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The transition from high school to college can be one of the most trying periods in a student’s life.  Having recently experienced this shift in lifestyle, I can personally attest to the fact that major adjustments both academically and socially need to be made during such a time.  Andrew Roberts, assistant professor of political science at Northwestern University, is author of the widely known book “The Thinking Student’s Guide to College: 75 Tips for Getting a Better Education.”  Throughout this book, Roberts divides his advice for college students into seven categories: choosing a college, choosing classes, choosing a major, being successful, interacting with professors, learning outside the classroom, and going to graduate school.  However, in my opinion the category most relevant to incoming freshmen at any college is “Being Successful.”  Reflecting back on my first semester at Trinity College, the most useful tip in Roberts’ book has been “Tip 45: Manage Your Time.”

Throughout high school I had my routine firmly established.  I went to school, participated in my after school activities such as sports practices, then I came home, ate dinner, and dedicated the two hour block from 8pm to 10pm specifically to my studies.  However, upon arrival at college, I realized that I needed to establish a new routine.  Instead of being in school seven hours a day with each hour of my time clearly structured until it was time to go to sleep, I found myself spending three to four hours a day in the classroom with free, unstructured time in between.  In the beginning I did not know what to do with myself during those idle hours in the middle of the day because they were a foreign concept to me.  I found myself using that time for socialization more frequently than schoolwork because I was not accustomed to studying in the middle of the day.  However, the issue with not utilizing those hours productively in terms of homework is that directly after dinner most of your friends will be around, thus opening up many more opportunities for socialization than earlier on in the afternoon.  As a consequence, I frequently found myself wondering where the day went.  In reference to this issue, Roberts writes “The key to success is to set aside several hours each day that you devote fully to your classes.” [1. Andrew Roberts, The thinking student’s guide to college 75 tips for getting a better education (Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 2010) page 96.]  In order to take advantage of your education, it is imperative that you possess self-discipline and force yourself to delve into your studies for the appropriate amount of time each day based on your personal workload.  It is true that it is hard to factor enough study, sleep, and social time into your day in college, but if you establish a routine for yourself that you follow religiously, balancing these three aspects of daily activity will become much more tolerable.

After reading through Roberts’ 75 tips and experiencing my first semester of college, I believe a critical piece of advice is missing from his book.  Based on my experience, I would add “Tip 76: Be Open to Constructive Criticism on Essay Drafts.”  One of the advantages unique to Trinity College, an intimately sized private liberal arts college in Hartford, Connecticut, is the First Year Seminar program.  In our writing intensive seminar, “Color and Money,” we wrote multiple papers and had our essay drafts reviewed by our peers both within our class, and in another seminar we partnered with throughout the term.  In high school I never took peer reviews as seriously as I could have.  However, I realized that college is a prime opportunity to improve your writing skills.  First year programs such as this require you to have your work read over by other students.  Nevertheless, even if it is not required, I highly recommend you find someone to constructively criticize your writing in order to improve its impact on the intended audience.  Taking full advantage of your liberal arts education means opening your mind to new ideas, and demonstrating the willingness to admit that there is always room for improvement.

The most critical part of a paper is frequently the thesis statement.  The thesis statement usually sets the tone for the rest of the paper while serving as a means of judgment for the effectiveness of the supporting details.  Therefore, having a well-developed, clear and concise thesis is essential to every valuable essay.  Before my paper on perceptions of race and social class on Trinity’s campus was edited by a peer within my seminar, my thesis statement was as follows:

Our study of Trinity sophomores’ perceptions of race and social class on campus revealed not only that most students categorize themselves as middle class, but also that when asked to describe their racial backgrounds, white and non-white students respond in very distinctive ways between the two groups.

Clearly, this thesis is lacking in clarity and effectiveness.  Undeniably there is plenty of room for improvement.  However, after the essay was edited and I took my classmate’s advice into careful consideration, I was able to improve and therefore further develop my thesis into:

Our study of Trinity sophomores’ perceptions of race and social class on campus revealed not only that most students categorize themselves as middle class, but also that when asked to describe their racial backgrounds, non-white students generally provided more elaborative information than whites.

The revised thesis provides the reader with much more clarity and precision, thus setting a more persuasive and informative tone for the rest of the paper.

After a full semester at Trinity College, I feel like an improved student.  With Roberts’ advice on time management and my own tip regarding openness to constructive criticism on essay drafts, I am confident that a student at any university can find academic success.  College is a time for exploration and development, so it is crucial to take full advantage of the multitude of opportunities you will be offered to improve your writing.  No matter what field you choose to dedicate your professional life to, the ability to be a concise, effectively persuasive writer is a highly regarded skill.

As the first semester comes to a close, I look back and reflect on the first three months. During this short time my knowledge about Trinity College has grown. I have become more accustomed to the every day life of a college student. Trinity College, located in Connecticut, is a small liberal arts school with a rigorous curriculum. Trinity pushes its students to strive for excellence while balancing the thriving social life. Andrew Roberts, a professor at Northwestern University, in his book The Thinking Student’s Guide to College provides readers with insightful tips on how to better your education at colleges like Trinity (Roberts back cover). Roberts’ provides readers with a list of 75 tips that cover topics from choosing a college to learning outside of the classroom (Roberts Index), in hopes of preventing students from falling into the trap of receiving an average education. Roberts’ tips, provided in this book, apply well to Trinity College.  Trinity College can be a place where you can definitely get the most out of your education, if you follow some of Roberts’ tips. Many tips that are presented in this book I found overwhelmingly interesting, and helpful to my personal experiences here at Trinity College. Although there are tips that are undeniably useful for Trinity College, I feel that I could include tip number 76 to better Roberts’ guide to Trinity College.

Although the majority of tips in Roberts’ guide apply well to Trinity, there is one tip in particular, I feel, is the most valuable, tip number 48, which reads, “Ask for Help.” Trinity provides its students with so many opportunities to seek out help. Some of these programs include, the Supplemental Instruction Program (S.I.), Teachers Assistant Program, Writing Center, and varieties of teacher’s office hours are available to the entire student body. These programs are run by upperclassmen that, as a credit, hold tutoring sessions for any student who wished to attend. The help needed is available and all students have to do is ask for it. From my experiences here at Trinity students should just “go to their office house when you have a problem and even before” (Roberts 99). In this quote by Roberts’, office can be used as a variable for any form of help being providing, but the biggest emphasis I would like to put on this small excerpt is “even before.”  I started of my Chemistry 101 class with a 95 on my first test, but that did not stop me from going to my S.I. sessions. It is not just about going to get help when you are struggling. Through my S.I. sessions I have learned new ways of solving Chemistry that the professor did not teach. Going to these sessions has expanded my education because; I am not only learning methods from one educated professor, but also many other individuals. The grades increase is probably one of the last reason’s why asking for help is important. Although my grades have gone up since attending these sessions, I feel that I have grasped the material better than ever before. On top of this, if a student is struggling in a class, why would they not use these resources? I have watched friends pay hundreds of dollars for tutors in high school, and now you get to a college that offers you “free” tutoring you must take them up on that offer. There is no point to waste opportunities to get the most out of your education, and with the resources provided here at Trinity, I feel this tip is the most valuable for this college.

Roberts’ does a great job in providing successful tips for Trinity; however I have come up with a tip that I feel would significantly help an incoming student. When it comes to choosing classes I feel students should choose classes that are challenging, yet not overwhelming. When students choose classes that are too difficult, and they struggle just to pass that class their hopes of getting a better education dwindles. Students become aggravated with their schoolwork and shut themselves off from learning. Students who struggle mightily with a class that is too advanced, they begin to focus on just that particular class. This prevents them from gaining the best education possible because they are so caught up on passing this class, that is out of their reach, they block themselves from getting a better education. This has happened to me in my first semester at Trinity College. As of now I am struggling to maintain a C- average in my current Calculus class. On the days that I have gotten back tests and quizzes from Calculus that have low grades; I do not feel any motivation to learn the rest of the day. This prevents me from getting the most out of my education from my three other classes. In order to pass my Calculus course, I have to spend hours studying for one quiz. This prohibits me from learning new things outside of my four classes because I have to devote my extra time in order to pass one class. In order to get help for my Calculus class, I am forced to sacrifice review session in my Psychology course. Alternating once a week would be suitable, but if I don’t go to these review sessions for Calculus I am in danger of failing. My experience shows that picking class that you are struggling to pass is going to lessen your education. If I had picked an easier mathematics course I feel I could have definitely gotten more out of Trinity College in my first semester.

The Thinking Student’s Guide to College, by Andrew Roberts provides many tips that fit into bettering a student’s education at Trinity College. College is quite expensive, and it is advised that you do not go through the motions just to earn a degree. By following the majority of Roberts’ tips, students at Trinity College can strive to gain the best education possible. “Ask for Help” is just one of many tips that apply here at Trinity College. Through my experiences in my first semester there are many ways that students can strive for a better education at Trinity College. Roberts’ book, on top of other tips such as choosing challenging, yet not overbearing classes, are just some ways in which a student can get the most out of their education at Trinity College.

Works Cited

Roberts, Andrew Lawrence. The Thinking Student’s Guide to College: 75 Tips for Getting a Better Education. Chicago: University of Chicago, 2010. Print.

About the author: Sean Meekins is a first year student at Trinity College and is writing this for  Jack Dougherty’s first year seminar Color and Money

President James Jones of Trinity College issued a white paper and used the quote, “Everything changes except the need for change” (Jones 34). The quote may first have one believe that change is not worth the effort but the quote is saying the exact opposite. This quote is the answer to many if the questions that student leaders on campus struggle with every day; “How am I supposed to get people to come?” “Why does it matter if no one else cares?” Trying to get people to come to cultural events is constant struggle on campus. Student leaders are constantly trying to figure out creative events that will bring in more student participation. There will always be a need for change, there is doubt about that but what is there to change on Trinity’s campus? The one problem to focus on is the issue of race and social class on campus; it is not often brought in small conversation but in large forums when there is an incident. That’s the problem race and social class are not talked about until something bad happens.

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. People are scared to ask questions for fear of being judged so they remain ignorant, which is the cause of most racist comments.

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 documentary by Alfonso Bui (Trinity Class of ‘08), Some Place I Call Home, there were multiple forums documented in 2007 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. During the forums there were many people that spoke about Trinity and its problems on a broad scale, the school as a whole. But as the forums continued people began to analyze the root of the problem and some began specifying where the problems were. Many students specified that it was the fraternities on campus, or they mentioned Vernon street as a whole, but when they mentioned Vernon street no one spoke about the cultural house; Vernon street was known only for the fraternities. There was no statement about the cultural houses on campus, which are located right next to the fraternities on Vernon Street. The main job of the cultural houses on campus is to spread awareness of different cultures and answer questions that may help lessen racial discrimination on campus. 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. 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.

Cultural houses are not exclusive at Trinity College they are done at many colleges around the country such as, University of Pennsylvania, Stanford, and Cornell. There was an article commenting on the addition of new cultural houses to Duke University which states, “Cultural houses have been successful at peer institutions, such as Stanford University, Cornell University and the University of Pennsylvania” (Koelsch). Although the institutions mentioned above are not a part of the NESCAC community they are institutions of higher learning. Many would say that you cannot compare a small liberal arts college to a large university but with this comparison this shows how far trinity has come. But this does not mean Trinity should stop, the presence of the houses is not enough they need to be more involved in the community. The cultural house’s location is on Vernon Street which is popular for its fraternity parties. It would help if the cultural houses were making their existence known on campus. There are many ways such as tabling at Mather Dining Hall. This is an easy way to let people on campus know about the existence of the cultural houses on campus. When I talked to some students about two months into the semester there were freshman who didn’t know there were cultural houses on campus let alone where they were. Freshmen are the easiest people to talk to because they are the most eager to learn about the campus. If there were information sessions that focused on the student activities and resources on campus there would be more opportunities for the houses on campus to make themselves known.

It is easy for frats to attract a crowd with alcohol and music; it’s hard to attract a crowd with any less than that. You can lead the horse to water but you can’t make them drink. But what the cultural houses need to do is make more events that happen on the main side of campus. Many dormitories are closer to Mather Dining Hall which is on the other side of campus when compared to the culture houses. If the culture houses would hold events in the spaces provided in Mather, Rittenburg Lounge and the Washington room, the horse wouldn’t have to go as far and may have more incentive to drink, or in other words attend an event. If you want to push someone past their comfort zone more often than not you must do the pushing yourself, you cannot rely on the person to do it themselves.

There needs to be more communication between the houses and other clubs and organizations on campus. Recently there has been more incentive for cultural houses to come together to create events to drawn in a different crowd, but if it’s not mandatory for the cultural houses or monitored by a superior there is plenty of room for failure. It should be mandatory for each culture house to plan an event with another club, organization, fraternity, or sorority at least once a semester. It is easy to suggest but it is the follow through that is often left behind. The multicultural affairs office needs to take more responsibility of the houses to ensure that they are doing their jobs, or to make sure they are getting the support they need to be successful. If the multicultural affairs office could be involved it would create a whole new networking system that could also include the faculty and admissions.

