The Red and Black

Issue date: 4/21/09 Section: Opinions

White students don't understand being part of minority

Chris Chiego and many other white students do not fully understand the experiences of minorities at the University. It is difficult to talk to my white friends about racial issues because they haven't experienced the same negativity as I have on campus.

These racially based organizations/programs were not formed to promote segregation, but to provide support for minority students. These groups are not exclusive and members of any racial group are welcome to participate.

I am Chinese, but I have attended many functions sponsored by the Black Affairs Council without being stared at, harassed or asked to leave.

If white students are really concerned about racial division at this school, I encourage them to attend some of these events. They might feel uncomfortable being the minority, but this is how minority students feel everyday at a predominately white university.

Wenjie Sun
Senior, Athens
Social Work

Groups celebrate cultural heritage

I agree with Chris Chiego that we should have a frank conversation on the racial divide that is present; however, I differ in my approach. I invite Chiego and those who share his opinions on the sources of the racial divide on this campus to examine this issue from a different perspective. I try to do so by picturing myself, a white male who is not and never has been a racial minority, on campus at a university in which I would be in the minority.

I would not feel entirely comfortable and would naturally gravitate toward University-sanctioned student organizations that served others of my racial background. Getting involved with a group whose members share my racial heritage would provide me with some familiarity and potentially serve as a stepping stone for greater involvement with other campus activities that have no racial affiliation.

I think all too often, racially and culturally affiliated campus organizations become the primary means for the involvement of minority students here, but I also realize that as a student who has never been in such a situation, I am in no position to judge in that regard. Racially specific organizations do not exist for the sole purpose of improving the image of the University and fulfilling the bureaucratic goal of a "commitment to diversity," but rather they exist to celebrate the heritage of the culture or ethnicity they represent. To overlook this aspect of such organizations would be to contest their right to exist on a campus in which they are vastly outnumbered.

We as individuals can choose whether or not we will perpetuate this racial divide by clinging to the familiar and selectively choosing what we want to see from those that differ from us based on the color of their skin.

I agree with Chiego that dialogue on diminishing racial divisions cannot be imposed on individuals from higher authorities; it must be a conscious decision of an individual on a daily basis to challenge himself or herself to keep an open mind and be accepting of those that differ from them racially.

Jared Eakins
Junior, Covington
International Affairs and Religion

Quote accurate, context unclear

In Mimi Ensley's article "Roosevelt students discuss local school policies" Monday, I was quoted as saying, "I don't know that we're really solving anything, but we are discussing solutions and figuring out new directions to move in." The quote is accurate, but I think that the context was unclear.

I gave the quote after being asked what problems I thought we would solve that day. I did not mean to imply that it was not a productive event - it most certainly was. I meant to convey that we were optimistic about the debate to come, but realistic enough to recognize that we weren't going to swoop in and fix the school district's problems in one sitting.

Emily Yeager
Senior, Houston
Political Science and Newspapers

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