President Eli Capilouto announced the creation of a Bias Intervention Response Team on Wednesday. The BIRT, comprised of several campus organizations, will soon be publishing a protocol of the procedures to take when confronted with a negative bias situation.

The creation of BIRT is a welcome remedy to a problem inflicted upon UK’s campus. Last year, for instance, a hate sign directed toward President Obama was posted in front of the UK Law School.

BIRT was created in response to another hate letter posted recently, this time outside the Center for Academic Resources and Enrichment Services.

Diversity is widespread on this campus — reflected by the numerous organizations joining to create BIRT. We come from different racial, ethnic, economic and geographic backgrounds.

UK offers students a unique education superior to any that could be learned through a professor’s lecture or power point presentation.

Students are able to intermix with each other. Students are able to learn about different cultures, activities, religions, arts and more. A student who may once have considered himself or herself an outsider can meet students who share similar passions or beliefs.

Through these interactions, UK educates its students about the lifestyles, ideas and, ultimately, themselves.

Hate doesn’t belong in these interactions. Blind prejudice toward any group or individual is an archaic reaction to differences that should enrich our lives as students at a large university.

While these hate groups represent the smallest of minorities, their impact leaves a stinging mark upon the students, faculty and reputation of UK.

We can only hope that the BIRT’s work will not have to be used. Yet, as has already been seen on this campus, with the flourishing of diversity comes the ignorantly opposed.

The Kernel fully supports the BIRT and hope its efforts will stem the flow of such acrimony to make UK, in Capilouto’s words, “safe and welcoming.”