Sources:

Alfonso Bui (Trinity Class of ‘08), Some Place I Call Home, Kingsbridge Productions video, 2007,

Jones, James F. Jr., “To Reweave the Helices: Trinity’s DNA by Our Two-Hundredth Birthday” (2011). Trinity College Archives. `

Koelsch, Anna. “Three cultural houses form for Fall 2012 | The Chronicle.” Duke Chronicle. 10 Nov. 1930. Web. 1 Dec. 2011.

About the author: Saida Harpi attends Trinity College where she is a First Year. This article is based on her findings and research in her first year seminar “Color and Money” taught by Jack Dougherty.

Hate crimes occur all over campuses on the U.S. and Trinity College is not the exception. Even though, on many campuses, measures have been taken to try to prevent these incidents from happening, they are not always successful. Trinity has had several incidents regarding hate crimes regardless of the attempts in trying to stop them. In 2005, minority students were targeted and discriminated, when derogatory terms where written on their dorms doors. After this incident took place, Trinity held open sessions to discuss this issue and held conversations regarding discrimination, however a few weeks after the incident took place everything was back to normal as if nothing had happened. In 2011, another hate crime took place at Trinity. On April 22^nd, 2011 “a white male threw a cup of beer at a student of color’s vehicle and yelled racially charged statements to that same person” (Protesting Hate at Trinity College, 2011). After this incident took place, Trinity once again stood up for what they believed, by holding conversations and holding a race rally. Even though it is important and relieving to see that Trinity will try to do something when these acts take place, it is extremely sad to see that we wait for these incidents to happen in order for us to do something about them. It is important for Trinity to continue to take steps toward stopping these incidents from happening and to support and make minorities feel like they are part of the community. It is also vital that Trinity implements a zero-tolerance policy regarding hate crimes.

One of the things that hate groups do in order to show their negative feelings toward minorities are hate speeches. A hate speech is defined by Kaplin as “verbal and written word, and symbolic acts, that convey grossly negative assessment of particular persons or groups based on their race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or disability. It is limited to face-to-face confrontations or shouts from a crowd. It may appear on shirts, on posters, on classroom blackboards, on students bulletin boards” (pg. 3). Allowing hate speeches to occur on campuses “may lead perpetrators to more aggressive tactics, as they perceive an environment accepting of bigotry” (Downey & Stage 3).Even though hate speeches should not be allowed on campuses, laws exist that protect offenders from being punished in a way that minorities feel is fair.   For instance, the First Amendment which states that “Congress shall make no law restricting the freedom of the press, freedom of speech, or the freedom of religion” protects these offenders from being punished. “Institutions must continually balance the rights of all individuals to be free from racial and other forms of harassment and the rights of members of the academic community to express themselves freely, regardless of the content of their expressions” (Downey & Stage, 6). This issue is a conflict between the First and Fourteenth amendments. While the first amendment gives everyone the freedom of speech, the Fourteenth Amendment states that “the states shall provide equal protection of all citizens under the law”. Because of this controversy, groups on campus may think it is okay for them to commit hate crimes, and they will continue to believe this as long as this is allowed.

Another possible reason why hate crimes continue to occur is because those who are targeted do not speak up. The most common reason why groups that are being targeted will not speak up is because they feel that the incident “was not serious or important” (Downey & Stage, 5). They also feel like they are not part of the community in the college/university they attend. When the incident in the Spring of 2011, regarding the minority that had a cup of beer thrown at him took place, many minorities spoke about their true feeling regarding these incidents. “Many women on campus and many gay and lesbian students on campus, feel that acts of sexual violence, misogyny and homophobia/heterosexism are routinely dismissed” ((Protesting Hate at Trinity College, 2011). The fact that targeted groups do not feel like a part of the community says something about the colleges/universities where these incidents are taking place. In order to try to stop these hate crimes from happening, it is important for targeted students to demand respect and actions from the administration when these events take place. If the targeted groups want to see change regarding hate crimes and the way they are treated, they must do their share in this issue.

Even though the issue of hate crimes is a complex one, it is really important that the institution where this issue is taking place does everything that is in their power to try to get rid of it. The most important factor in solving these issues are the community standards. If the institution made it clear from the beginning to all applicants that those types of acts would not be tolerated, then maybe they would not occur. If the college upheld the standard of respect for everyone in the community to its highest, then these issues would be less likely to occur. In the student handbook for Trinity College, there is a section regarding sexual harassment and discrimination, but nowhere in that section does it say that discrimination is something that will not be tolerated. If Trinity wants everybody in the community to understand that hate crimes is something they are serious about, then they should talk about zero-tolerance towards these incidents somewhere in the student handbook.

Even though some measures have tried to be taken at Trinity, it has obviously not been enough. Alfonso Bui’s film Someplace I call Home documents the state of the Trinity community in 2005, when some students had derogatory terms written on their dorm room doors.   Although the college did not tolerate the incidents that occurred in 2005 and in the Spring of 2011, it is sad to see that the only time when these issues were talked about were when these incidents took place. Trinity must make the time to talk about these kinds of issues and the ignorance that exists on our campus in order to make it a better place for everyone. Even though we have come a long way, there is still a long road ahead regarding discrimination in our campus.

Bibliography:

Downey, John P. “Hate Crimes and Violence on College and University Campuses.” 1999 40.1 (1999): 3-9. Print.

Trinity College (Hartford, Conn.), and Kingsbridge Productions. Some Place I Call Home. Trinity College, 2007. Film.

Trinity Student Handbook

“Protesting Hate at Trinity College, April 2011.” College Archives – Documents (2011): n. pag.

Racial differences are more complex than class, religion or ideological differences because race can be determined before ever having talked to a person. It is one of the only differences that is visible—skin color can be physically seen, but class differences or differences of opinion cannot be. Making students aware that they are different racially in any way can create a larger racial divide than may already exist. At Trinity College there is a visible divide between Minority and Non-minority students that is very visible. Orientation programs, fraternities, misconceptions, and a lack of understanding all contribute to the divide, but they can all be changed to be part of the solution.

Orientation programs are present at every college throughout the country, and many colleges offer orientation programs specifically for Minority students separate from the regular orientation. Many of these orientation programs were designed in the 1970s and 1980s and have seen little, if any, broad reforms. Marking students differences right from the start, especially the racial differences, creates a gap between students from the start of the school year. Some minorities feel that the orientation programs are somewhat insulting, because they assume that since they are a minority, they do not know how to perform tasks that White college students can do.  Yale’s Minority orientation program, PROP, requires Minority students to spend a certain amount of logged hours working on writing, reading, and computer skills during the orientation. One Minority student from the suburbs who attended PROP named Victoria said, “It is a little bit insulting. But I think they mean well.”[1] The Yale Dean thinks that PROP is not as successful as is suggested and said, “Any program powerful enough in one week to alter the way people think about things would have to be one hell of a good program”[2]. Many school administrators have thought about revamping their programs, or getting rid of them all together. In 1997, Amherst College did away with a two-day orientation program for minority students that had been around since 1970. Tom Gerety, Amherst President at the time, said, “Amherst risks a serious misunderstanding of our principles by asking students to arrive on campus in the first instance on the basis of differences among them”[3].

In contrast there is also the group of people who claim the Minority Orientation Programs they participated in were vital to their development as a student, and that they could not imagine their college experience without them.  The defenders of these programs explain that they create an environment for minority students to talk about issues that they would normally not get an opportunity to address in a general orientation session. Many administrators feel that Minority students would be uncomfortable to bringing upissues of race in a general orientation setting because, in most cases, a majority of the students they would be talking to would be White. At the Minority programs, they are surrounded by students who have more then likely experienced the points they are trying to make. Many Minority students feel uncomfortable talking about issues of diversity in a group of predominantly white students because white students cannot always see things from a minority’s perspective. Ryan Jean-Baptiste was a PROP counselor and his used this metaphor to describe what adding white students to the program, “If you are a professor and you are discussing your research, it would be a hindrance if you had somebody who had never heard of your field trying to understand what you are saying. That’s what it would be like.”[4] Ryan does make a good point, but how will White students learn of Minority issues if they are not involved in the conversations.

Another viewpoint is that the Orientation programs do not create segregation, but rather subtle misconceptions toward Minority students throughout campuses across the nation are the cause.  For instance, security will stop a minority student at a school play or sporting event to make sure that they are actually a student. This is also a problem at Trinity due to our urban neighborhood surroundings. The Raether library staff has been known to do “random ID checks”[5] on minority students to make sure they are students. The strings of recent robberies on campus that are becoming more frequent and bold are not helping the racial climate. More and more students are jumping to conclusions when seeing a minority student they do not recognize walking towards them, or taking the same path, and the students who say they are not are more then likely lying.

Many solutions have been proposed to fix the schism in Trinity’s racial relationships. One has been to make PRIDE a part of the general orientation rather than a minority pre orientation. If PRIDE was a mandatory part of the normal Orientation it would force both minorities and white students to talk about social issues on campus, and how they would want their next four years at Trinity to be. In a circumstance like this, the minority students would feel more comfortable bringing up racial issues and the white students would become more aware of issues that have unfolded on campus. As freshmen on campus we are basically oblivious to racial incidents around us unless we learn about them in class, such as our seminar. If PRIDE was a part of Orientation, they could give a history of things like the protest last spring and the incidents that occurred further in past, so students do not make the same mistakes twice.

Trinity’s orientation is only one factor of the problem. The racial divide shapes the entire social scene at Trinity. There has been a lot of talk recently about the possibility of getting rid of the Fraternities and replacing them with theme houses. President Jones describes doing away with the Fraternity and sorority scene in his White Pages, which he sent to all students earlier this fall. President Jones makes the point that Trinity is one of only three NESCAC schools to still allow Greek organizations on campus, and that the list of schools that have dropped Greek organizations is a very prestigious one.[6] President Jones goes on to argue that the themes houses, that take the place of the on campus fraternities, will be less exclusive then the fraternities and bring more of the campus together. I don’t feel that getting rid of fraternities is the answer, but there are changes that can be made to Greek life that can help lessen the racial divide. The allure to Greek life at Trinity is the connections that it forms, whether is be to students at other colleges in the same organization, or the connections to potential employers who were in the same organization. When describing fraternities at Dartmouth college Ben O’Donnell said, “Fraternities bolster collegiate friendships more than any other social organization…That type of immersion—usually not at the expense of extra fraternal friendships—does create a special type of camaraderie.”[7] Theme houses would not create the same connection because they do not have the national recognition that Greek organizations do. Fraternity also has members in the sophomore, junior and senior classes. Themes house will most likely only be made up of the few students that actually live within the house. The cultural houses that do exist on campus now are barely relevant to the social scene at trinity and very few students actually attend the events they have.

I suggest that instead of adding theme house we add more fraternities and sororities. This way more minorities cannot only experience what it is like being a brother or sister of a Greek organization, but they will also benefit from the connection that are formed from being a member. When Jenny Stuber, author of Inside the College Gates: How Class and Culture Matter in Higher Education, visited my first year seminar to talk about her book; she said the through her research for her book she found that the students she talked to who were involved with Greek Life had a better college experience then those who did not.

Fraternities should not be looked at as part of the problem, but a vital tool that can be utilized to help bring about the solution. With more Fraternities on campus made up of both Minority and Non-minority students, they could be required to partner with different community service, and racial groups on campus, and hold certain number of joint events to make sure that they are helping close the divide. Greek life clearly holds a lot of influence on our campus, and its reach and resources would go to waste if Trinity decided to do away with them.

The Racial schism at Trinity is not going to disappear overnight. It will only be fixed through hard work and making the whole campus aware that there is even a problem. Through adjustments to the social climate and administration understanding the gap can begin to be lessened. There is a way to make Minority and Non-Minority students come together in harmony, and the PRIDE program, Greek Life, and more racial education need to be utilized correctly in order to reach our goals.

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[1] Ben Gose, “Do Minority Orientations Encourage Segregation?,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, September 4, 1998, sec. Students, http://chronicle.com/article/Do-Minority-Orientations/2236/.

[2] ibid

[3] ibid

[4] ibid

[5] Alfonso Bui, Some Place I Call Home (Kingsbridge Productions, 2007).

[6] James Jones Jr., To Reweave the Helices: Trinity’s DNA by Our Two-Hundredth Birthday, 2011, Trinity College Archives, http://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/trinarchives/5.

[7] Ben O’donnell, “What’s Right With Fraternities,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, December 6, 2009, sec. Commentary, http://chronicle.com/article/Whats-Right-With-Fraternities/49331/.

