Kechley Krazy Kookout

In May 2004, a flyer for the music department's annual spring cook-out, traditionally called Kechley Krazy Kookout (because it is traditionally held at the house Music Professor David Kechley), highlighted the initials KKK. This reminded many people of the initials of the Klu Klux Klan and was, therefore, offensive and insensitive. Some argued that reaction to the flyer was overblown.

The flyer printed last year to advertise the music department’s “Krazy Kechley Kookout” Villegas said, produced the kind of uncontrolled dialogue that is detrimental to progress. “So many things happened in that day and a half that blew the poster out of proportion,” she said.

Esa Seegulam ’06, co-chair of the Muslim Student Union and member of the Committee on Diversity and Community, had a similar impression of the flyer incident. “I feel like students often fall into the trap of creating a lot of hysteria,” he said. “I feel like we’ve fallen into that trap before where we really miss the issue.”

Others felt that the incident was emblematic of widespread ignorance (or worse) on the Williams campus.

Black students who talked with "The Eagle" didn't believe the incident was wholly innocent. More likely, it was an ignorant mistake, they said.

Megan Saffold, 20, a junior from Tacoma, Wash., said, "It's very insensitive. I can't say it's an honest mistake. Stuff like this happens on campuses all the time."

There was an all-campus e-mail on the topic, but we have been unable to find a copy. Campus discussion of the incident was truncated because it occurred so late in the academic year.

See also:

• Quotes from "Eagle" article, EphBlog, May 14, 2004
• "The committee on perfection", The Record, September 21, 2004
• "Schapiro holds diversity summit", The Record, October 19, 2004