By Nicole Seymour
These students have been misjudged based on their upbringing, status on campus, marriage, height or skin color. Each speaks out on discrimination, whether postiive or negative.
Chris Weirich
Texans have legendary pride and southerners overall are particularly known for identifying each other as 'ma''am' or 'sir.' Chris Weirich, 22, a sophomore from Fredericksburg, Texas, studying composite science, said people feel like he''s being rude when he is trying to show good manners.
'I don''t want to judge them or anything, but they just aren''t used to it,' he said. 'For me, it is a way of growing up, in Texas.'
Weirich said using 'ma''am' and 'sir' in Texas is a way to show respect toward people he cares about.
'It shows respect toward that person, that you do appreciate their comments or so forth,' he said. 'Like growing up, my mom taught me since I was little that if I didn''t say ''yes ma''am,'' that was kind of disrespectful, same with sports and school, I was always taught to respect those around me'.
Weirich recalls one of numerous incidents where he has caught someone off-guard by using his Southern manners.
'I met these people''s parents and they just asked me a question,' he said. 'I just responded with ''yes ma''am'' and the lady got kind of offended like, ''don''t ever call me that, I''m not old.'''
Weirich intends to show his care, but it sometimes is interpreted as the opposite.
'I say it even to my little brothers and sisters,' Weirich said. 'I like to show them that I love them and do have concern ... People might be offended because it is not their culture.'
Jessica Snow
With introductions, first names are exchanged, then comes the 'So, where are you from?'
But for Jessica Snow, 22, a senior from Provo studying communications, this is the point in the conversation where the reactions become interesting.
'When I''m on a first date, it gets really awkward, people are like, ''Oh, you''re from Provo,''' she said. 'Then I''ll be like, ''So you''re from Washington, I hear that''s a great place.'' I have to keep the conversation going at that point.'
Snow recalls times when people have actually turned around and walked away from her, just because she is a local.
'I''m sure that Mormons are different everywhere, but I think that people think that Utah Mormons are weird, which they are, to a certain degree,' Snow said. 'I''m from Utah, I''ve seen it. But they think that everyone''s like that. It''s like people from California -- are they all the same, are they all surfers? No. But if you''re from Utah, you''re automatically labeled as Molly Mormon or as a Utah Mormon and it''s just weird.'
She remembers her welcome from two guys when moving into a ward her sophomore year.
'With the one from the East coast, we were talking and stuff and it was all building up to him asking me out -- you know the visit everyday type of thing,' she said. 'Then he''s like, ''By the way, where are you from?'' I said, ''I''m from Provo,'' and he just stopped talking to me and he just told me ''I can''t date anyone from Provo, they''re just too weird, they''re jack Mormons.'''
She recalls another interested acquaintance from Salt Lake City. 'He told me, ''I can never date anyone from Provo,'' like the first day I moved in, I think it''s funny.'
Snow said she just tries to joke around when people bring up the idea of hometowns.
'I just get a big kick out of asking, ''Where do you think I''m from?''' Snow said. 'I just like to have people guess where I''m from, it''s a lot more fun that way. I try to make it more interesting and say, ''I''m from a little town named Provo'' because it literally does stop conversation. '
Briawna Hugh
Odd situations due to her mixed-race marriage are common for Briawna Hugh, 24, a graduate student from San Jose, Calif., studying education.
She recalls a particular incident at a BYU football game while her husband was catching up with a friend from his mission.
'I actually had this older woman, a lady, she must have been about 40, she stopped me and said, ''Do you realize what you''re doing is a sin?'' I was like, ''What, being at a football game?'' And she said, ''No, this.'' She just sort of pointed between me and Ronnell. She said that especially me being a returned missionary, I should know better. So that was an interesting experience.'
Hugh experiences the extremes of people looking down on her or praising her for marrying a black man.
'I didn''t marry him because he''s black,' she said.
She said overall, people around BYU or elsewhere just don''t know how to react.
'More than anything else, on-campus or around places where BYU students frequent, more than anything we just kind of get the double-take,' Hugh said. 'It''s not so much that I feel like people are judging me, it''s more they just don''t know how to respond.'
Even her parents had a difficult time knowing how to react at first.
' only because they hadn''t really been exposed to anyone at BYU who was a good returned missionary that was black,' she said. 'They had never had any experience, so they''re going, ''We want you to marry someone who is a good LDS guy.'' I''m going, ''Guys, he is. He''s a great guy, don''t worry.'''
She said as the church goes worldwide people need to realize that inter-racial friendships and relationships are a natural part of the expansion.