Each consisting of a small group of incoming first-year students, a faculty advisor, and an upperclass mentor, First-Year seminars acquaint students with one another through the exploration of an academic topic. Seminars are meant to be “academically rigorous, limited in size, and designed to enhance the new student’s abilities in critical analysis, writing, discussion and debate, and research and information literacy.”[1. Trinity College First-Year Program, “Starting Out: The First-Year Seminar Program”, 2011, http://www.trincoll.edu/Academics/FYP/Starting/Documents/SOfirstyearseminar.pdf.]However, though this required course succeeds in helping students hone the necessary skills to survive the rigor of a college curriculum, it does little to introduce new students to their role as active members of the Trinity community. Also, few First-Year seminar advisors facilitate dialogue that explores first-year students’ perceptions of race and social class. Because of these shortcomings, students lack knowledge about how to bridge racial and socioeconomic gaps, as well as the kind of responsible attitude that would motivate a student to care about improving student interactions in this way. Such is the cause of issues involving race and social class among Trinity students. In order to reach the level of acceptance and understanding that must exist in an ideal campus environment, first-year seminars must be re-vamped to include components that actively engage them with the campus community. Additionally, they must collaborate with other seminars to learn how to constructively discuss the issues of racism and classism that undoubtedly plague our campus.

Though topics studied can be as complex as “Modern Classical Liberalism” or as casual as “Beatles and the 60’s,” few have the objective of exploring their topic in the context of the campus community. Of the 36 seminars offered in the Fall 2011 semester, only two seminars—“Color and Money” and “Dangerous Decisions or Cheerful Choices”—explicitly mention using situations specific to Trinity as a framework or actively collecting data from students to enhance their research. Additionally, a third—“We Don’t Need Your Education”—requires students to study student movements in preparation for a culminating activity where individuals must conduct their own campus demonstration[1. Trinity College, “Course Schedule”, Fall 2011, http://internet2.trincoll.edu/ptools/CourseListing.aspx.] In his recent “white paper,” President James F. Jones Jr. expresses his desire for every Trinity student to “recognize the intrinsic merits of the diversity of humankind in the broadest possible connotations of the word” after four years.[1. Jones, James F. Jr., “To Reweave the Helices: Trinity’s DNA by Our Two-Hundredth Birthday” , 2011. College Archives – Documents. Paper 5. http://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/trinarchives/5, pg 7.] The small First-Year Seminar groups are meant to establish an environment within which students can comfortably challenge or embrace an array of new ideas. It is here that students should begin to discover what it means to be the open-minded, active community members that Jones envisions. However, with only three of 36 seminars broadening their focus to the college and its inner-workings, many students are missing out on opportunities that could engage them with the campus in meaningful ways. Additionally, without a basic understanding of how to respectfully acknowledge different cultural and socioeconomic perspectives, students cannot interact with their peers in ways that contribute to the development of an inclusive student body.

Despite the lack of many seminars that introduce students to the realities of campus culture, a complete reconstruction of each seminar’s curriculum is not necessary. Rather, the addition of a component that focuses strictly on each topic’s connection to Trinity and relevant campus issues such as race and social class should be considered. For example, seminars like “Global Challenges of the 21^st Century” or “T-Lab: Technology for International Development” that focus on global issues could also consider studying how certain international issues compare to the issues that members of different cultures in the United States face. Students can also draw parallels or make distinctions between the areas they studied and those that exist in the city of Hartford or in their own hometowns. Students could even survey students around campus and ask them to do the same. In this way, students in these seminars would be actively engaging with campus, as well as enhancing their study of their topics by using students as first-hand resources. Similarly, role-playing seminars like “Athens and Rome” and “Religion, Politics, and Power” could enrich their knowledge by exploring what vestiges of the historical eras they study still exist today. Between the amount of United States citizens and international students who attend Trinity, a rich discussion of how political, social, intellectual, cultural, and economic components of those areas might have influenced other cultures to which Trinity students might belong could result.

In addition to promoting more peer-to-peer interaction, seminar advisors could also promote an intrapersonal approach to bettering the Trinity community. President Jones follows his wish to nurture an attitude of acceptance amongst students with an expressed desire for each student to fulfill his or her duty as “an integral, contributing member of a small, tightly-knit college community founded upon shared meritocratic values”.[1. Jones Jr., 8.] This desire necessitates the addition of a component that teaches students what it means to be an active member of the campus community. Such a program proves to be successful at the University of Washington, where every first-year student is required to take “General Studies 199: The Campus Community.” Much like Trinity’s first-year seminars, first-year students participate in discussions, on-campus and off-campus projects and activities that assist them in their transition to college. However, this course exceeds our program in that it leads students in “beginning to understand their role as learners within the larger university, and how that role compares with their previous educational experiences, and understanding the value of being an active participant in the campus community and beyond”[1. University of Washington First Year Programs, “General Studies 199: The University Community Course Materials” (University of Washington, Autumn 2010), http://fyp.washington.edu/figs/downloads/coursepack.pdf.]Activities include reflecting upon one’s personal goals for academic and social success and completing a project that involves exploring a Seattle neighborhood and comparing it to one’s own racial and socioeconomic experience. Briefly stepping away from the seminar topic to engage students in curricular activities that mirror that of the University of Washington’s course could effectively introduce students to the idea of being more than just another face on Trinity’s campus.

The responsibility of introducing students to the idea of social accountability on campus rests primarily on each seminar’s faculty advisor. However, the fact that each faculty member is at liberty to decide upon his or her own seminar topic could mean that sensitive topics like race and social class might be easily avoided if it is not regarded as a priority by the majority of faculty members. As it stands, though the majority of faculty members desire a cohesive campus, the amount of passion they have towards the subject differs. Thus, their resulting approaches differ, as well. While some side with students in favor of an active response, others have a fear of overreacting. For instance, in the wake of an incident that occurred in Spring 2011, where a White student allegedly threw a beer can and shouted racial slurs at a minority student, Professor Samuel Kassow highlights a tendency for faculty to label students as unruly and close-minded and voiced his preference for a more careful, reflective approach. “Careful policy, based on facts, will achieve much more than jeremiads about racism or frog-marches into courses about “diversity,” Kassow wrote. “We need to look at our peer colleges and carefully assemble data”.[1. Kassow, Samuel. “Halt! Let’s Understand This FIRST! by Professor Kassow.” 4legs. 29 Apr 2011.http://www.4legs.org/2011/04/halt-lets-understand-this-first-by-professor-kassow/] In contrast, Professor David Cruz-Uribe suggested action as an alternative to Trinity’s usual research-driven response strategy. Cruz-Uribe wrote, “I believe that Professor Kassow’s assertion that we need further studies to determine what “factors contribute to tension and alienation” only contributes to the problem…I believe that the college needs to confront it head on”[1. Cruz-Uribe, David, SFO. “BASTA! Enough!” 4legs. 2 May 2011. http://www.4legs.org/2011/05/basta-enough/] In order to effectively address issues of race and social class on campus, there needs to be shared sentiment in regards to the urgency of these issues, as well as a consensus about the measures that should be taken to address them. At Amherst College, for instance, the student body consisted of 40% students of color and 10% international students in 2010—the same year the institution was ranked third for “Economic Diversity Among Top-Ranked Schools: Liberal Arts Colleges” in 2010 by U.S. News and World Report. In addition to re-vamping recruitment methods, instituting a need-blind/ no-loan admissions policy, and broadening their standards for merit aid, researchers contribute Amherst’s success in this regard to establishing institutional support.[1. Rubin, R. B. “Recruiting, Redefining, and Recommitting: The Quest to Increase Socioeconomic Diversity at Amherst College.” Equity & Excellence in Education v. 44 no. 4 (October 2011) p. 512-31] Similarly, in order to enhance First-Year seminars in a way that promotes diversity and community effectively, all faculty members should speak often and openly about various approaches until there is a unified stance. This will only strengthen the initiative and increase its likelihood of resonating with both incoming and returning students alike.

Such a unified perspective among the faculty can be exemplified for first-year students by way of colloquial activities between seminars. According to a 2008 student survey study conducted at the University of California, students’ academic disciplines can shape their perceptions of race and social class even moreso than ethnicity, socio-economic standing, or political affiliation.[1. Peter Schmidt, “Much Research on Campus Diversity Suffers From Being Only Skin Deep, New Studies Suggest,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, April 13, 2010, sec. Students, http://chronicle.com/article/Much-Research-on-Campus/65051/.] Therefore, it would be beneficial for about three or four seminars from multiple disciplines to form “clusters” on a bi-monthly basis, wherein they would share what they have learned about their topic through the lens of the Trinity-specific component. Students would also share what they have learned in regards to the component that would focus on the self and the campus community. It is here, in these “clusters,” that dialogue centering around race, class, gender roles, and other sensitive topics that require genuine, constructive discourse would be discussed. In his “white paper,” President Jones proposes the creation of a reading list of fifteen or so works, including classics like Candide, To Kill a Mockingbird, and “The Book of Exodus.” Seminars, which would be newly regarded as Understandings in Common, would read one book per week in preparation for faculty-facilitated discussions as a way of “dealing with ethical dilemmas concomitant with our students’ experiences at Trinity” and to explore “the theoretical and the actual, as ethics and postmodern events in real time coincide and collide”[2. Jones Jr., 19-20.] Such a suggestion aligns with the idea that students at Trinity are already adequately stimulated to debate current events using theory as a framework for the stances they choose. However, relating these events with students’ experiences at Trinity using literature as a springboard could add dimension to the kind of critical thinking that is already taking place in first-year seminars. The concept of Understandings in Common would undoubtedly work just as in  “clusters” just as effectively as it would in individual seminars, since a variety of different perspectives often provides access to more modes of thinking than expected.

Exposure to a multitude of varying views and opinions is one of the most effective ways to resolve the ignorance that motivates issues related to race and social class. As a program that is known to orient incoming first-year students to college, first-year seminar advisors should not be reluctant to introduce students to the specific issues that are relevant to Trinity and the appropriate resources to combat them. Such resources exceed physical locations, such as the Counselor’s office or the Office of Multicultural Affairs. Rather, they extend to the tools of communication and active listening, as well as the potentially groundbreaking concept of “self” as it relates to campus community and culture. By instituting campus-wide support in the initiative to teach students how to access these tools as early as the First-Year seminar, Trinity could be well on its own way to meeting its goal of becoming an actively inclusive campus.

Race is the neglected problem of the twenty-first century. In our time, the subject of race is one that is kept hush for as long as possible until racially-charged incidents break the silence. When these particular incidents occur the first action that people take is that they choose sides. This is because even in the years after the Civil Rights Movement race is still a contested topic among people. So much so that conversation on the topic can be a dangerous thing for the relationship you have with others. It is such a volatile topic that in certain environments people would rather keep their views silent than to possibly conflict with the opinions of other people. We regularly attempt to “tolerate” our differences between people rather than to understand, and this practice has permeated through every facet of America society. Most importantly, this is how race has affected colleges in the United States like Trinity College. At Trinity College, race at many different times is an unspoken subject because Trinity is not immune to the affect the discussion of race has on communities. Trinity campus’s mood, I believe, is tied to how students are mindful of each other and their differences. The campus is a different place when specific incidents occur and a lot of harm is done than good as a result. Race an issue that is not publicly expressed at Trinity, and thus awareness is not an available option for students. In order to solve this problem, Trinity College will have to foster discussions in the form of student run programs  in order to help students truly understand each other.

Collectively, humankind is not equal in their capabilities and gifts. However, all people are equally gifted at noticing the differences they have from one another. Accents, height, eye color, hair color and size are what people pick up on these things automatically almost as if on instinct. These characteristics that make up the image of a person have all been used at one point or another in order to separate people from each other. However, all these things that people look for are not as noticeable to people as skin color and race. This is the ultimate separator, an identifying system that humans themselves created, again in order to broadcast the differences that people have with one another. Back then, race was the ultimate separator because people used race to either overtly or discreetly explain why they felt that they were superior to those who were not like them. However, as time progressed, change arose and the term racism was introduced to the world and those practices of old were cast away in order to form a more accepting society. Since the word racism and everything it represents was defined and revealed to the world, governments in countries like America have tried to pull away from their pasts. They attempt this by setting the foundation to establish to a “Post-Racial Society” so that currently and in the future, the past will be behind us and out of memory. All to create a “color-blind society” where everyone’s capabilities matter more than race, where people can “co-exist.” In today’s day and age that involves making the topic of race the most sensitive of all. This goal to essentially ignore race has people trying to achieve a silence on the topic. This is because conflict will occur no matter what your views are and to be called a racist in the twenty-first century is considered one of the worse insults to a person’s character. Thus, people try to always try to present the image, specifically in this country, of an open, accepting American. “Race relations are complex and difficult, yet it seems in the many years since the civil rights movement, image has outweighed substance. People have ceased being real with themselves and others.” [1. O’conner, Andrew. “LexisNexis® Academic & Library Solutions.” University Wire. column. 27 Mar. 2008. Web. 1 Dec. 2011.] Everyone repeats this practice far and wide, who are afraid under normal circumstances to express themselves. It starts with your family, but this development does not take root really until teenagers start to gain their own independence, and that is the time when many decide to attend colleges.

