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White Student Unions are student organizations that claim to represent the interests of white students on university and college campuses. Few of these organizations have official status on university and college campuses or an organized membership with many only existing as unsubstantiated claims in social media or other media.[citation needed]

New Intro
In 2015 many new WSU Facebook profiles appeared and media, after speaking with universities, first reported that they were hoaxes, that they were not condoned by the universities themselves. Neo-Nazi blog, The Daily Stormer, suggested followers create white unions, though some union leaders who claim they are unaffiliated, have since stepped forward and given statements about their mandates. While earlier WSU's were white supremacist in nature, newer unions are mixed in their ideologies and many disavow any connection to white supremacy, stating that they are fighting, instead, for safe spaces on campus for white students who feel whiteness is being stigmatized and also that white people are being silenced and excluded from the dialogue of race and whiteness.

1960s and 1970s
The first White Student Unions and similar organizations were initially born of the white separatist movement. In the 1960s, a White Student League was formed by white supremacist Tom Metzger and his father, but it dissipated in the 1970s. In 1979, Greg Withrow incorporated Metzger's Aryan Youth Movement into the White Student Union as a "militant extension of the student struggle." Sacramento State University started the first one, and it extended to as many as 20 chapters across the United States.

1980s and 1990s
White Student Unions were organized at Temple University in 1988 and at Florida State University in 1989. Temple University "was forced to recognize it because it already recognized a host of all-minority institutions," Dinesh D'Souza wrote in 1991.

In 1992, a White Student Union, with "avowedly White supremacist goals," was formed at the University of Minnesota. The university banned the group, but after debates about the First Amendment, the ban was lifted and the group was allowed to register as a student organization.

2014-2015
In 2015, a number of White Student Union pages, without apparent white supremacist leanings, emerged on social media platforms as Facebook. Universities and the media reported some of the White Student Unions as hoaxes and universities have asked that online groups remove any university insignia. Some sites are reporting, however, that they have spoken with leaders from white student groups and a number of them are the product of students on campus who want safe spaces for white students who feel stigmatized and silenced. The White Student Union at Towson University, for example, was formed in 2012 by student Matthew Heimbach who disavowed any connection to white supremacy and told VICE he despises Hitler, the KKK, and neo-Nazi organizations.

"Safe Spaces" UBC's White Student Union in British Columbia, has explained, that their goal as a student group, is to provide "a safe space for white students to air their true feelings," promote a vision "in which every ethnic group has the right to organise and represent themselves and their interests" and destigmatize white culture. The executive committee "meet[s] in a quiet corner of a Vancouver-area library" and "aren’t all white." Western WSU in Ontario Canada also claims that their union is intended to "provide a creative space for white bodies to construct-deconstruct whiteness [and] to discuss and reflect upon the lessons laid down for us by our forefathers...while being mindful and respectful of other identities that whites and nonwhites alike espouse."

Requests for safe spaces, are also coming about in the midst of Black Lives Matter protests and some WSU leaders, like those at Central Florida University, are claiming that protesters are exhibiting “explicit hostility to white students, faculty, and culture.” Black student protesters at Berkley are demanding a university building be renamed for Black Panther on FBI terror list and Black Lives Matter protesters have been calling for the killing of white people, rioting, interrupting presidential campaign talks, closing down rail and air transportation, and taking over Memorial Day, a day designated for remembrance of all lives, for the remembrance of black lives. Professor Adam Kotsko of SShirmerCollege, has likewise claimed, that white people today are "complicit in slavery" and should "commit suicide." This is a stark reminder of Harvard professor, Noel Ignatiev's, call for white people to commit "cultural genocide" and breed with people of color to eradicate the white race.

"Stigmatization" The WSU at NYU provides some information on why they feel stigmatized, they are responding to assertions that white people are labeled problematic simply because of their race, to the creation of mandatory university classes which they feel attack their identities and to the creation of campus speech codes which silence them. Leaders stated, that "[w]hen people say that Students of Whiteness don't face any unique challenges or obstacles we should think about this". "White students are the only group to be labeled as ‘problematic’ simply for existing and to have University classes dedicated to attacking their identity." One board member on the UBC executive, who is of South East Asian descent, noted, that "I think it’s an injustice ...the stigmatization of whiteness....[which] prevents us from having honest conversations about things that are important." University of Central Florida WSU leaders feel as though they are being held accountable for the sins of their ancestors because they are white and state, that “We are not a racist or white supremacist organization… But we will not apologize for being white. We will not self-flagellate for the sins of our ancestors. We will not be emotionally blackmailed to go along with the displacement of white people and culture in the name of ‘diversity’ or ‘equality."

This protest against stigmatization of white people and white culture, comes amidst a number of comments from professors about the white race. Emory University Professor, George Yancy, declared, that white people are inherently racist, University of Memphis professor, Zandria Robinson states, that whiteness is terror and Boston University's Saida Grundy claimed, that white people created intergenerational slavery and that white males are America's problem population.

