The following editorial appeared Friday in the Yakima Herald-Republic.

Just about the time you think racial sensitivity should be a given in this day and age, up pops an example of the flight of common sense that proves otherwise.

The Associated Press reports that a controversial question given to students during a practice test for a math final at Bellevue Community College referred to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in a manner that is totally unacceptable:

“Condoleezza holds a watermelon just over the edge of the roof of the 300-foot Federal Building, and tosses it up with a velocity of 20 feet per second.”

The question went on to ask when the watermelon will hit the ground, based on a formula provided.

The stereotypical association of blacks and a fondness for watermelon might have been something to expect of the Jim Crow South of yesteryear. It is insulting and inexcusable today.

The lame excuse that the objectionable question didn’t fully identify her by name and position doesn’t fly. The unusual spelling of the name used in the question, which is the same as that of the secretary of state, makes coincidence an unattainable stretch.

The AP reported the college has refused to release the name of the teacher who wrote the question, but it said the teacher hasn’t been fired. The teacher apologized and has requested cultural sensitivity training, the college said.

College officials might want to revisit the decision not to fire the teacher.

On Wednesday, college President Jean Floten held a 30-minute open-campus meeting that was attended by about 150 people.

Floten promised the college would redouble its efforts to improve racial and cultural sensitivity on campus, including increasing staff training and creating an ombudsman position.

“We called this meeting, and we had the courage to meet each other and learn from each other and put that learning to use,” Floten said in the AP article.

Courage?

Such a callous display of ethnic insensitivity might be expected from a redneck in a bar. We expect more from a teacher in a publicly supported institution of higher education.

Diversity is a way of life in our complex times. In academia, the challenge is to ensure the critical balance it demands.

As we have noticed editorially on other occasions, a periodic revisiting of diversity standards is always a good idea to ensure they pursue – and protect – important societal considerations, including ethnicity.

The incident at Bellevue Community College is much more than just a simple case of bad judgment that backfired when it went public.

It is an example of insensitivity that cannot be tolerated or brushed away with training.

The fact that someone who is supposedly intelligent and well-educated can indulge in such a disgusting racial stereotype and apparently think it’s funny defies common sense.