College for many is the start of a person’s independent life where they can first function on their own in an environment that attempts to mirror the diversity, opportunity and experiences of the world. However, although college is a place of supposed independence, it is a school with self-made rules that students operate by. There are a few universal rules for school at any level, but the most important thing in school is for people to like you. Strong opinions on subjects are admirable among people but on topics such as race can cause people to feel alienated from your beliefs. This is the first reason why I believe that very controversial topics on the level that race is put on are silenced. Not to conform, but to establish relationships because unless promoted by their classes people won’t broadcast what they “truly” think about the idea of race. Second, I believe that people of all races are not comfortable about talking about race among others. Third, for the most part I believe that before college, people’s knowledge of the question of race has its same message repeated year by year. If my own experiences were like other high school students in particular, it would be an annual time commitment of the same material, the PBS VHS tape Eyes On The Prize and after two years I knew everything that would be presented to me on that day. For me there was no continuation, so there was no build-up and it would be up to myself to build up on my knowledge and experiences. Lastly, I believe that people on the campus of Trinity campus are unaware of each other and the beliefs that they have. There is a silent problem on Trinity campus: Students don’t talk about race. We wait and wait for the inevitable to occur and then only when it does do the routine reactions occur among the people.

Four years ago in 2007, before I was a student at Trinity College numerous racial events occurred on campus. These events elicited loud responses from a variety and mix of students who opposed the idea that these events were still taking place. In particular, during the junior year of a student named Alfonso Bui, a student of color at Trinity had an white erase board she kept on her door defaced with racial slurs. Alfonso Bui decided to make a full- length documentary on the perceptions of the incident and the reactions to said event. In 2007, after students heard about the incident regarding the whiteboard, many students including those whose board was defaced, organized a group of students and teachers. Their goal was to broadcast their views and publicly present to the campus that they were against the actions that had taken place. In fact, the students who were participating in the event calmly “stormed” Mather Hall and sat with someone they didn’t know, someone who wasn’t the same race, and someone who was different. They were tired of the segregation that happens at Trinity, the separation that the students feel from each other and to forge new relationships and foster a more unified campus aware and against the displays of racial insensitivity that can occur at Trinity.

Among all colleges, Trinity College is not at all the sole location between colleges where racist activity occurs. It is in fact, it is one of many across the United States, because negative-racial events and separation occurs within all colleges including those with such popular names like Harvard and Duke. Such was the case in 2009, at the prestigious and well-known Harvard University. That year the Chinese Student Association at the college hosted a themed-party after which they were subjected to racial insensitivity. At this particular party students who attended were given the freedom to write whatever they wished on tape and paper posted around the area the party was held. Soon after, organization and its students realized that students abused this freedom. Writing claims about Chinese people meant to arise emotion, “Chinese people perform genocide . . .  Chinese people suck.” [2. Hardwick, Spencer. “LexisNexis® Academic & Library Solutions.” University Wire. Article. 11 Mar. 2009. Web. 6 Dec. 2011.] People do many things when they believe that they will not be caught. This was just one visible part of the race-related events that happen at colleges, however highly visible at all colleges is the separation that students of different ethic decedent participate in. At Duke, their students followed this unspoken rule the same way many students at Trinity do. However, students at Duke acknowledged the separation students who consider themselves “different” from another in their social lives at colleges. The image of a diverse and integrated campus is one that is a false image. “On the surface, we appear to be fulfilling King’s ideal.” [3. Oshilaja, Dayo. “LexisNexis® Academic & Library Solutions.” University Wire. Article. 27 Aug. 2009. Web. 6 Dec. 2011.] The idea that all people can interact and live together socially, however at college’s where the first priority are numbers we fall short of Martin Luther King’s true goal. He believed that as members of the human race, we cannot let our differences be the reason we promote segregation and its forms. Colleges need to become more diverse, not in terms of statistics but in the interactions between students. The only way that can occur is for people to talk with each other, we cannot be silent to what we observe. Problems must be made public and then it is up to a united community to begin the always arduous task of dealing with such problems.

In the wake of the act at Trinity College in 2007, apart from the demonstration in Mather, Trinity took a very bold step and hosted an open forum for discussion on how people felt about the events that occurred at Trinity. There were many constructive comments where students called for a change in what they saw at the college. They called out each other to call for change, for organizations to change and asked what the administration was going to do, as well as what the students should do in order to keep the discussion alive and relevant at Trinity. In the end however, after this was all said and done, the end of the year rolled along and the events of the past year were forgotten as students took their summer break away from school. The events of 2007 were put aside and Trinity was back at square one in a new year. This is what keeps Trinity so vulnerable and separated when it comes to incidents regarding race: There is no continuation. Many things are made public, but the next steps are not taken.

For a problem as complex as race, I believe that the way to make race a less hostile subject is to discuss it openly. I believe race is a high-profile topic among not only students but everyone is because people are so uncomfortable discussing their relationship with race. My initial solution to this problem is simple: to have a discussion similar to the format of the forum held in 2007. However, there are many variables to make this proposal relevant and useful for Trinity College. Primarily, I believe that if these discussions were to happen there would have to be more than one because the only way that people learn and change is through habit. However, I know that it will take time before a habit settles in and many students can open up about race. In Alfonso Bui’s film, Some Place I Call Home, other students realized this as well. Stephanie Irizarry had this to say about the symbolic movement that took place in 2007.

“I feel the symbolic protest was effective to a certain extent which it called attention and that’s what you need, you need it to be public . . . okay it happened one day but did it continue? The next day in Mather the tables were still separated and the same concepts came about, the division was still there.” [4. Bui, Alfonso, and Kingsbridge Productions Video. Some Place I Call Home. Hartford, Conneticut: Kingsbridge Productions, 2007. Print. 13:01- 13:30.]

These meetings that I am proposing at campus should be smaller that the original 2007 forum but should still be mixed among race, class, gender, sexual orientation. This is so that there is a range of topics to discuss that will have a plethora of opinions. The opinions in their discussions will be broad but be focused on the effect that race has had on their lives. This prompt comes from the film, Skin Deep, where college students were put together in a room and just talked about race in their lives, revealing and bearing all to their peers to digest. Should this process be mimicked, I believe that groups should stay true to the film and remain student-run because students are willing to reveal more to people their age. However, in order to keep up the process of keeping these meetings a habit I believe the SGA should be responsible in order to organize groups and meetings at times during the year. As I mentioned many times I believe that one meeting is not enough, but also there should be many available  groups that people would be able to sign up for online to a certain limited amount of people. These groups in the sense of signing up in order to ease students fears, should be completely voluntary in order that these groups obtain people who are willing to speak with each other. That all being said a proper incentive to lure students to these meetings would be to give an additional quarter or half credit for attending around six of the total meetings which I believe should be held if possible 22 times during the school year on Saturdays in the early afternoon. I would give this credit as incentive without asking for participation because regardless of what a person does in these meetings they are listening to the opinions of others and what humans do best is unconsciously picking up and remembered what they are exposed to. I believe that just hearing what people have to say will begin to affect those who are unwilling to share. However, students must be willing because in order to change anything because most social problems only affect students. If students agreed to participate in these “discussions” Trinity would benefit, not immediately but its effects would slowly begin to affect the campus.

I believe that these meetings would present an opportunity to Trinity that it has been lacking. These student mediated discussions could bring a community together on issues creating a community that students in years before have hoped for and to provide an excellent and unified place to learn for those future students. Sam Zivin, class of 2007, was one such student who wanted events like the forum to occur more and for students to get more involved in their school.

“ . . . I think we need to keep this going so perhaps this is a fortuitous event (referring to the racial incident in 2007) and that we are sweeping the issues from under the carpeting  . . . we need to talk about them and continue to talk about them . . . we can stop the ignorance.” [5. Bui, Alfonso, and Kingsbridge Productions Video. Some Place I Call Home. Hartford, Conneticut: Kingsbridge Productions, 2007. Print. 28:23- 29:14]

These meetings about race have been implemented at other colleges where students feel that their understanding has been broadened. In the case of California State, near the conclusion of every year, a summit is sponsored so that students can talk to each other about race. Colleges with similar programs like California State realized that unlike strict punishment and rules, discussion is the only way to really change the frequency of events of racial insensitivity. Although they restrict groups by their racial ethnicity they realize that these discussions are only are helped by the “risk you are willing to take.” [6. Cevallos, Giovanny. “LexisNexis® Academic & Library Solutions.” University Wire. Article. 5 May 2009. Web. 6 Dec. 2011.] Some of the greatest movements were started by individuals who were willing to allow people to scrutinize them. In the same respect, change will only happen when people are aware that their views are not the only in the world, that allowing oneself to be subject to change is a strength that can change others.

The power to change the way race is treated at Trinity College rests heavily with the students. It will take time, it will take effort, it will force people to eventually venture well past what they are comfortable with. I know as well that even with these meetings it will not solve the problems or prevent racial incidences at Trinity, but it will start a process. Although these incidences happen at the will of individuals, I do know that a community united can do great things, they can tackle a problem together and in harmony without accusations or the ignorance that peers have another’s beliefs. There is no end all cure for the problem we have with racial interactions, and there will never be one. I can only hope that students exposure to what their peers think will make everyone better, understanding and thoughtful students. It will bring Trinity closer and it will I hope end the separation that students report as a norm here at Trinity College.

Trinity College—the community, the work environment, and the home of our faculty members, professors, and students—has been long affected by issues regarding violence, hate, bigotry, racism, sexism, sexual abuse, sexual orientation, and social class. What is the main issue here at Trinity College? After acclimating to Trinity’s atmosphere for the past three months, my eyes—the perception of a college freshman— see racism as the main issue on campus. In order to abolish acts of racism, the P.R.I.D.E program needs more resources, more publicity, and more non-color students’ participation; moreover, all students at Trinity College need to participate in a P.R.I.D.E type program.

The “Color and Money” freshmen seminar has recently conducted interviews from students here at Trinity College. We interviewed fifteen sophomores—from different racial backgrounds and social classes—from the Class of 2014. At the interviews, we asked these students questions about their perceptions of race and social class at Trinity College. After finding trends and writing a six page paper of race and social class at Trinity College, I have discovered that race plays a much bigger role here on campus than social class. Students here at Trinity are equally conscious of their social class. However, race at Trinity College has a different meaning from its students. Trinity College students have experienced many different forms of racism. Acts of racism in educational institutions are controversial. Racism does not only occur in colleges, but it is also one of the main global issues. However, acts of racism are very common in small, prestigious college environments like Trinity College.

Trinity College has a program for ALL first-year students called P.R.I.D.E (Promoting Respect for Inclusive Diversity in Education). “P.R.I.D.E is a program organized by the office of Multicultural Affairs aimed at supporting students from diverse backgrounds and encouraging interaction among all first-year students at Trinity College. P.R.I.D.E is a yearlong initiative, incorporating a mix of programming and outreach from the P.R.I.D.E leaders to build a community that is helpful to all first-year students” (The P.R.I.D.E Pages pamphlet). Faculty members, professors, and students hope that this program would prevent segregation and hope that students of all races would get along. P.R.I.D.E came to existence because social life at Trinity College began to pale. Moreover, issues of gender inequality and power inequality are also what drove to create this program (Spurlock-Evans). The P.R.I.D.E program is not responsible for racial tension here at Trinity College. P.R.I.D.E students are not the cause of acts of racisms on campus. Old and recent videos, newspaper, and articles where Caucasian students throw a beer bottle at a student of color, profanity and scribbles all over a student of color’s door, and theme parties where there is exclusion did not happen because of P.R.I.D.E. However, the problem with P.R.I.D.E is that it is not promoted enough to ALL first-year students here at Trinity College. As a result, only the students of color partake in this program without the participation of most Caucasian students due to the lack of publicity. Since the majority of people who participate in P.R.I.D.E are color students, it forces these color students to segregate themselves from Caucasian students before they start their first year at Trinity College. P.R.I.D.E starts on the Sunday afternoon before school year begins. There are not that many Caucasian students in P.R.I.D.E which is an issue because these programs will therefore only help students of color create their own group among themselves. Students who participate in P.R.I.D.E tend to only hang out with other students who have also participated in P.R.I.D.E. Since color students are the main ones that participate in this program, then they are only going to create bonds and friendships between themselves—with hardly any Caucasian students in the picture.

