For Manhattan High, the Junction City vs. MHS football game is one that truly manifests the experience and qualities of American high school. The thrill of school rivalries, pride, passion for one’s team and school tradition all bombard the student body, often times the town as well. While this rivalry game and its many traditions are staples of the high school experience, sometimes miscommunications, misunderstandings and plain bad sportsmanship can ruin what for many is supposed to be, quite simply, a time to just be proud of their school. For MHS, it was one simple, tiny element of MHS school spirit: blackout.

For many students, wearing black to the JC game is a tradition with forgotten origin, but none the less, to the current MHS students, it is a tradition. Consequently, when administration released a statement by way of email from MHS principal Greg Hoyt on Oct. 6 — game day — ruling the so-called “tradition” as an act of “bigotry, racism and hatred,” the statement was not received with ease by the student body.

The allegations that the blackout tradition was started as a racial dig at the African American population of Junction City has left the student body outraged by what many say is a false and untrue statement. The origins of the tradition remain unclear, but the origins of the allegation have wild rumors surrounding them ranging from a football parent mad about Silver Trophy T-shirt sales to a student making assumptions. Administration has declined comment to The Mentor on the topic.

As far as students are concerned, administration did not take the time to seek the truth from those accused, rather they simply reacted in the heat of the moment and assumed the worst of the student body. As far as anyone knows right now, administration failed to communicate — a vital action for any functioning group — with the student body; they failed to seek the guidance and assistance of the school’s leaders who have direct input from those supposedly participating in and encouraging an act of racism.

Not only that, but currently MHS has no idea if administration took the time to conduct any sort of investigation or research the matter, but only judged based on circumstantial evidence with no clear-cut, direct evidence that the allegation deeming blackout as racist was even true. Nothing except a statement based on the interpretations of one person has been used as evidence in determining a very serious allegation towards the student body.

It is the agreement of The Mentor editorial board that, while we understand that administration did what would be done by any public institution being accused of condoning vial acts such as racism and prejudice, and given the circumstances regarding the time of the announcement in such close proximity to that of the game’s, the fact that administration did not have the time to conduct an investigation is understandable. However, now that it is days later, there should be an investigation concerning the matter, and student voices need to be taken into consideration.

Students need to be who administration goes to when an allegation such as this occurs, and administration needs to better their communication with the students to answer their questions as to where the allegations came from and if they were even true and supported by direct, clear evidence.

When administration lacks communication with the very people they are supposed to be providing for, they fail in their purpose as the governing bodies of the school. As a school, MHS could not function without administration, but no institution can function without communication.