"I am still hopeful change can happen -- not optimistic, just hopeful. The way a culture views people and things cannot change overnight," said Daren Mooko, Asian American Resource Center director at Pomona College in Claremont, Calif. "Stupid people will do stupid things despite common sense."

Mooko, then a Ball State University faculty member, participated in the teach-ins during the Student Coalition's Martin Luther King Day protest last January.

At the protest, about 1,000 IU students from more than 30 student organizations marched through the heart of campus to protest IU's negligence and disregard for minority students. The implementation of a Latino Studies department, appointment of an Asian-American Advocacy Dean and an increase in both nonwhite and female faculty were among the Student Coalition's demands.

"The protest was a great idea. Even though more than 1,000 students marched and yelled for change, incidents like the Zeta Beta Tau incident will always occur at an institution ingrained in racist traditions," Mooko said. "People within the institution of IU should be held accountable for what they do and what they don't do. Has the president or administration done everything in their power to educate on racism, sexism and homophobia? Obviously, as can be seen in the campus climate, the answer is no."

Although race still continues to be an issue at IU, organizations such as the Office of Diversity Programs, the Commission On Multicultural Understanding, the CommUNITY Educators and many others are trying to prevent racism by raising awareness, education and activism.

Created to assist students who have been victims of racial harassment or discrimination, the Racial Incidents Team annually reports an average of 70 racial incidents involving IU students and faculty members. Incidents from the most recent Racial Incidents report include a Euro-American staff member offending an African-American male student when the staff member asked if he needed money to use as "drug money."

During a class discussion, students made demeaning comments about Latinos, suggesting that they are not affluent, do not speak English and cannot afford cars. When other students confronted the stereotyping, the faculty member moved the discussion to a different topic instead of facilitating a resolution to the argument.

Pamela Freeman, assistant dean of students and director of the Student Ethics and Anti-Harassment Program, said the Racial Incidents Team is a unique organization for a university.

"As I travel around the country attending conferences and the sort, people are really impressed that (IU) publicly publishes racial incidents on campus. (The administration) does not hide the fact that these things are happening," Freeman said. "I think this shows signs of an institution willing to change and improve."

Noel Ignatiev, author of "Race Traitor," believes education, although helpful, is not enough to change institutions established exclusively for white males.

"For over 300 years, institutions were built for only white males. Now, only after 30 years of trying to change and improve the system with programs like Affirmative Action, society wants to return to the all white male tradition," Ignatiev said.

Ignatiev said the solution to the racist institutions and tradition in society is to abolish the entire white race. The main principle of the Race Traitor organization is "Treason to whiteness is loyalty to humanity."

"Race is not a biological reality. It's a social fact," Ignatiev said. "Probably nothing except, maybe, gender has more greater influence or greater life changes and opportunities than race. Eliminating the privileges of the white race is my mission."

Ignatiev defines the white race as those individuals who partake in the privileges of having white skin. Ignatiev said he does not condone physically abolishing the white race, but instead disrupting the conformity of white privilege.

"If enough people who look white violate the rules of whiteness, their existence cannot be ignored and the white race will cease to exist," Ignatiev said. "When there comes into being a critical mass of people who, though they look white, have ceased to exist white, the white race will undergo fission. And former whites will be able to take part, together with others, in building a new human community."

Race Traitor is listed on the True Knights of the Ku Klux Klan Web page (www.k-k-k.com) as a group dedicated to destroying the white race. The KKK hopes that listing the organization will infuriate whites and recruit more people into the KKK.

"There is nothing more I am saddened by than a white person supporting the KKK because it gives them a false sense of status and dignity. It's the silliest thing I ever heard of," Ignatiev said. "(KKK members) are being oppressed, not by black people, but by the people who are running the country -- those using the privileges of the white race. We need to challenge all individuals to destroy and demolish white privilege in our school system, the business world, justice system, political system and the rest of the world."

Although there are many people and organizations trying to improve and establish racial harmony, the reality of how immense the problem is makes Mooko conclude that things might never change.

"Racism will be a prevalent and strong force in American society for a long time to come. Because of the depth of the problem, I don't think the racism issue will improve while I'm still alive," Mooko said.