In Peter Schmidt’s “Diversity-Program Administrators Fear Challenges to Their Spending” in the Chronicles of Higher Education, it talks about diversity programs at University of Colorado at Boulder. There was a problem with managing expenditures on these programs. The article states that “the state’s flagship university had little idea how much money it spends promoting diversity and poorly manages such expenditures. University officials denied that they were spending any such money wastefully, but two Republican state representatives in Colorado have cited the report in calling for the state auditor to thoroughly examine the university’s diversity expenditures (Schmidt 1). At the University of Colorado at Boulder, money apparently is not used wisely to better create diversity on their campus. Moreover, the money that is not put into good use to better help the campus climate is a waste of resource, and it will not help fight acts of racism in college. Damon A. Williams, the University of Connecticut’s assistant vice provost for multicultural and international affairs, states, “I think many institutions are greatly at risk … Colleges have only in the past few years begun documenting the benefits of diversity … and while they generally can make good arguments that the diversity programs serve a valuable purpose, they have not done enough to track the money spent on such efforts and their results” (Schmidt 1). This connects to issue I brought forth with P.R.I.D.E in the beginning. The lack of publicity is not enough to get EVERYONE involved. This diversity program does serve a valuable purpose in our educational community. However, I feel that in order to prevent acts of racism, everyone—white and color students—needs to be involved in programs like P.R.I.D.E.

In Ben Gose’s “Do Minority Orientations Encourage Segregation?” in the Chronicles of Higher Education, it talks about minority programs in public and private institutions like Yale University, Brown University, Williams College, Pennsylvania State University, Central Michigan University, and Tufts University. The article talks about how many colleges—like the ones mention previously—have separate programs for minority students, and how these programs “have become fairly common, although they differ widely in scope” from college to college (Gose 1). Trinity College also follows these colleges’ program structure. Its P.R.I.D.E program is targeted for minorities in order to help them transition to college. I agree with the article when it states, “Critics wonder if there’s good reason to continue the programs at all. Students and professors on some campuses complain that the programs are highly politicized, and create immediate divisions between white and minority freshmen” (Gose 1). I believe that in order to prevent these divisions between white and color students, everyone needs to be involved in the same program. All Trinity College students need to participate in P.R.I.D.E in order to be equally aware of the importance of race, culture, and diversity.

Money is a great resource that, if used wisely, can better promote P.R.I.D.E in many creative, interesting, and fun ways. Karla Spurlock-Evans, the Dean of Multicultural Affairs, states that “there are gaps in the orientation programs.” If given more resources, those gaps would be filled with more activities. Moreover, I believe that the extra resource would also help better expose P.R.I.D.E to ALL incoming students. Here is my solution: P.R.I.D.E has to have an even stronger structure, if given the extra resource. With the extra resource, P.R.I.D.E will have more activities to occupy all those unfilled gaps, and it will educate the participants even more about diversity and racism. Moreover, all incoming students at Trinity need to participate in a P.R.I.D.E type program to educate themselves and learn about another student’s culture. It will help open and widen white and color students’ perspectives about each other. This will hopefully diminish acts of racism on campus because all students will understand inclusive diversity. This P.R.I.D.E type program should not be voluntary to only those who are interested. I believe that this type of program should be mandatory. It needs to be a general educational requirement because race and diversity are very important essentials to discuss and learn in college, and it will highly benefit our students beyond college after participating in a P.R.I.D.E type program. Also, during orientation week, we need to combine aspects from the P.R.I.D.E program to make orientation more beneficial for all students. Combining diversity aspects during orientation will show all students that racism is a very important topic that needs to be taken seriously. More resources in orientation can help beat fraternities on campus and help get rid of acts of racism. Hopefully in the future, you will see both color and white students’ faces on the P.R.I.D.E Pages pamphlets that show everyone promoting, respecting, and diversifying pride at Trinity College.

Bibliography:
1.Gose, Ben. “Do Minority Orientations Encourage Segregation?” The Chronicle of Higher Education, September 4, 1998, sec. Students.
2.Office of Multicultural Affairs, The P.R.I.D.E. Pages. Volume 1. Issue 1. Fall 2010.
3.Schmidt, Peter, “Diversity-Program Administrators Fear Challenges to Their Spending,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, February 2, 2007, Volume 53, Issue 22 edition, sec. Archives : Government & Politics.
4.Spurlock-Evans, Karla, P.R.I.D.E information session, Fall 2011.

About the Author: Tommy Rivera is a Hispanic male from Chicago, Illinois. He is a Posse Scholar who will graduate in 2015. He is in the first-year seminar, “Color and Money” at Trinity College.

On Trinity College’s campus there are many problems regarding minority students fitting into the social scene and social groups. At Trinity there is a group called PRIDE and its goal is to make minority students transition from high school to college be smoother. The PRIDE group brings many minority students together at the beginning of the school year in order to make them feel more comfortable as well as give them the feeling that they fit into a group. Although PRIDE is a very good program at Trinity there are many things that it, as well as other parties can do in order to make everyone feel more comfortable. In order to do this Trinity must take ideas that have worked from other schools and implement them as their own.

The problem with race at Trinity College as well as many other places in the world is that many people do not recognize that there is a problem and will not speak up when they see an act of racism occur [1. Trinity College, “Protesting Hate at Trinity College, April 2011,” College Archives – Documents (April 1, 2011): 4]. On top of that people need to understand the factual advantages and disadvantages of their race in today’s society. White’s inherently have more privilege and opportunity than minorities and minority groups often struggle to fit in to American culture . This is a problem in today’s society and this transfers down many college communities including Trinity’s. The frat life and many social scenes on campus don’t seem to include the minority population of Trinity very much and this is a problem. There needs to be a racially equal social scene on campus so that everyone feels comfortable integrating and joining different friend groups. The frats as well as other events and organizations have to take conscious steps to make people of all races and backgrounds feel equally comfortable to join and take part in.

The solution to the problems regarding race at Trinity lies within different organizations on campus. PRIDE is a huge part of making minority students feel more welcome on campus but PRIDE needs some adjustments in order to be even more helpful. PRIDE needs to be a support system for minority students but at the same time not restrict them to staying attached to PRIDE because that will in turn cause the reverse effect than what is desired. Although PRIDE does welcome white students they should make it more known so that white students don’t feel uncomfortable joining. On top of all this there should be more classes on the subject of race in school so that whites do understand what the minority students are going through and realize that for the white students it is easier to fit in than for students of color [1. Helen Fox, When race breaks out: conversations about race and racism in college classrooms (Peter Lang, 2009)]. There needs to be more effort on the schools part to get white students involved with racial diversity on campus because no matter how much PRIDE tries to make minority students feel comfortable they will never be completely at ease until they feel like they fit in with the majority of the students on campus.

A well-recognized idea to make more students feel more comfortable on Trinity’s campus was proposed by President Jones. His idea is to discontinue all of the frat houses on campus and turn them into what he called ‘theme houses’ [1. Jones, James F. Jr., “To Reweave the Helices: Trinity’s DNA by Our Two-Hundredth Birthday” (2011). College Archives – Documents. Paper 5. p.33 http://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/trinarchives/5]. He says this because he believes that the alcohol-fuelled parties are not always inviting to all students on campus and that theme houses have the potential to be. President Jones makes some very good points as well as ones that are not necessarily the best for the Trinity community. Fraternities are big venues on campus and to take those away would greatly anger many people. However, Mr. Jones is correct in saying that they are not always welcoming to the majority of students and that must be fixed. Something similar to what was done at Union college should be done to a less extreme extent in order to make more students feel comfortable on campus. What Union College did in 2004 was take exclusive rights of the frat houses away from the fraternities and make it so that “A fraternity chapter will still be able to occupy a wing of a dormitory, but its members might have to live alongside those of the outdoors club, a sorority, a foreign-language society, or a mix of students.” [1. Andrew Brownstein, “New York’s Union College Abolishes Its Greek Residential System,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, March 5, 2001, sec. Archives, http://chronicle.com/article/New-Yorks-Union-College/107306/.]. Trinity should take pieces of what Union College did and reformat it to fit Trinity.

What physically needs to be done at Trinity is the Fraternities need to be more involved with all the different types of students on campus. What also needs to be done is for more classes or lectures that are marketed towards white students as well as minority students so that everyone on campus can have an idea of what other types of students are going through here at Trinity. The classes and/or lectures do not have to be required because this may cause resentment towards them but must be greatly encouraged and heavily marketed so that many people attend them. The fraternities, on the other hand, should be required to do many events with different cultural houses so that it will make many more people feel like they are welcome at a vast variety of social scenes on campus. On top of that it may not be a bad idea for fraternities to have to do an amount of community service so that they can interact with the community and better themselves and the people around them.

There are many problems with the social scene on campus regarding minorities. If actions are taken and people get involved with trying to fix this problem and make all students feel more comfortable on campus Trinity has the potential of becoming an even better place. The first step is that people need to be more educated on how the many different types of students feel about their social life at Trinity and the second step is to have larger social institutions and organizations team up to try to better the lives of all students and make everyone feel more comfortable. Once this is done Trinity could become a precedent on how to create a truly welcoming community for colleges all over the country.

Currently, Trinity College is facing a serious issue regarding race and social class cliques on campus.  Most students tend to stick to groups of friends they feel the most comfortable with, which is commonly fellow students of the same race or social class.  This causes segregation amongst students and defeats the overall goal of a diverse campus.  When students are predominantly interacting with those similar to themselves, they are not learning about new cultures, places, or experiences.  In a survey that interviewed a random group of sophomores at Trinity College, 5/15 students mentioned that either race or social class has played a direct role in the way they interact with friends on campus.  While this number may not appear extremely high, it should be as close to zero as possible.  In order to have an open environment on campus, no students should have to feel as if race or social class will determine their social life.

At a Liberal Arts college it is essential for students to be exposed to unfamiliar aspects of life and open to change.  Specifically, Trinity’s mission is to “foster critical thinking, free the mind of parochialism and prejudice, and prepare students to lead examined lives that are personally satisfying, civically responsible, and socially useful.” Currently at Trinity, because of the cliques, students are not fulfilling their college experience. It is nearly impossible for students to accomplish this mission statement when they are rarely exposed to diversity within their respective social groups.  Students must be encouraged to be pushed outside of their comfort zone instead of frequently making decisions that make them feel most comfortable.  Further, the varying perspectives of diversity on campus make it difficult to combat the issue.  Many white students feel as though being at Trinity has exposed them to more diversity then they have ever seen, while students of color feel as though they are the obvious minorities on campus.  Marshall, a white sophomore at Trinity, states that his home state “is a state where it is over 95% white and before coming to trinity I can honestly say that besides for traveling I had never actually lived in a setting with not only different ethnicities, but also different religions.” [1. Marshall, 22.] From this quote it is clear that Marshall was exposed to more diversity then ever before when he came to Trinity. Marshall is not the only student of his type on campus and it is essential that students like this come to Trinity with an open mind instead of arriving on campus expecting to solely interact with students similar to themselves.  Although there are many different ways one could attempt to combat this obstacle, it is critical that students are exposed to diversity and forced to interact with new students as soon as they arrive on campus, before they have been given a chance to form any cliques.

Trinity College’s Campus Climate Report, released in 2007, brought up many pressing issues on campus that remain prevalent on campus today.  This report set goals that Trinity should focus on achieving and recommendations in order to reach these aspirations.  Overall, the goals were well thought through and were crucial for racial and social class diversity development on campus.  Specifically, goal number two, which states “We need greater economic, racial and ethnic diversity in our student body, faculty and staff,” [2. Cheryl Greenberg, Philip Khoury, “Final Report of the Charter Committee on Campus Climate,” (diss. Trinity College, 2007), 11.] and goal number four, which states “We need a residential and social life for students, faculty, and staff that fosters a stronger sense of community and mutual responsibility, as well as one that encourages an open-minded embrace of diverse opinions and styles,” [3. Cheryl Greenberg, Philip Khoury, “Final Report of the Charter Committee on Campus Climate,” (diss. Trinity College, 2007), 16.] are important goals to strive for in order to eliminate cliques on campus.  These goals discuss featuring more diversity on campus and the importance of individual roles on campus.  Although the recommendations provided are strong and have potential to help improve the problems, they barely address the issue of changing the orientation program.  We do agree with the goals and recommendations brought up in the Campus Climate Report, but we feel as though the most important recommendation, to change our orientation program, was not addressed enough in the report.  Recommendation “F” under goal four states that the College must, “Provide adequate funding to extend orientation programming into the academic year.  Consider a sophomore orientation, geared toward community building and fostering connection with the Hartford Area.” Despite the fact that this recommendation does address the orientation programs, the recommendation itself is located close to the bottom of the list, indicating that it is not an issue of top priority. Therefore, we believe it is not considered as critical to life at Trinity as it should be.