"Silencing" There has been a rise in campus speech codes,  diversity courses   and diversity events which exclude white people   and WSU's are speaking out against efforts which they feel silence white people and prevent them from contributing to the dialogue on whiteness. Leadership from UT Auston's White Student Union told reporters that “some white students feel as though they are drowning in an anti-white narrative." NYU WSU leaders also stated, that they want to "reclaim[] the word whiteness and not let[] the campus thought police define [their] identities for [them].” Amidst the emergence of white student union pages, there have also been campus initiatives at Dartmouth, Yale, Princeton and other schools, calling for free speech. At Princeton, for instance, students have formed the Princeton Open Campus Coalition and put out a petition to protect "Perspective, and Academic Speech,” which obtained over 1500 student signatures. This was in response on the Black Social Justice League which lobbied for and instituted a mandatory course on marginalized peoples and a campus culture which tells people "that they have to hold certain opinions."

Some WSU's are also putting forth demands. The UCSB WSU in California, for instance, has demanded university funding and campus police support and scheduled a "White Student Walk Out" for the 19th of January 2016 to voice issues.

New 2014-2015
UBC's White Student Union in British Columbia, has explained in interview, that their goal as a student group, is to provide "a safe space for white students to air their true feelings," promote a vision "in which every ethnic group has the right to organise and represent themselves and their interests" and destigmatize white culture. The executive committee "meet[s] in a quiet corner of a Vancouver-area library" and "aren’t all white." The WSU at NYU state, that they feel stigmatized and "[w]hen people say that Students of Whiteness don't face any unique challenges or obstacles we should think about this". "White students are the only group to be labeled as ‘problematic’ simply for existing and to have University classes dedicated to attacking their identity." One board South East Asian member on the UBC executive noted, that "I think it’s an injustice ...the stigmatization of whiteness....[which] prevents us from having honest conversations about things that are important." University of Central Florida WSU leaders feel as though they are being held accountable for the sins of their ancestors because they are white and state, that “We are not a racist or white supremacist organization… But we will not apologize for being white. We will not self-flagellate for the sins of our ancestors. We will not be emotionally blackmailed to go along with the displacement of white people and culture in the name of ‘diversity’ or ‘equality." Leadership from UT Auston's White Student Union told reporters that “some white students feel as though they are drowning in an anti-white narrative." NYU WSU leaders also stated, that they want to "reclaim[] the word whiteness and not let[] the campus thought police define [their] identities for [them].”

Reaction to Emerging White Student Unions
Reactions include assumptions that WSU's are fake, because many leaders did not initially step forward, that they are white supremacist and a "public front for the private preaching of hate, racism, and xenophobia," that they were created by readers of the neo-Nazi blog The Daily Stormer after its founder, Andrew Anglin, urged followers to create them and the WSU's were created in response to minority empowerment initiatives and leaders don't understand that "anti-racism means anti-white." Many universities responded by contacting Facebook and having union pages removed, Some WSU leaders have stated, that they received threatening and racially charged messages from people who assumed they were white supremacists. and some, like UC Santa Barbara, are offering counseling to student upset by the existence of the WSU pages. Some WSU leaders have stated, that they received threatening and racially charged messages from people who assumed they were white supremacists.[53] NYU leaders say, that they " were forced to cancel meetings". Where some members of the academic community seem hesitant to recognize WSU's because they fear white supremacy, some academics are questioning whether it is right to make assumptions and tear down WSU materials when this is not happening to other unions based on race.

"Fraud" WSU leaders at the University of Central Florida, University of British Columbia, Western University, University of California Santa Barbara, New York University, Towson University and the University of Southern Queensland have made statements on their mandates. UBC WSU leaders originally attempted to stay anonymous to avoid censure but claimed that they were "trolled so hard, that [they] became real." They told reporter, Ian Young, that they want to provoke a serious conversation, and insist they are not hoaxers" and "deny that the page came about as a result of direction from outside Vancouver... founders all know each other in the real world." The University of Missouri WSU states, that “the Mizzou White Student Union is a real group... who attend the University of Missouri. We are currently in the process of applying for recognition from the university.”

"Anglin Connection" Many WSU leaders explicitly disavow any connection to Anglin or white supremacy. While UCB WSU leader have been contacted by white supremacists, they maintain, that they do not identify with that kind of outlook. ." UT Austin, North Carolina and UC Berkley all told the Guardian, that they are not affiliated with Anglin or white supremacy. North Carolina leaders said,"that we denounce Anglin’s call for ‘dummy’ WSUs" and said they do not want to be associated with Anglin’s blog "The Stormer". They claim that Anglin "really makes [them] cringe" and "cheapens what we are doing". UCLA WSU leaders said, that Anglin’s "views and website are not at all representative of what we believe." NYU WSU leaders stated, that they do "not support racialized hate of any kind. Th[eir] page is about celebrating whiteness, not denigrating others." They "hope that other groups can agree with this and come together to support all students of all colors celebrating their identity."

