MICHAEL BELMONT
Gargoyle senior editor
Posted Thursday, Feb. 8, 2007
Opinions

I AM ONE of the editors who wrote this editorial. While we should have taken more time to review our work to ensure it conveyed our message clearly, I can't apologize for the general stance that we took. Some of the undertones of our words were unintended, but we still have the right and responsibility to express our views.

One paragraph in the editorial that has received a lot of negative response is the following: “The most controversial debate at Uni this year arose because of a perceived need by some students for a minority student advocate position to support what they felt was a lack of sensitivity toward their experiences. While Uni's underrepresentation of certain minority groups is a serious issue that must be addressed, we can't agree that Uni's underrepresented minorities have faced significant obstacles gaining acceptance into the school's community.”

This paragraph isn't intended to say that Uni's underrepresented minorities haven't faced difficulties in general that other Uni students may not completely understand. Nor is it intended to say, despite what the wording may seem to imply, that the discomfort felt by some of these students isn't valid or legitimate. What we meant is simply that, based on our day-to-day observations, the school has generally demonstrated a spirit of inclusiveness and respect toward underrepresented minorities.

In fact, I would argue that to separate “underrepresented minorities” from the main body of students and staff that I refer to as “the school” in the paragraph above is to misrepresent the substantive dynamics of interracial interaction at Uni. Every day, I see Native Americans, Blacks, and Hispanics participating fully in the school's social and academic framework. Those of us who don't fall into this racial category see the individuals who do as classmates, teammates, friends, acquaintances, etc., and nothing more or less.

Another controversial statement seems to be the following: “The minority student advocates shouldn't have a tough time creating a ‘climate that is comfortable and conducive to the academic and social well-being' of underrepresented minorities, or ‘promoting multicultural awareness and positive social action by all members of the Uni community' — these are characteristics that Uni already has. The program can and should probably focus more on recruitment of underrepresented minorities.”

I am the author of those words. I understand that this opinion is not shared by everyone, and apologize for effectively trivializing other points of view, but the purpose of an editorial is to express the thoughts of the editors, and this was a fitting description of Uni as we see it.

With that said, it is wrong to assume that those of us who aren't “underrepresented minorities” at Uni have never had experience as “underrepresented minorities” in other settings. A large proportion of Uni students, including a sizable contingent of Gargoyle editors, have been in this situation before as well. My personal example is no more important than anybody else's, but it's the only one I have the authority to give.

I am Chinese-Jewish. For years I have played for a club soccer team, and for most of that time I have been the only Asian player. That fact hasn't at all impacted my experience. I am lucky that my teammates have always judged me based on who I am, and not on what my ethnic background is.

It is our sincere hope that some day Uni's underrepresented minorities will cease to be underrepresented, and that they will all feel as comfortable and welcome in the school as those who aren't part of these groups intend for them to feel.

Most of us think the minority student advocate program should continue to exist in some form, but we have, and are entitled to have, our own opinions as to which of the self-professed goals of the program are in most need of attention. A support group for underrepresented minorities, or any minority group for that matter, could easily exist as a student club with leaders who aren't on the school payroll. A role in recruiting students from groups underrepresented at Uni seems to us more appropriate for a paid minority student advocate position.

This editorial was about more than race, though, and there are plenty more comments we would like to respond to. We will address these, both as individuals and as a staff, shortly.

Don't stop commenting if you feel strongly, or spare us from any response you may have had. We promise that no matter what anybody says, none of us will cry, as one comment suggested we might.