In a contentious election year, there is one thing the Democratic and Republican parties can agree on: The "Fun with Guns" and "Catch an Illegal Immigrant Day" recruiting events discussed on the University of Michigan campus are "appalling."

The events were proposed by Morgan Wilkins, an independent contractor hired by the College Republicans National Committee, and included such activities as shooting cardboard cutouts of Democratic Party leaders and volunteers posing as illegal immigrants so that people could "capture" them for prizes.

When the Republican Party was questioned, representatives said Wilkins was not associated with the Michigan Republican Party or the Republican National Committee.

"We definitely want to engage students, but not in this way," Sarah Anderson, a spokeswoman for the party said. "Every citizen in Michigan and across the country needs to be treated with respect, and while the activities get points for originality, they get no points for respect."

While it is nice to hear the Republican Party distance itself from these proposed events, it's a little hard to believe that a party which prides itself on being a contained machine was unaware of what Wilkins was planning. Furthermore, its vehement admonition of the events rings a bit false, considering the fear tactics used on the border-security issue.

That aside, however, it is remarkable that students today would support ideas like these. That people of a generation whose members frequently state they are a "generation without racism" would concoct events such as these is sad. These are ideas thought to be solely in the realm of bitter old racists unable to let go of past prejudices, not a fresh group of students approaching the world with an open mind.

Admittedly, the people who support these events and actions are not representative of the whole of our generation. But that there are enough people in our generation to even contemplate something like this is cause for alarm. It would appear we have not put as much distance between us and previous generations as we would like the think.

The only good that comes from people using such blatant hate as a recruitment tool is that more enlightened students can easily argue against people who support such actions and provide a more appealing alternative. But that is the only good.

These events are racist, discriminatory and hateful. It is shocking that anyone — be it a party, a group or an independent contractor — was thinking of putting them into practice.