With determination to resolve the issue of cliques on campus founded on the basis of common characteristics such as race and social class, we propose to refurbish Trinity’s First Year orientation schedule, and to implement an effective, innovative “further integration” program for students entering their sophomore year.  After the students have become acclimated to their environment at Trinity College over the previous academic year, their “new” label has worn off and they tend to remain comfortably settled into their established social group.  As previously discussed, these cliques generally consist of members who share the same race and/or social class, and this is detrimental to the quality of the of their liberal arts education.  In order to experience what Trinity has to offer to its full potential, students would immensely benefit from a revised first year orientation program accompanied by a second year integration program designed to expand the borders of their social comfort zones.

Upon arrival at Trinity College, students usually experience a sense of timidity, yet prominent eagerness to socialize with their new peers.  Coming to Trinity as an International student, one of us (Lucy) was forced to go through International Orientation, an early orientation program geared towards students of origin outside the US.  While it was helpful to arrive on campus early, the orientation required incoming freshmen to get to know fellow international students.  Because not many other students were on campus during these few days, this was the only group of students available for socialization.  These students, more then anyone, tend to gravitate towards other students who are culturally similar or geographically close to themselves because international students are already so far away from their home, families, and other aspects of familiarity.  This causes cliques to be formed prior to the arrival of other students on campus.  Although an early orientation program for international students proves to be helpful in many regards, combining it with the regular first year orientation schedule may eliminate the initial issue of cliques on campus prior to the start of classes.

Additionally, having recently experienced the nerve-wracking transition to college, we can accurately attest the necessity for an effective welcome program.  It would be helpful to incorporate a greater quantity of sophomore students into the running of the First Year Orientation activities.  Had there been more students running this schedule, it would have been further organized and well put together.  Also, having extra sophomores available on campus during the first few days of orientation, the incoming freshman class would benefit from the additional people they can turn to with questions and concerns.  Participation in the facilitation of the First Year Orientation schedule should be voluntary, but students should be offered an incentive such as higher quality housing for their junior year in order to encourage their willingness to help.  Clearly, the Residential Assistants worked very hard to incorporate everyone into icebreaker exercises, but running a first year orientation is a daunting task that requires the participation of more students who can provide a fresh outlook regarding the experience of freshman year at Trinity College.

The most critical aspect of our proposal is the sophomore year integration program.  We believe it should be referred to as an integration program as opposed to an orientation program because the word “orientation” denotes a sense of unfamiliarity with the campus.  Clearly, the incoming sophomores do not need to be directed through the practices of a new, unfamiliar educational institution.  However, they do need to be further integrated into the campus community, constantly challenging their preconceived notions and broadening their horizons while leaving their comfort zones.  The very purpose of a Liberal Arts education is to constantly question, explore, and discover new aspects of life.  In exploring the way other colleges address the issue of encouraging students to maintain an open mind throughout their education and into their adult lives, we found through a Chronicle of Higher Education article that the University of Pennsylvania showed their incoming freshman skits designed to dramatize the conflict between black and white students that plagued the campus during the previous semester.  We believe that Trinity’s sophomore students, as part of their mandatory integration program, would benefit from skits similar to the ones performed for the University of Pennsylvania freshmen.  Additionally, these skits depicted “the side of college life you don’t get on the guided campus tour: date rape, safe sex, and, especially, the friction associated with growing racial and ethnic diversity.” [4. Christopher Shea, “Orientation at Penn,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, September 15, 1993, sec. Archives, http://chronicle.com/article/Orientation-at-Penn/92558/.] We believe that after completing one year of college, these issues will motivate the students to become vocal about their opinions, and inspire them to think about race and other issues in a new way.

In addition to the viewing of the skits, we propose that the students should be separated into randomly selected groups in which they participate in enjoyable activities such as problem solving exercises or even relay races.  The main goal of this new program is to facilitate the interaction and socialization of students who would not normally establish friendships.  These activities should be run by upperclassmen, also offered an incentive for participation.  We argue that this program should be mandatory for all incoming sophomores because the concept of voluntary participation implies that willingness for open-mindedness is also an option here at Trinity College.  When paired with the increasingly organized First Year Orientation, we argue that a sophomore year integration program will enhance not only the unity amongst the sophomore class, but also the experience of a Liberal Arts education.

After examining campus reports at Trinity, talking to Trinity sophomores and exploring orientation programs both at Trinity and at other campuses, it is clear that Trinity must refurbish their orientation program in to order to achieve their goal of a diverse and open-minded student body.  This resolution is the key to resolving race and social class cliques on campus, which are not allowing students to fulfill their liberal arts experience.  By expanding the orientation program into sophomore year, students get the opportunity to interact with fellow classmates they may not know and further understand the importance of a clique-free environment.    It is essential that this recommendation be implemented as soon as possible as the issue of cliques on campus is a fundamental problem to the overall goal of a diverse student body.

About the Authors: Lucy Robinson, from Toronto, Canada, and Christy Boyle from  Longmeadow, MA, are both students at Trinity College in the class of 2015 within the first year seminar “Color and Money.”

The admissions process is complicated and extraneous to all students. The difficult decision of choosing where to spend the next four invaluable years of school is based solely on the way people can display themselves. Criterion such as grades, standardized test scores and community service all have an impact on the decision process when looking at applications. However, many colleges and universities place a heavy amount of the decision on the conditions that many cannot control. Factors like financial status, alumni connection and racial background play a vital role in who is accepted and who is denied. As we have seen in readings and simulations in class, it is often those with advantages in these areas that are accepted over the real qualified students. Trinity College should revise its application process to enhance the consistency of applicants by evaluating students on their future potential rather than assessing them on their past. Privileged individuals do have an advantage in the admissions process. This system should be set in place to both minimize the influence that these privileges have in the final decision and evaluate the students based on their success given certain advantages. Although it may seem impossible to make a perfect system to determine who is accepted and who isn’t, there should be revisions to the current process to provide more consistency. The qualifications of an applicant should be evaluated in terms of the factors that can be controlled by students; factors that compare the success of students up until college based upon both their educational and socioeconomic background.

Similar to most colleges and universities, Trinity College searches through thousands of applications to find the most qualified and well-rounded students. To make the difficult task of determining which students should be chosen from the thousands that apply, Trinity depends on many sources of information to “try to balance the following factors when evaluating candidates for admission” (Trinity College). Trinity College states that it takes into consideration factors such as 1.) Your transcript 2.) Course selection 3.) The quality of your course loads and prefers to see that you have challenged yourself with the strongest program that you can handle 4.) Standardized test scores 5.) One (1) college or guidance counselor recommendation, as well as two (2) teacher recommendations 6.) Grades and 7.) Extracurricular activities etc (Trinity College). Despite the information given, it is unpractical for a college to look at just these factors alone, for there are other attributes that should be acknowledged. Yet, it is important to pay attention to the influence certain factors play in determining who gets admitted and what additional attributes should be viewed to make such a decision.

In discussions over the current admissions process, one controversial issue has been the validity in the admissions structure. On the one hand, some argue that the current application process provides the best indication of a student’s full potential in college. Others maintain that the current process is flawed. The general argument made by Bryan Nance in his work For a Fairer Admissions Process, Read Between the Lines, is that the current admissions process is unsound because of the indicators it uses to determine the best applicants. More specifically he argues that the system is flawed because of the heavy amount of weight placed upon the quantitative information received by schools. He states, “Although these are extremely important [grades and standardized test scores], the historic numbers-trump-all model has become increasingly outdated in its ability to assess an applicant’s true potential, especially among low-income, first-generation, and minority students”(Nance). Here, Nance suggests that the current system is inaccurate because of its inability to properly determine the future success of students. Furthermore, he mentions that, colleges and universities that use this system find more difficulties in evaluating the future potential of students that fall in the racial or economical minority. Today’s system is structured to favor the wealthier white majority that applies to higher education schools such as Trinity. Numerical evaluators will generally be higher within communities with more superior school systems and resources. Systematic changes must be made to discontinue the unequal “playing field” for applicants coming from advantageous backgrounds.

Instead of referring to standardized tests scores and high school GPA’s, the college admissions team should look at more effective indicators of a student’s potential. Teacher recommendations and the decisions for students to choose harder level courses in high school should be looked at more closely. The choice to challenge oneself portrays the work ethic needed to succeed both in college and afterwards. Connections between Trinity and all high schools should be strengthened to help build relationships between the admissions staff and the teachers of those schools. The recommendations are one of the few times in an application where students get use the opinions of other adults to describe the real identity of an applicant. These are just a few of the indicators that should be looked at more closely, over the heavily weighted numerical indicators.

Some may say that the college admissions decision is based on all contributing factors to an application. Although this may be true to a certain extent, the most important factors in an application are based on aspects that the applicant cannot control. Factors such as social status, race, legacy and early decision advantages play a huge determining role in the final decision. Applying early decision or early action to a college is a huge advantage for the student coming from a higher economic background. However, this advantage is not practical for all applicants given their financial status. In the article, The Troubling Rise in Early Admissions, Richard Kahlenberg discusses why and for whom the early decision process helps and in some cases hurts students in the admission process. Kahlenberg states, “Early decision programs are particularly unfair to low-income applicants because the binding commitment to attend a particular college eliminates the ability to bargain between colleges for the most advantageous financial aid packages” (Kahlenberg). In this statement he explains how the admissions process is unfair to students of lower socioeconomic status, while wealthier students have it easier because of early decision possibility.

At Trinity itself, the admissions staff takes into consideration these attributes when deciding who to admit and who to deny. These problems are not only here at Trinity but are occurring nationwide. At Texas A&M, the admissions staff was experiencing some of the same problems. Yet, they have made improvements by choosing to abolish the admission of legacies that have fewer qualifications in comparison to non-legacy students (Schmidt). Furthermore, factors that have to do with connections and background should be weighed less. A student’s admittance should be based on their own performance in and out of school.

The admissions process at Trinity College needs to recognize the success of students in relation to the background they come from, rather than in comparison to all the applicants in the admissions pool. Many would agree there exists a major gap between the types of educations amongst various communities. Wealthier and more affluent communities tend to yield students with greater résumés while impoverished neighborhood struggle to send a higher percentage of students to school after high school. In Derek Bok’s article Closing the Nagging Gap in Minority Achievement, he acknowledges that the problem is, “closing the gap in academic achievement and standardized test scores separating black students from their white and Asian-American counterparts. The gap is nationwide, it is substantial, and it has not diminished in the last 15 years. The task is all the more difficult because most experts attribute the gap to racial differences in child-rearing, preschool preparation, and opportunities for a quality public-school education” (Bok). Here, there is a recognized disparity between students who are raised in drastically different environments that often goes unaccounted for in the admissions process. Students are undoubtedly tested to overcome greater disadvantages when not given the proper resources to succeed like their wealthier counterparts. To level the playing field, students at Trinity College need to be evaluated based on the success of where they come from rather than in comparison to the group as a whole.

The success of students should be judged in comparison to the background in which they come from. The graph above is a model intending to display the new way the admissions staff at Trinity should view its applicants. The linear line (shown in red) is the space on the graph that predicts the average success that a student should have, given a certain opportunity level. The opportunity level is displayed using numbers from zero to one hundred (one hundred symbolizing a background with more opportunities). A higher opportunity level is computed by looking at the resources and guidance that students had throughout middle school and high school. Students that fall below the line are students that did not succeed to the potential the college would expect given the background from where they came from. On the contrary, students that lie above the line are indicators of applicants that surpassed the expected level of success prior to coming to Trinity College. It is important to emphasize the difference of a student surpassing expectations given a lower opportunity level in comparison to a student coming from a wealthier background. Trinity College should look at factors such as these to gain more understanding on the personality and character of each individual.

Our solutions to these problems are meant to fix the current inconsistencies in the admissions process at Trinity. With these solutions, come possible dilemmas such as funding and disagreement in the new evaluation system. However, the goal of these revisions is to create a new way to properly evaluate students in an equal way; to judge students on their capabilities of becoming successful in the future both at college and afterwards. Like any changes in a process, this process may take awhile to ever fully be effective. Yet, with time there can be a new and more efficient way to evaluate the leaders of tomorrow.

About the authors: James DiBlasi and Casey Tanner are two first-year students in the Color and Money Seminar. Both students come from the greater Boston area; James (Winchester, Ma) and Casey (Wellesley, Ma).

Bibliography
Admissions Staff. “FAQ.” Trinity College. Trinity College, 2011. Web. 2011.

Anne West, Hazel Pennell, and Philip Noden, “School Admissions: Increasing Equity, Accountability and Transparency,” British Journal of Educational Studies 46, no. 2 (June 1, 1998): 188-200.

Bartlett ,Tom, “Race Is a Factor in Admissions at a Third of Colleges, Survey Finds,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, October 10, 2003, Volume 50, Issue 7 edition, sec. Students.
Bok, Derek, “Closing the Nagging Gap in Minority Achievement,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, October 24, 2003, Volume 50, Issue 9 edition, sec. The Chronicle Review.