'I just don''t think people realize that that''s part of having a church that goes worldwide, is that you have cultures mixing,' Hugh said. 'When you''re thinking about getting married, I''d say the number one thing you''re thinking of is the eternal perspective. You''re not thinking, oh this could be an interesting guy because he''s a different culture than me. You''re thinking, he''s a good priesthood holder, he can provide for my family, he''s amazing.'
Matt Affleck
For Matt Affleck, 24, a senior from Sandy, studying psychology, playing forward for the BYU men''s soccer team gives him a noticeable name and face as a student-athlete.
Affleck said that for the most part, he feels accepted and comfortable around campus.
'There have been times in classes, mainly with science professors, where they kind of picked on athletes and talked about ''jocks,''' Affleck said.
He said sometimes fellow students recognize his face and congratulate him on his play. Away from BYU, Affleck also receives recognition because of his soccer talent.
'Every once in a while, you''ll find someone who knows who you are,' he said of his experience on-campus.
When the team travels, Affleck finds his biggest fans, the kids.
'I had an experience once where I was speeding,' Affleck remembered. 'I ran a red light, I was pulled over by a cop and I gave him my license. He saw my name and he said, ''My kids love you.'' He proceeded to get a few sticky notes to sign for his kids, he told me to drive safely, and not to let tires screech because they''ll give away. He didn''t give me a ticket so that was a plus.'
DeWayne Hugh
After an Institute service project in December, DeWayne Hugh, a UVSC student, stood outside his car at the University Mall, waiting to exchange cars with his wife.
Because he had just planted daisies, he was wearing his dirtied grubby clothes.
Soon, a woman and her two daughters arrived and parked their car right next to his.
'This lady was kind of ritzy and well-established,' he said. 'I was just walking back and forth and I walked past her, and as I walked past her, she just kind of gave me this weird look and she kept walking. I had turned around and walked back because I was just pacing, waiting for my wife and she looked back at me again.'
Upon entering the mall, Hugh saw the mother and two daughters just stand and watch him.
'I think she thought I was going to her car, I didn''t know what she was thinking,' Hugh said. 'Then, I looked at her because I stopped and she ran and hid behind one of the columns. She and her daughters were just peeking out, just watching me and stuff. So, I''m assuming that they''re thinking that I''m out trying to rob cars or something.'
Hugh started to walk toward the mall entrance in order to ask them what the problem was, but the family disappeared from view.
'So I just walked around and I actually found them, I went and talked to them at The Limited and I just said, ''Is there a reason why you were staring at me?''' Hugh remembers. 'She was like, ''We weren''t staring at you.'''
Hugh however replied, '''You went in the door and stared at me and when I looked at you, you ran off and hid by the columns.'' And she''s like, ''No, you''re imagining things.'' And I said, ''Well, just because I am standing outside and I''m a black guy in dirty clothes doesn''t mean I''m trying to go out there and steal your clothes.'''
When the woman told Hugh, 'We have no problem with your people,' that indicated to him that the woman had a serious issue.
'She just gave me this snide look and she wasn''t apologetic about it at all,' he said. 'She was really snotty about it. I was like, ''Okay, you know, whatever.'''
Hugh left but later returned to apologize for making a scene.
'Then I just went inside and I stood and waited for my wife because the last thing I needed was security coming out, getting on me for things I haven''t done,' Hugh said.
Tyler Pulsipher
A few seconds after the phone rings, an ecstatic Tyler Pulsipher cries out, 'Finally my voice will be heard!'
For most of us, making our presence known isn''t much harder than showing up. For this 5 foot 1 inch BYU student, attention comes at a more serious price.
'I think that maybe it''s a psychological thing, but sometimes I feel I have to do other things in order to make myself noticed,' Pulsipher said. 'Not like a little kid trying to be bad, but I feel a greater amount of pressure to help people to notice or understand me.'
While normal activities such as school and work occupy Pulsipher''s life, he says he must approach life from a very different angle. His height affects his involvement in sports, his dating life and the way that people view him.
'There''s something in the back of people''s minds that connects shortness with being young, with childishness, so I think that sometimes maybe they don''t take me seriously,' Pulsipher said. 'While they can see and know that I am 22, there''s still the perception that I''m someone much younger because I''m much shorter.'
As far as his dating life goes, Pulsipher has no problems with dating women who are taller than him as long as they don''t tower over his six to eight inch limit.
'It''s hard to go out with girls that are too much taller,' Pulsipher said. 'I''ve taken out one person shorter than me in my life. There''s not a whole lot shorter. I don''t have too much choice.'