"Academic Response" Response from the academic community has been mixed. NYU professor, María Josefina Saldaña Portillo, advocates against the celebration of whiteness, stating, that "the celebration of whiteness as a race has a particular history of racial violence, and exclusion" Canadian university professor, Ricardo Duchesne, at the University of New Brunswick argues, however, that people can hurt "European character" and there is a "double standard in the media and academia against white and European pride." Duchesne says, that "There are black student unions, Asian student unions, but for some reason people react in a very negative way against a white student union. They assume that it is racist, that there’s something inherently wrong with it" and that is prejudiced. He also says, that universities are taking down White Student Union posters, "proves his point of anti-western civilization bias."

Though WSU posters at the University of Toronto were taken down, the university maintains that it did not remove them. A spokesperson stated, that the university was committed to free speech. The university website contains a "commitment to a learning and working environment free from prohibited discrimination and harassment...[but stated, that]... these rights … are meaningless unless they entail the right to raise deeply disturbing questions and provocative challenges to the cherished beliefs of society at large and of the university itself.”

Among the colleges and universities where people have alleged there are White Student Unions are:


 * Australia
 * Deakin University
 * Macquarie University
 * Edith Cowan University
 * Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
 * University of Southern Queensland
 * University of Queensland
 * University of Technology
 * University of Sydney
 * University of Western Australia
 * Western Sydney University
 * Western Sydney University
 * Canada
 * Ryerson University
 * University of British Columbia
 * University of Toronto
 * University of Victoria (Note that there is also a counter group called the Student Against the UVIC White Student Union )
 * University of Western Ontario
 * Western White Student Union
 * York University
 * York University


 * United States
 * Florida Gulf Coast University
 * Georgia State University
 * Harvard University
 * New York University
 * Pennsylvania State University
 * Tarrant County College
 * University of California, Berkeley
 * University of California, Santa Barbara
 * University of Cincinnati
 * University of Illinois
 * University of Michigan
 * University of Texas at Austin

wsu union qotes

 * Princeton - but a FOX news source "The Princeton Open Campus Coalition created a pro-free speech petition, titled “Protect Plurality, Historical Perspective, and Academic Speech at Princeton,” which has garnered more than 1,500 signatures from members of the Princeton community" "We're trying to fight for diversity of thought, and we're trying to fight back against a politically correct culture on college campuses that tells people that they have to hold certain opinions based on their race or gender or sexual orientation," Draim said. "We want to defend our students' rights to form their own independent opinions separate from the judgments or the intimidation of peers.""
 * NYU also a fox source "A post on 'NYU White Student Union' reads: "When people say that Students of Whiteness don't face any unique challenges or obstacles we should think about this. White students are the only group to be labeled as "problematic" simply for existing and to have University classes dedicated to attacking their identity. This is why we are reclaiming the word whiteness and not letting the campus thought police define our identities for us."
 * Nother post says "This page has received several threatening and racially charged messages since we decided to publicly reveal the existence of our group. We urge members and activists to look after personal security first. Our weekly meeting will be canceled this week due to security concerns and the holidays. Contact the usual people for further details. Be careful out there and have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!"
 * "Just a reminder that this page does not support racialized hate of any kind. This page is about celebrating whiteness, not denigrating others. We hope that other groups can agree with this and come together to support all students of all colors celebrating their identity."
 * GSU Union - huffington post "Still, there are important differences between [Towson] that group and the one formed by Sharp. Towson University is 68 percent white, while GSU is much more diverse: whites make up just 38 percent of the student population, while blacks stand at 35 percent and Asians at 12 percent, according to The Atlanta Journal Constitution. Leader say: "by no means a clone group" of Towson's", and ""Nowhere in [the union's] description is there demands for white dominance, ethnic cleansing, or racial segregation," wrote student Mitchell Oliver. "If you replace the word ‘white’ with any other ethnicity and you have the basic idea behind every cultural organization on campus."" Shannonfraser (talk) 14:08, 16 December 2015 (UTC)
 * The vine about Queensland U - *Queensland White Student Union - In interview QWSU members stated, that “We can firmly and truthfully tell you that we are indeed students enrolled at UQ. We range from many different faculties ranging from the arts, to the sciences and medicine, as well as engineering." "We all believe that white students deserve the same rights that other students who are not white receive, and this is expressed through the allowance of white students at UQ to be able to have a union that fights for their interests” "“We at UQWSU do wish to be a supported union at UQ, however given the recent outlash we have received from the university itself, based on the notion that white people creating a union for themselves is somehow “racist”, the possibility of this becoming a reality is difficult to foretell.” This one may not have best reference, thats the problem, alot of student talk to student publications which wikipedia does not accept 142.134.184.36 (talk) 12:20, 16 December 2015 (UTC) oops wasn't logged in Shannonfraser (talk) 12:47, 16 December 2015 (UTC)
 * FSU WSU interview not sure about the acceptability of the source Shannonfraser (talk) 18:34, 17 December 2015 (UTC)
 * This U of CA group may be a hybird of the new and old school and im not sure of the source but they do talk about the need to stop name calling against white people, the need for a safe spaces, silencing of white voices, the need to respect when white people feel their culture is being appropriated and the exclusion of white feelings in cultural sensitivity tranings. more old school elements include the naming of the resource center they want for napoleon. UCSB also put out a listof demands but the source is the daily wire Shannonfraser (talk) 13:31, 16 December 2015 (UTC)