“Fall Timeline for High School Seniors: November « College Blog by Kris Hintz.” College Blog by Kris Hintz. Web. 05 Dec. 2011.

Fischer, Karin, “Unknown Factor Hampers Minority Students’ Performance in College, Study Finds,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, June 6, 2003, Volume 49, Issue 39 edition, sec. Students.

Kahlenberg, Richard. “The Troubling Rise in Early Admissions,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, Innovations, October 29, 2010, http://chronicle.com/blogs/innovations/the-troubling-rise-in-early-admissions/27737.

Nance, Bryan G. “For a Fairer Admissions Process, Read Between the Lines,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, September 19, 2010, sec. Diversity in Academe, http://chronicle.com/article/For-a-Fairer-Admissions/124444/

Sawallich, Christopher. Trinity College Chapel Hartford, CT AdmissionsBuilding, October 14 2011, http://www.flickr.com/photos/csawallich/6244617023/.<.

Schmidt, Peter, “New Pressure Put on Colleges to End Legacies in Admissions,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, January 30, 2004, Volume 50, Issue 21 edition, sec. Archives : Government & Politics.

Trinity’s campus suffers from many problems regarding race and social class, one of which is the fact that the minority students feel isolated from the every day activities on campus. The P.R.I.D.E. program at Trinity “is a program organized by the Office of Multicultural Affairs aimed at supporting students from diverse backgrounds and encouraging interaction among all first year students at Trinity College” P.R.I.D.E. offers a “three day pre-orientation program, called “The Welcome Weekend”, that helps international students and students of color become acquainted with Trinity’s physical and social atmosphere.” “The Welcome Weekend”[1] helps create a social atmosphere amongst the first year students that from the beginning of school separates the students of color from the White students.

“The Welcome Weekend” sponsored by P.R.I.D.E. is sought to do good for the incoming students at Trinity College, but in fact has caused a separation among racial minority and white students. P.R.I.D.E. is not the problem driving racial separation on campus, but rather the lack integration amongst students that is caused by “The Welcome Weekend.” The pre-orientation program helps facilitate racial division on campus. P.R.I.D.E. students have already made friends within the first three days of their pre-orientation program, similarly to how football players make friends with kids on the football team before the rest of the freshman class arrives. This gives these students a sense of community and comfort that they do not wish to break as the majority of students enter campus. The difference between “Welcome Weekend” and the football team’s preseason is that there are both racial minorities and racial majority players on the football team compared to “Welcome Weekend” that highly recommends racial minorities to participate.  Arriving to campus early, unfortunately, creates a divide amongst students that already have made friends and students that have not had the chance to make friends yet.

Imagine that you are an incoming freshman student at Trinity. In this scenario, you are part of the _________ group on campus. This particular group asks you to arrive on campus before the rest of the incoming freshman. Without having the chance to meet anyone outside of the group, you begin to form friendships in this _______ group. You start doing everything with the other members of the group. You participate in the same activities as them. You eat all your meals in Mather with them. You hang out with them during the night etc. Once all your all-fellow students arrive on campus you continue to hang out with the group of friends that you have already made because you are now comfortable with them.  In the scenario we described above, can you tell if we are talking about the football team or the racial minority students that participated in “The Welcome Weekend?” The reason that all programs, who ask students to come to school early are not being questioned is, that unlike the “Welcome Weekend”, no other program only allows “international students and students of color”[2] to participate.

When Trinity sophomore students were interviewed about how race and social class affected them on the Trinity campus the P.R.I.D.E. program was brought up and specifically the “Welcome Weekend.” Mary, who is a racial minority on financial aid on campus, spoke about “ The Welcome Weekend” and said “A feeling that I got from them (Welcome Weekend Leaders) was like be aware of the wealthier students, the wealthier white students they will treat you, it’s like there a difference between you guys.” Mary goes on to say, “We were like set up to hang out with one another (Other minority students) instead of embracing the maturity and like promoting respect, right. And of different um-different cultures, did not necessarily happen because we stuck with the minorities rather then mixing or, like getting to know other students from Trinity, or having a full on orientation.”[3] Mary’s comments about the pre-orientation program reflect the exact scenario described above. Mary’s comments are saying that the program ended up making her feel more different from the norm on campus. Mary ends her statements on “Welcome Weekend” with saying “Initially I hung out with minorities because I was too timid to approach anyone else that hadn’t participated in P.R.I.D.E.”[4]

In order to find a plausible solution to this problem of racial division on Trinity’s campus it is necessary to look at other similar institution’s orientation programs.  Amherst, a racially diverse NESCAC school, is completely doing away with its pre-orientation program. There solution might be drastic, but the president of Amherst feels that as freshman the school should “stand first for integration and secondarily for the special adjustments required by ethnicity, race, religion, nationality, or other aspects of identity[5].”  Amherst’s ideal situation with their pre-orientation might be a little extreme, but the problems arising at Trinity College throughout the years must be solved. Amherst’s solution is not the answer to the P.R.I.D.E. program, but it shows that there are barriers, in dealing with race, that we must work on overcoming [6] and the solution that Trinity is using is not working to integrate these students. Amherst has not had any notable racial issues, since they did away with a racial pre-orientation program; whereas, Trinity College has experienced multiple racial issues with the “Welcome Weekend” the way it is. In fact, similar to Amherst, Trinity cancelled  “Welcome Weekend” for the class of 2015, due to a hurricane this year and hasn’t had a notable racial problem thus far.

The dean of Yale, Mr. Brodhead, says that if “Any program powerful enough in one week to alter the way people think about things would have to be one hell of a good program.[7]” This sarcastic claim proves that all the statements made by the people in P.R.I.D.E. who wish to integrate students who are minorities coming into Trinity College can be refuted. One week, let alone three days, cannot change the way students perceive new surroundings.

P.R.I.D.E. is not a program that can be removed from the Trinity College campus, it does a lot of good to be removed, but it is something that can definitely be altered to do more good.  We feel that “The Welcome Weekend” should be removed from the program.  It is something that is causing racial separation as said by the Amherst president.  Incoming freshman need to interact with all of the students, it is what makes the college experience. Students should not be grouped with a small group of students during P.R.I.D.E., and never interact past that group because they feel so comfortable in it. If P.R.I.D.E. allows freshman orientation to play out and students to interact with peers of all races, and then they can incorporate their programs into the student’s life. “Welcome Weekend” can be replaced with meetings or gathering once or twice a week, and make them optional, yet highly recommended. With meetings during the week, this would allow for the P.R.I.D.E. program not to have to compete with the immensely popular  fraternity life.  P.R.I.D.E. should encourage a student in their program to bring a friend, not from the program, to the meetings. This would allow for a chain of new students interacting with one another not just during the first 3 days of school but rather throughout the whole year. This gives students a chance to integrate themselves, by brining friends from outside the P.R.I.D.E. program, and encouraging them to interact with one another. If P.R.I.D.E. could manage to keep their program meetings interesting, even the idea of food outside of Mather Hall would get students of all races to the meetings.

The P.R.I.D.E. program as it is right now remains a mystery to the majority of the Trinity campus. Students know so much about events like 80’s night, a popular dance ay Trinity College, but really don’t know much about P.R.I.D.E.  Removing “The Welcome Weekend” from P.R.I.D.E. will help students who aren’t racial minorities know that they are allowed to join. “Welcome Weekend” in a way has become an initiation to P.R.I.D.E. that white students don’t know they can join after the weekend is over. We feel that if students can interact with people on their own, the program will thrive mightily as the year goes on. People from all different races can come to meetings because their friends are members of P.R.I.D.E. and tell them what it truly stands for.

The P.R.I.D.E. program is not a problem regarding race or social class at Trinity’s campus. It is our belief that “The Welcome Weekend is. By removing the welcome weekend and making slight changes to the P.R.I.D.E. program will dramatically help with racial issues that the Trinity campus has.

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[1] P.R.I.D.E. Official Newsletter. Brandon Lewis.

[2] P.R.I.D.E. Official Newsletter. Brandon Lewis.

[3] Interview Transcripts

[4] Interview Transcripts

[5] Gose, Ben. “Do Minority Orientations Encourage Segregation?” The Chronicle of Higher Education, September 4, 1998, sec. Students. http://chronicle.com/article/Do-Minority-Orientations/2236/.

[6] Bartlett, Tom, and Karin Fischer. “Diversity Programs and Social Norms.” The Chronicle of Higher Education, January 19, 2007, sec. Letters to the Editor. http://chronicle.com/article/Diversity-ProgramsSocial/1867/.

[7] Gose, Ben. “Do Minority Orientations Encourage Segregation?” The Chronicle of Higher Education, September 4, 1998, sec. Students. http://chronicle.com/article/Do-Minority-Orientations/2236/.

  

The racial and social disconnect that exists between minority students and non-minority students on Trinity’s campus is due to an ineffective First-Year Program. Though the First-Year Seminar was designed to acquaint a small group of students with one another while exploring an academic topic with a faculty advisor, the development of academic skills often takes precedent over the development of camaraderie. Many of Trinity’s seminar topics are fun, but do not push students to get to know one another’s stance on sensitive topics like race and class, nor do they engage students with the campus community. With the current condition of the First-Year Program, students are not taking advantage of the opportunity to learn how to discuss the kinds of topics that affect us more than we know in a small group environment, nor are they learning what it takes to become a true, active member of the campus community. Additionally, the activities at First-Year Orientation lack transparency and fail to encourage dialogue that makes students think about the campus community in a broader sense.

As a solution, Trinity should implement more learning communities into its First-Year Program. Students would be placed into small groups and taking the same “cluster” of classes based on a shared academic interest. Research shows that other factors like a student’s area of study can shape students’ perceptions of campus climate just as much as a student’s race and social class. For students who are relatively decided about which area of study they’d like to pursue, this is an opportunity for professors to engage students in a way that accommodates the perceptions that are unique to students in that field and build upon them positively. Additionally, all students should be required to take a course—much like the “General Studies: The Campus Community” course at University of Washington—that has students study prevalent issues on campus and in the surrounding community and think about what role they must play in creating change. Additionally, as the component of the First-Year Program that has the most impact, Orientation should include more activities that address the current state of interactions between race and social class on campus, as well as encourage students to start thinking of ways to improve those relations and contribute to the development of their new community. In this way, this topic will no longer be one that is overlooked or deemed inappropriate to discuss.

Bibliography:

Timothy W. Gordon, Jamie C. Young, and Carlye J. Kalianov, “Connecting the Freshman Year Experience through Learning Communities: Practical Implications for Academic and Student Affairs Units,” College Student Affairs Journal 20, no. 2 (2001), http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com/hww/jumpstart.jhtml?recid=0bc05f7a67b1790ef8fc999322d46b

This journal article presents results from a study conducted at a university in the Midwest that suggest that students who participate in learning communities are more apt to become involved in rich ways around campus, and to excel academically.

Peter Schmidt, “Much Research on Campus Diversity Suffers From Being Only Skin Deep, New Studies Suggest,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, April 13, 2010, sec. Students, http://chronicle.com/article/Much-Research-on-Campus/65051/.

The research conducted in this article suggests that perceptions of campus climate are influenced by more than a students’ race and social class. After distributing a survey to upperclassmen, the author discovered that each area of study had similar perceptions. Thus, adding to my ideas of how race and class can be addressed most effectively in the learning communities I propose.

Christopher Shea, “Orientation at Penn,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, September 15, 1993, sec. Archives, http://chronicle.com/article/Orientation-at-Penn/92558/.

This article talks about how students and staff at the University of Pennsylvania presented prevalent campus issues related to race, social class, and dating violence to the incoming first-year class as an Orientation activity. Though its effectiveness was debated, this article inspired my idea for Trinity to incorporate more activities at Orientation that exposed students to campus culture in a more transparent way.

University of Washington, “UW Freshman Interest Groups – GEN ST 199: The University Community.” First Year Programs, 2009. http://fyp.washington.edu/figs/genst199.php.

This source provides information about “Freshman Interest Groups” at University of Washington, which are much like the learning communities I propose. This source also contains a link to the syllabus for their required “General Studies: The University Community” course, which encourages students to examine issues on campus and the surrounding community.

The events of previous years have brought to light a number of racial issue on Trinity’s campus. Many of the Minority students have felt there is a great divide between the White students and themselves. This was made all too clear last spring during the racial protests after and Black student was hit with a beer bottled and called a racial exploitative. The Campus seemed to be divided between the Minority students and a few White students that supported them, and the rest of the White community who felt the incident was an isolated incident, and was nothing more than an action by on student. There is a visible schism in the Trinity community between Minority and White Students.

There are numerous ways for us to bring the community together. Instead of having a orientation for just minority students, PRIDE could incorporate white students into the program also so that cliques don’t form composed of just minority students. The Cultural Houses could also open on weekend nights so that there are places for students to go other than the fraternities, and also help mix the Minority students and the White students in a social environment.

