It's one thing to create an advocacy program for minority students. It's another thing to define who qualifies as a minority. And therein lies the source of a spirited debate.

By Maddy Hamlin & Bianca Zaharescu
Gargoyle staff reporter & senior editor
Posted Friday, Nov. 17, 2006, The OG, news

[Note: For Part 1 of this story, click here.]

SO WHO IS the “minority”?

“When I thought of this job, I knew that something for minorities was needed, but I realized that it would be a really complicated issue in terms of defining who a minority is,” explained Liz Reese, who founded Uni's new minority student advocacy program and heads it with fellow senior Sharajonnie Adams.

She elaborated on why she decided on African Americans, Native American Indians, and Hispanics: “The reason that I chose these three was because I felt that those three races would have the most in common socioeconomically, culturally, and in terms of the issues they would bring to the table. Historically they've all three been treated quite similarly, especially by the government and in terms of the civil rights movement and stuff like that.”

Another factor in the decision process for Reese was whether the “minorities” she represented would be solely racial minorities.

“I'm not including religious minorities, because once I start expanding the circle, more and more groups are going to want to be included and I don't want to turn this into something that half of the school is included in and ends up being meaningless,” Reese said. “I really want a tight-knit group of people.”

Reese made this choice because she believed it would be beneficial to everyone.

“I think if you look at all of these different minorities, that all have such different issues, then I think that putting them all in one pot isn't probably going to help anybody,” she said.

The debate: Inclusion or exclusion?

Reese expected her program to be controversial.

“I figured that if you were to look at lots of different minority groups, wherever I draw the line, the people just to the other side of it are going to be mad because they're not included,” she stated.

Reese saw the exclusive nature of the group as a necessary though unpleasant sacrifice she needed to make.

She explained: “The theory behind drawing a line at all is this idea that in order for minority students to face minority issues … the most helpful place for them to expose and deal with all that is through other minority students who can empathize with their situation, not just people who will be like, ‘I'm sorry, that really sucks,' people who can be like, ‘That happened to me last week,' and that's the shoulder I personally would rather cry on.”

The Uni High community's reaction to the new advocacy program lives up to and exceeds Reese's expectations. We were able to talk to a wide range of students and were exposed to many different perspectives on the program and the questions it raises. However, many of the students we talked to insisted on anonymity, demonstrating the prevailing sensitivity with which the topic of race is still addressed today.

During an informal but heated lounge discussion between a group of seniors regarding the formation of this group, Eleanor Unsworth laid out her views, saying, “My thought is that it shouldn't necessarily be their place to label minority students but that they should create instead a group that says, ‘If you feel like a minority student and that affected your experience at Uni, then come and talk about this.'”

This concern echoes throughout the Uni community. Sam Smith, the supervising teacher for the independent study taken by minority student advocates (from here on referred to as MSAs) Reese and Adams, understands that this is a valid source of potential conflict.

“Someone who we may identify as being ‘X' may not want to be identified as being ‘X' or may not even identify as being ‘X,' so the question of racial and ethnic identity is very, very complicated,” he said.

Senior Emily Kamm expressed concern over the exclusive nature of the group.

“Just what strikes me the most is the fact that Pacific Islanders, Asians, and especially those of Middle Eastern or Arab descent are being eliminated from the program,” she said. “I think that in our current political climate Middle Easterners are just as vulnerable to discrimination and racial profiling, and if those are the types of issues that this group is going to be addressing, then I think they should be included as well.”

Director/Principal Kassie Patton commented on the structure of the program. She said that she agreed with Reese and Adams' choices so far. She added, “Middle Eastern students could be considered a minority, but I don't know that we've looked at them as having the same kinds of lack of access as other groups.”

Some members of the Uni community view the issue differently. Biology teacher David Stone believes that even if all racial minorities were somehow encompassed in the minority student advocacy program, balance would still not be achieved.

“Here in East Central Illinois, diversity is more than race,” he commented. “Economic, location (rural), divorced families, more traditional families, kids who have gay parents — it's nice to have a variety. This isn't the way things would have been thought about 20 years ago, or it may have been looked at more narrowly [in racial and ethnic terms], and that was it.”

It seems that a major point of tension arises over the terms used by the group. Senior Devin Johnson asserted that if the participants are limited to only those three racial groups, “[Reese] can't call it ‘minority' student group.”

In response to this idea Reese said, “Now I do realize that maybe the name was a bigger issue than I thought it was initially, and I overlooked that, but those things will come out when I have more time to look over some of the little mistakes that maybe I have made.”

However, she and Adams still maintain that everyone at Uni has the opportunity to have a separate support group.

“Complaining is not going to help,” Adams asserts. “If you want something done, you need to do it. If you feel like you want a support group for the people who are like you, go ahead and make it. If you want to see things done, you have to do it like Liz did. She wanted to see this made and she went to Kassie, she had a discussion, and we're here.”

Other students, although still thinking critically about the program, are willing to accept Reese's decision as to which three minority groups she would include.

“My problem is not with the fact that it's those three groups and I'm not included so I feel offended,” senior Devika Bagchi explained. “But I want to understand what the issue is; I want to be able to help.”

Reese clarified the idea behind the program.

“We're trying to help Uni diversity by uniting the school so that all of the different minority groups, not just these three, can work together to help encourage acceptance and tolerance in the school,” she explained. “You don't have to be of [a certain minority group] to make a difference.”

Another debate: Should MSAs be paid?

Another major point of controversy surrounds the payment of the MSAs for their services to the school. Both Reese and Adams receive $7 per hour for the hours that they work, five a week in total (the money comes from a special part of the Uni budget designated for student workers). The two girls work in Room 110, the office that is shared by peer college counselors.

Senior Emily Kamm commented: “The PCCs [peer college counselors] provide juniors and seniors with support all the time. The subbie buddy and transfer buddies do the same thing. And all these groups are working hard to make Uni a more open place and a place where everyone feels comfortable. I think it's inequitable that only one position gets paid. I think it should be all or none.”

When asked about her offer to make the position a paid one, Patton responded: “The PCC and subbie buddy positions have been in place for a long time and have always been seen as a service to the school.”

She explained that because the PCCs and subbie buddies are volunteers, the possibility of paying them never really occurred to her.

“This new initiative is part of a new big goal, and so putting money to it was one way to show how important it is to us,” she said. “We pay students to shelve books, collect attendance, and do some pretty menial tasks, so it is certainly worth it to pay students who are creating such an important opportunity for other Uni students.”

In fact, the Minority Student Advocates have started several new initiatives since the beginning of the year. Besides for hosting a potluck for their target group, they are also collaborating with a local elementary school, working to plan a Chinese New Year event with senior Ben Fu, the leader of Asian-American club, and they are also trying to revive Uni Multi Ethnic Club.

Next in Part 3: Looking to the future. Click here for article.