There are many different effects that race play here at Trinity. One major aspect of race at Trinity is the social aspect. People talk about race being a factor in many different parts of Trinity College, yet there are still major issues that are clearly visible but have not been fixed. These problems, such as, friend groups, frat life, and extracurricular activities are all either causes or effects of a racial divide. These problems are demonstrated in the interviews our class preformed, the books we read and the experience I have had at Trinity.
There may not be an easy solution to fix these problems, and there may not even be a guaranteed solution, but something needs to be done. I feel that on the first day of school it is not necessary for the minority students to come early to school to meet each other. This only makes the divide larger because minorities are much more likely to only become friends with other minorities. One solution may be to have every student show up at the same time so every student is in the same situation when they arrive. Also, frats are a huge divider on campus between races. By enforcing the President’s idea of turning the frats into “theme houses”, this could solve the problem. It may take a while to accomplish some of these goals but if it will help towards a more united community it will be worth it.
The sources that will be necessary to support these ideas are the interviews, the books our class read and my personal observations. Also things such as the President’s proposal to change the frats would give good support for reasons, such as helping social divides. Talking to leaders in the PRIDE program could also help get different perspectives on the some of these ideas.