1. Ben Gose, “Do Minority Orientations Encourage Segregation?,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, September 4, 1998, sec. Students, http://chronicle.com/article/Do-Minority-Orientations/2236/.  Talks about whether Minority orientation programs are out dated and need to be redefined
2. Laurie Fendrich, “Let Us Orient You,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, Brainstorm, April 14, 2009, http://chronicle.com/blogs/brainstorm/let-us-orient-you/6779. Talks about the Racial Orientation at Mount Holyoke College and how it involves both Whites, Minorities, and international students
3. Tom Bartlett and Karin Fischer, “Orientation Programs for Minority Students: Segregation on College Campuses?,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, October 2, 1998, sec. The Chronicle Review, http://chronicle.com/article/Orientation-Programs-for/16783/. Argues that Minority orientation programs don’t create the divides on college, but rather incidents like racial profiling.

The Problem
1. The specific problem with race that I believe is present on Trinity College’s Connecticut campus is that race is an issue that people prefer to sweep under the rug or to keep their views silent about the issue. It seems that at Trinity and other colleges, racial-charged events have to occur before talks are even considered. People are unaware and unexposed to the sentiments of their peers on the topic such as race and as a result there is the polarization on issues that Trinity has been known to experience but also at other colleges. For example, the racist incident in which racial slurs were written on the white board hanging off of a student of color’s door. As shown in Alfonso Bui’s “Some Place i Call Home” it was not until after this event that change was demanded. I believe that we cannot wait for incidents to occur because when these incidents occur people are angry and as people choose sides many are more stubborn or less likely to speak, listen and understand each other.

My Solution
2. Race is a delicate subject and one that will make even the most composed person uncomfortable. However, people are only comfortable with what they have been exposed to regularly, what has been made a habit. I believe that the solution to the problem is that students and people at Trinity have to interact with each other about race, their own experiences and whatever else develops from that. I believe that during the academic year people should have an experience like the students who were participants in the movie Skin Deep. These meetings should have a frequency that will not irritate or deter students from participating but not so little that topics discussed are forgotten or put aside. The point of these discussions would be to make students aware of their peers on campus around them and possibly understand and adapt their behaviors to their peers. However, with dealing on the question to finding a solution the question will have to be asked?: Is conversation enough? Is expulsion to harsh? What is the proper mix of pre-emptive action and punishment for various acts?

Bibliography
Pickens, Allison. “Recent Racist Act at Trinity Provokes Campus-wide Response – News – The Trinity Tripod.” The Trinity Tripod. 26 Apr. 2011. Web. 22 Nov. 2011.
This source is from an article in the Trinity Tripod that is about the questions that were asked about how the image of Trinity will change because of this incident and actions that will be taken after it.
Diallo, Ibrahim. “Trinity Demands Zero Tolerance Policy – Opinions – The Trinity Tripod.” The Trinity Tripod. Article. 2 May 2011. Web. 22 Nov. 2011.
This source is from the Trinity Tripod and it about the demands and reactions that students had to the racist incident that occurred at Trinity last semester.
Cernera, Karisa. “School Sponsors Conversation on Resolving Racist Issues – News – The Trinity Tripod.” The Trinity Tripod. 15 Mar. 2011. Web. 22 Nov. 2011.
This source is yet another from the Trinity Tripod and is about the forum for discussion about race and social problems at Trinity that was documented in “Some Place I call Home.”
Williams, Johnny. “An Open Message Regarding Campus Racism – Opinions – The Trinity Tripod.” The Trinity Tripod. 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 22 Nov. 2011.
This source is not only about the visible symbols of racism that were put on campus property but also what a neighboring college reacted to acts of racial insensitivity on their own campus.
Ravisankar, Rejeer. “Next Step is Acceptance.” LexisNexis® Academic & Library Solutions. Jorunal Article. 12 Feb. 2007. Web. 22 Nov. 2011.
This source is about two separate incidences where racist feelings were displayed publicly at Ohio State University and the questions that were asked after those messages were seen.
Iris Films/Iris Feminist Collective., and Frances Reid. Skin deep. Berkeley, CA :: Iris Films,, 1995. Print.
This source is the fifty-four minute lone movie, Skin Deep, which is about the experience students had when students from all over the country and various racial identities sat down and talked about race.
Bui, Alfonso, and Kingsbridge Productions Video. Some Place I Call Home. Hartford, Conneticut: Kingsbridge Productions, 2007. Print.
This final source is a student- made documentary that is about the turmoil felt at Trinity College after a rash of racial incidents occurred at campus. It also followed how students felt about the incident and the actions taken by not only students but also the faculty at this time.

Ben Gose, “Do Minority Orientations Encourage Segregation?,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, September 4, 1998, sec. Students, http://chronicle.com/article/Do-Minority-Orientations/2236/.

This article addresses the issue of whether or not minority orientations are important on college campuses.  Although the article was written in 1998, it is still a very important issue on many campuses.  Further, it is interesting to note the negative sides to minority orientations as many campuses have already decided to stop these programs.

Peter Schmidt, “From ‘Minority’ to ‘Diversity’,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, February 3, 2006, Volume 52, Issue 22 edition, sec. Archives : Government & Politics.

This article was written by an author we are familiar with already, Peter Schmidt.  The article discusses the issue of college programs for minority students only.  By isolating minority students in certain programs, the idea of diversity is being lost. Specific colleges are discussed that have opened effective programs to all races without discriminating on minority students.

Christopher Shea, “Orientation at Penn,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, September 15, 1993, sec. Archives, http://chronicle.com/article/Orientation-at-Penn/92558/.

This article, although from the year 1993, addresses issues still contemporary and prevalent to 2011.  The issue of racism on campus between white and black students at the University of Pennsylvania is the main focus of the article.  It explains that the University dealt with these issues by performing skits for the younger students during orientation week.

Eric Hoover, “Keeping Sophomores in College,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, October 20, 2006, Volume 53, Issue 9 edition, sec. Letters to the Editor : The Chronicle Review.

This article, found in The Chronicle of Higher Education, addresses sophomore year retention rates, and ways in which orientation programs for sophomores can be implemented in order to be effective.

The problem we are facing on campus at Trinity College is the issue of race and social class cliques.  Most students tend to stick to a group of friends that they feel the most comfortable with, which is commonly fellow students of the same race or social class.  Further, the varying perspectives of diversity on campus makes it difficult to combat the issue.  Many white students feel as thought being at Trinity has exposed them to more diversity then they have ever seen, while students of color feel as though they are the obvious minorities on campus.  It is essential at a Liberal Arts college for students to be exposed to new things and be open to change.  Currently at Trinity, because of the cliques, students are not fulfilling their college experience.  Since students are mostly interacting with those similar to themselves, they are not learning about new cultures, places, or new experiences.

In order to resolve the issue of cliques on campus, we propose to revamp the first year orientation program, and to implement an innovative, effective second year orientation program to further integrate each student into the college community after their “new” label has worn off.  In this orientation program, students will interact with peers outside their primary group of friends.  The anticipated effect of this new program will be an increased sense of unity amongst the members of the class after the members have had a year to settle in and find their comfort zones.  These comfort zones will be pushed and expanded further in order to enhance the liberal arts college experience.  Additionally, having recently gone through the first year orientation, we have clear perspectives on what works and what doesn’t within the first week of school, and can therefore suggest new ideas in order to improve the activities.

Revised Proposal:
Trinity College—the community, the work environment, and the home of our faculty members, Professors, and students—has been long affected by issues regarding violence, hate, bigotry, racism, sexism, sexual abuse, sexual orientation, and social class. What is the main issue here at Trinity? After acclimating to Trinity’s atmosphere for the past three months, my eyes—the perception of a college freshman— see racism as the main issue on campus.
The “Color and Money” freshmen seminar has recently conducted interviews from students here at Trinity College. We interviewed fifteen sophomores—from different racial backgrounds and social classes—from the Class of 2014. At the interviews, we asked these students questions about their perceptions of race and social class at Trinity College. After finding trends and writing a six page paper of race and social class at Trinity College, I have discovered that race plays a much bigger role here on campus than social class. Students here at Trinity are equally conscious of their social class. However, race at Trinity College has a different meaning from its students. Trinity College students have experienced many different forms of racism. Acts of racism in educational institutions are controversial. Racism does not only occur in colleges, but it is also one of the main global issues. However, acts of racism are very common in small, prestigious college environments like Trinity College.
Trinity College has a program for ALL first-year students called P.R.I.D.E (Promoting Respect for Inclusive Diversity in Education). “P.R.I.D.E is a program organized by the office of Multicultural Affairs aimed at supporting students from diverse backgrounds and encouraging interaction among all first-year students at Trinity College. P.R.I.D.E is a yearlong initiative, incorporating a mix of programming and outreach from the P.R.I.D.E leaders to build a community that is helpful to all first-year students” (The P.R.I.D.E Pages pamphlet). Faculty members, professors, and students hope that this program would prevent segregation and hope that students of all races would get along. P.R.I.D.E came to existence because social life at Trinity College began to pale. Moreover, issues of gender inequality and power inequality are also what drove to create this program (Spurlock-Evans). The P.R.I.D.E program is not responsible for racial tension here at Trinity College. P.R.I.D.E students are not cause of acts of racisms on campus. Old and recent videos, newspaper, and articles where privilege students throw a beer bottle at a student of color, profanity and scribbles all over a student of color’s door, theme parties where there is exclusion did not happen because of P.R.I.D.E. However, the problem with P.R.I.D.E is that it is not promoted enough to ALL first-year students here at Trinity College. As a result, only the students of color partake in this program without the participation of most white students due to the lack of publicity. Since the majority of students in P.R.I.D.E are non-whites, it forces these non-white students to segregate themselves from white students before they start their first year at Trinity College. P.R.I.D.E starts on the Sunday afternoon before school year begins. There are not that many white students in P.R.I.D.E which is an issue because these programs will therefore only help students of color create their own group among themselves. Students who participate in P.R.I.D.E tend to only hang out with other students who have also participated in P.R.I.D.E. Since color students are the main ones that participate in this program, then they are only going to great bonds and friendships between themselves—with hardly any white students in the picture.
In Peter Schmidt’s “Diversity-Program Administrators Fear Challenges to Their Spending” in the Chronicles of Higher Education, it talks about diversity programs at University of Colorado at Boulder. There was a problem with managing expenditures on these programs. The article states that “the state’s flagship university had little idea how much money it spends promoting diversity and poorly manages such expenditures. University officials denied that they were spending any such money wastefully, but two Republican state representatives in Colorado have cited the report in calling for the state auditor to thoroughly examine the university’s diversity expenditures (Schmidt 1). At the University of Colorado at Boulder, money apparently is not used wisely to better create diversity on their campus. Moreover, the money that is not put into good use to better help the campus climate is a waste of resource, and it will not help fight acts of racism in college. Damon A. Williams, the University of Connecticut’s assistant vice provost for multicultural and international affairs, states, “I think many institutions are greatly at risk … Colleges have only in the past few years begun documenting the benefits of diversity … and while they generally can make good arguments that the diversity programs serve a valuable purpose, they have not done enough to track the money spent on such efforts and their results” (Schmidt 1). This connects to issue I brought forth with P.R.I.D.E in the beginning. The lack of publicity is not enough to get EVERYONE involved. This diversity program does serve a valuable purpose in our educational community. However, I feel that in order to prevent acts of racism, everyone—white and color students—should be involved in programs like P.R.I.D.E.
Money is a great resource that, if used wisely, can better promote P.R.I.D.E in many creative, interesting, and fun ways. Karla Spurlock-Evans, the Dean of Multicultural Affairs, states that “there are gaps in the orientation programs.” If given more resources, those gaps would be filled with more activities. Moreover, I believe that the extra resource would also help better expose P.R.I.D.E to all incoming students. Here is my solution: P.R.I.D.E has to have a different structure if given the extra resource. Moreover, every incoming student at Trinity needs to participate in a P.R.I.D.E type program to educate themselves and learn about another student’s culture. It will help open and widen white and color students’ perspectives about each other. This will hopefully diminish acts of racism on campus because all students will understand inclusive diversity. Also, during orientation week, we need to combine aspects from the P.R.I.D.E program to make orientation more beneficial for all students. More resources in orientation can help beat fraternities on campus and help get rid of acts of racism. Hopefully in the future, you will see both color and white students’ faces on the P.R.I.D.E Pages pamphlets that shows everyone promoting, respecting, an diversifying pride at Trinity College.
Bibliography:
1. Schmidt, Peter, “Diversity-Program Administrators Fear Challenges to Their Spending,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, February 2, 2007, Volume 53, Issue 22 edition, sec. Archives : Government & Politics.
2. Spurlock-Evans, Karla, P.R.I.D.E information session, fall 2011.

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,