Disliking President Roderick McDavis does not make someone a racist, contrary to what the Caucus of Educators, Administrators and Staff of African Descent said in a letter to the Board of Trustees.

The letter, which was reported about in The Post and The Athens Messenger on Thursday and Friday respectively, alleges that the reason so many students and faculty criticize President McDavis is that he is black. Another professor is quoted as saying the university has a history of “subtle racism.” The letter also says that President McDavis is being blamed for problems within the university for which he is not responsible.

The accusation of racism is the most offensive. The letter writers are insinuating that all of the students and faculty protesting and vehemently disagreeing with President McDavis are doing so because he is black, and they are therefore racists.

The caucus is acting as if those protesting McDavis are being outwardly racist and that is foolish. These students and faculty do not care that the university’s president is black; they believe that he has done a substandard job. Some even believe that he does not deserve to keep his position at the university. Ohio University is extremely liberal, and I refuse to believe that this dissent is fueled by any racism.

Wait, I have heard this exact argument before, but with a slight change. Right-wing commentators like Bill O’Reilly have said that people protesting or dissenting against the war in Iraq are unpatriotic and, in O’Reilly’s words, “bad Americans.”

Dissent is neither racist nor is it unpatriotic. Our nation is built on the ideas of dissent all the way back to the essays of Cato and Milton. It is one of the basic tenets of our society, and the people that try to silence that dissent are truly evil.

The citation of a history of “subtle racism” at the university is vexing. Professor Vibert Cambridge, who made the statement and is a former president of the caucus, makes no attempt to back up the very serious claim. The letter also did not substantiate the claim. It is unacceptable to make a make such a serious allegation without trying to prove it.

The second part of their argument — that President McDavis is being blamed for things for which he is not responsible — I partially agree with. It is not President McDavis’ fault that there was plagiarism in the College of Engineering or that the football coach he hired was arrested for DUI. Even the cuts in men’s sports do not totally fall on his shoulders.

But as the figurehead of the university, it is part of his job to deal with these problems. President McDavis gets to take credit for all of the good things that happen at Ohio University, but as the mouthpiece of the university, he also must deal with any problems with it.

I do not think that it is unfair to criticize him. President Bush was blamed for allowing Sept. 11 to happen. I have never really agreed with that claim, but as the highest authority, it is his job deal with the consequences.

The caucus’ playing of the race card is a cheap attempt to garner support for President McDavis. The students and faculty against President McDavis have every right to dissent, and it is too bad that an organization would use such a shameful, poorly reasoned argument to make people stop disputing President McDavis’ policies out of guilt. I hope that the caucus issues an apology to those protesting President McDavis in the coming days. Allegations of racism should not be thrown around so lightly. Columns represent the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Post