Saida Harpi
First Year Seminar
Color and Money
Jack Dougherty
Revised Proposal
Race on campus is a problem because we make it one. The fact that people are taught to accept different people’s races instead of the person themselves. Although race plays a factor in a person’s upbringing it does not always define a person. People on campus are taught to watch what they say, to not ask ignorant questions or to not say anything at all. I believe that is the problem, everyone is taught to keep it inside, but how do you learn without asking any questions? The problem on campus is that there are many people who are ignorant to other races and are taught not to ask but to just accept without reason. It’s hard to accept the person if you are not able to see past their skin color. Humans are naturally curios, and often one would not be able to know anything without experience or asking questions. The problem is that people are scared to ask questions for fear of being judged or told not to ask questions so they remain ignorant, which the cause of most racist comments.
While have been on campus a short while I have already learned a lot about the cultural dynamics on campus. Race is such a big deal on campus but it is not often spoken about. It can be the white elephant in the room at times. In the movie by Alfonso Bui (Trinity Class of ‘08), Some Place I Call Home, there were multiple forums documented where students spoke out about the hate on Trinity campus and the possible solutions. When students spoke about the problems and solutions they spoke only about the Fraternities on campus. There was no statement about the cultural houses on campus, when there main job on campus is to spread awareness of different cultures and help bring an end to racial discrimination. One student said that the fraternities were the center of Trinity that brings everyone together as well as the most vital part of Vernon. The cultural houses were not even mentioned as a part of Trinity’s campus. The lack of acknowledgment shows that the cultural houses are not doing their jobs; they are not even being recognized on campus. Mr.Voitsekhovsky from University of Maryland says “There must be a genuine commitment to immersion.” There needs to be a general agreement that there is a problem and then the cultural houses can become the popular solution. It is hard to force a person to learn about a culture unbeknownst to them or where there is a general lack of interest. It is the hope of the cultural houses that people would attend in the hopes to learn new things about the specific culture affiliated with the house. But from experience people seem to just come for the food. They eat then they leave, often not caring to ask where the food has come from. It is then up to the cultural houses to find a medium where they don’t only enjoy themselves but learn something new as well.
Sources:
Schuman, Jamie. “Language-Immersion Houses Expand to Serve More Students, Cultures.” The Chronicle of Higher Education 18 Nov. 2005 : A38. Print.
Alfonso Bui (Trinity Class of ‘08), Some Place I Call Home, Kingsbridge Productions video, 2007,
Saida, your revised proposal demonstrates that you watched and listened closely to Alfonso Bui’s film and have thought about the role of cultural houses at Trinity. But the writing needs to push further in order to fulfill this assignment, and I recommend you consider the following items when drafting your paper:
1) The current version offers one problem at the top (people are ignorant about race) and a different problem near the bottom (“the cultural houses are not doing their jobs”). Decide whether one or both are the central issue, and reorganize accordingly.
2) Focus your energy on a more robust and persuasive proposal for change. The current text states that “the cultural houses can become the popular solution,” but doesn’t tell us what this means beyond serving more diverse foods than the dining hall. Research what more active diversity programs look like on other campuses (because the Schuman “Language-Immersion Houses” article isn’t what you need here).
3) Take a stand on President Jones’ recent white paper. Read closely what he says about fraternities and cultural houses, and tell us whether it supports your case or misses the point.
Also note that the text above included several typos and sentence fragments:
Humans are naturally curio[u]s. . .
. . which [is] the cause of most racist comments.
. . . when [their] main job on campus. . .