aside, cities will never have rest from their evils — no, nor the human race, as         I believe — and then only will this our State have a possibility of life and behold the              light of day” ~ Plato The Republic Book V: 473c

And thus, I chose to use the name PHIlosopher KingZ.

Being well versed in the history of philosophy is not an essential component of being a true philosopher; but instead, being a philosopher requires having the courage and authenticity to ask critical questions – even when those questions cause us to be uneasy with our own established assumptions. So I chose to employ the technique of indirect communication to show you a specific and direct, sometimes even exaggerated view point that often gets overlooked.  It is my belief that all view points, even ones that appear to be narrow minded and extravagant offer a unique perspective that must at least be considered if we are truly to be critical thinkers. Those of you that understood this took the time to reach out to me and get clarification and for this I am truly grateful. Those of you that read the articles, knew it was me and conveniently ignored it, I pray that whenever you seek to retreat to your own unquestioned suppositions, the words of the PHIlosopher KingZ eminently haunt your thoughts  like the looming threat of a thief in the night.

For this issue that I plan to address, I will use no pennames, I will not remain symbolically silent, and I will give my honest feedback on the issue. And you guessed it; the issue that I will be addressing in my final edition is the racial tensions on our beloved campus. In order to do this, I find no need to provide hypothetical or even specific examples of how racial tensions manifest itself at Pace University. I will cite general examples that in my opinion are self-evident and imbedded deep within the Pace Culture. One of the greatest examples of the racial divide occurs within Greek Life, with the so-called rift between “Cultural” and “Social” organizations. For the Greeks if you think I am lying, ask yourself honestly whose programs do you, your chapter, and your council consistently support? Another example is in the social setting at Pace; which has the potential of being one of the most unifying elements of the school, in reality has served as one of the greatest deterrents of unification. For those of us that are frequent attendees at social gatherings, ask yourselves – how drastically different the crowds look at an average night at Paulie’s in comparison to a Wilcox or Victor’s Party? I can go on and on and the results will still be the same. It becomes clear that there is a distinctive and well established racial divide at the core of this university’s culture. As VP of Unity & Social Justice I attempted to address this issue as best as I could and I was often meant with interruptions by various members in the staff and faculty. I do not hold anything against these people because I understand now that they were simply adhering to the Pace culture. Very few people here want to have that conversation because it requires admitting that there is a major racial problem on this campus. Until this issue is taken seriously and strategically addressed at all levels, from the President, Provost, and Board of Trustees – to the orientation leaders for the new incoming classes, we will continue to promote, perpetuate, and endorse a university that is divided and segregated. If this is the Pace culture that we want to uphold for future generations, continue to ignore my voice and the voices of other PHIlosopher KingZ and critical thinkers in the making. If you truly wish to leave this university a better place than you found it for all people, start taking us seriously and ask yourself, what can you do to confront this issue?

I have given you my input, what you choose to do with it is completely out of my hands. I will now retreat back to the high place of my throne and watch as these events unfold with an optimistic hope for the future of my beloved (soon to be) alma mater.

Yours Truly,

Qadry Harris

Class of 2014