On the Front Lines of a New Culture War

Steve Kolowich argues in favor of inclusivity for Somali Muslim refugees in a diversely growing Minnesota town despite President Donald Trump’s close-minded administration and horrid verbal attacks against them. For over twenty years, St. Cloud, Minnesota, has been “a destination for refugees fleeting the Horn of Africa” (Kolowich 401), and the city was once known as “White Cloud” because of its extensive white population. During Donald Trump’s campaign, he called the Somali refugees a “disaster” for Minnesota and has called for a ban on Muslims entering the United States (400).

Kolowich is a very credible author and wrote an overall effective article advocating inclusivity for Somali refugees students studying at St. Cloud State University. He supports his claims with a considerable amount of ethos and pathos, but slightly lacks in logos.

To begin, Kolowich is very knowledgeable and a credible author. He has been a journalist for almost ten years. Previously, Kolowich was a reporter for Inside Higher Ed (Chronicle). Inside Higher Ed is an online media and digital publication company that has become the “…go-to online source for higher education news, thought leadership, careers and resources” (Inside).

Since being established in 2004, Inside Higher Ed accumulates an average of 1.8 million readers a month and approximately 4.4 million monthly views (Insider). Currently, Kolowich is a senior reporter for The Chronicle of Higher Education and has been for over six years. He has written many articles over education and political issues involving college students. The Chronicle, founded in 1966, is an online news source and newspaper that has won many awards over the years, including an Utne Reader Independent Press Award for their political coverage in 2007 (Wikipedia).

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In addition, Kolowich has had various freelance articles appear in The Washington City Paper, The Washington Post, and on Slate (Chronicle). Because of his long history and continued career in journalism, Kolowich’s credibility benefits his arguments and claims.

To continue, Kolowich uses different rhetorical devices, such as ethos, to support his claims. Along with his many qualifications and extreme credibility, Kolowich refers to and quotes many other credible sources. When talking about student life and diversity at St. Cloud State University, Kolowich includes quotes from Roy H. Sagio, the university’s President. Sagio was hired in 2000 and remained the university’s President until 2007 (St. Cloud). Before becoming president, Sagio was chancellor for Auburn University in Montgomery for six years, served as dean of the College of Natural Sciences at the University of Northern Iowa for six years, and worked many other academic and leadership jobs throughout his career (MinnState). Sagio believes students are not being fully inclusive and embracing towards their Somali Muslim students and that St. Cloud State “…suffers from a severe lack of credibility with regard to diversity issues” (Kolowich 402). Sagio’s experience in higher education and the academic field promotes and boost Kolowich’s claims and use of ethos in his article.

Furthermore, Kolowich includes examples of pathos to support his argument throughout his article. During Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, he visited Minnesota and spoke about the increasing Somali Muslim population, especially in St. Cloud, and called the refugees a “…disaster” for the state (Kolowich 400). Using “disaster” to describe a group of people is extremely hurtful and has a very negative connotation attached to it. Kolowich disagrees with Trump’s statement and expresses that for a majority of the Somali refugee students, a college degree represents “a chance to avoid the powerlessness of life in the non white working class” (401). The refugee students don’t want to end up living in similar situations that many immigrants who have traveled to the U.S. before them have lived in, and instead the students want to make something of themselves. In regards to diversity and student life at St. Cloud State, Kolowich mentions that investigators found a “perception of ignorance and an acute lack of sensitivity among faculty, students, and administration in regard to religious and cultural differences” (402). The Somali students are not treated kindly and many of them have been harassed and bullied on campus and around St. Cloud. Kolowich’s use of pathos and strong, emotive language throughout his article helps to benefit his argument.

Kolowich provides a compelling argument, however, his lack of logos is the only flaw in his argument. One statistic the author provides readers with is the number of Somali refugee students attending St. Cloud State. In January of 2017, of the 15,000 students studying at the Minnesota university, 300 students were Muslim refugees (Kolowich 401). Also, the author lets the readers know that 70% of students at St. Cloud State are white Americans (403). In contrast, Kolowich speaks about harassment towards the refugee students, but does not present any evidence or data about what percent of the students experience bullying and instead just says that “relationships have been tense” (401). Furthermore, Kolowich quoted a consulting firm, which said the white culture at St. Cloud State was “…feeling oppressed and left out” (402). On the one hand, the author does not contribute any evidence regarding statistics or an amount of people feeling oppressed, but also, the statement was from a 2002 audit, which does not accurately reflect current data. In my opinion, the author’s lack of logos was his only flaw in an overall effective article.

To conclude, in the article “On the Front Lines of a New Culture War”, Steve Kolowich disagrees with discrimination and harassment towards Somali Muslim refugee students at St. Cloud State University. Instead, he argues in favor of inclusivity and diversity on campus. Kolowich’s long history of journalism and career at The Chronicle of Higher Education increases his credibility as a writer. Also, his use of ethos and pathos helps to support and boost the effectiveness of his claims; however, the only flaw is his lack of logos throughout the article. Overall, Kolowich provides readers with a highly effective article regarding issues of diversity and showing kindness towards other.