Last quarter, amidst all the issues surrounding Western’s budget problems, President Bruce Shepard sent out a campus-wide e-mail concerning the “positive developments” about the issue of diversity at Western.

According to the e-mail, slightly more than 25 percent of freshman applicants were members of an ethnic or minority group in fall 2008— a 7 percent increase when compared to fall 2007 and an increase of more than 20 percent when compared to the student enrollment statistics from 1980. The diversity statistics were based entirely on race, but does not include other groups associated with a diverse community, such as sexual orientation, socioeconomic status and religion.

While it seems evident that Western’s student body has become more diverse, a lack of interaction among the various ethnic groups outside of the classroom negates the whole point of having a diverse student population, according to a study by Western sociology professor Glenn Tsunokai.

“One aspect is that [the statistics in Shepard’s e-mail] are simply numbers,” Tsunokai said. “If there is no connection [among students], then diversity isn’t necessarily anything meaningful.”

It is within the classroom environment, Tsunokai said,  where any form of diversity makes for more a more dynamic setting and more lively discussions.

In 2007, Tsunokai conducted a survey of 244 Western students. The survey found 20 percent of white students said they had attended an Ethic Student Center (ESC) event, as opposed to 40 percent of non-white students who said they had. Tsunokai said the occurrence could be explained by the social phenomenon known as self-segregation.

Tsunokai defines self-segregation as a physical or cultural separation that results in people not knowing other people’s experiences.

“The survey I conducted found that white students were much more hesitant to attend ESC sponsored events,” Tsunokai said. “There was a fear that they may say the wrong thing. The white students also assumed that the name of the club, like the Black Student Union, meant that the club was only for black students, which is not the case at all.”

To address the issue of self-segregation, the Latino Student Union (LSU) , Black Student Union (BSU) and the Mixed Identity Student Organization (MISO) hosted a lunch time discussion titled, “Why Are All the White Kids Sitting Together?” on April 8, as part of Education, Civil Rights and Activism Week.

“We got together to raise awareness,” said Western senior Maria Seguinza, co-coordinator of the event and LSU member. “We all self-segregate. If we don’t expose ourselves to other cultures, we become closed minded ,and we miss all the values and stories that people have to share with us.”

The event was well attended, filling a 50-60 person room to full capacity with attendees from many of the ethnic groups represented in the statistics. A documentary called “People Like Us: Social Class in America,” which helped introduce socioeconomic segregation in American high schools, was shown.  After the film, Seguinza initiated a group discussion among the attendees concerning how self-segregation relates to the ideas discussed in the film.

“Take a look at yourself now,” Seguinza said to the attendees, as they looked at the people sitting at their table. “We are all guilty of some form of self-segregation.”

Many people seemed to be sitting with their friends, and it may be just a coincidence, but in many cases those people’s friends tended to be of the same race.  

“Do race and ethnicity play an important role in choosing who you surround yourself with?" Seguinza asked.

It is natural for a person to gravitate to something that makes them more comfortable, which includes having friends who may have similar life experiences, such as race, gender or sexual orientation, Tsunokai said.

One ESC member stood up after the question was asked and said it is important to have friends who are of the same race because it is important to know one's culture, but it is just as important to know other people’s cultures.

“Knowing other people’s cultures makes you a well-rounded person,” Seguinza said. “It’s about bettering yourself and bettering others in the process.”

Western junior Josh Foley helped organize the event as a member of the Queers and Allies for Activism club .

“You have to use your voice,” Foley said. “You have to educate people and stop the perpetuation of stereotypes.”

Outreach is one way the ESC is trying to integrate with the rest of campus, ESC coordinator and activities adviser Michael Vendiola said.

“The goal of the Ethnic Student Center is to give space on campus to ethnic minorities, so they have a sense of identity on campus,” Vendiola said. “But after that space is built, it gives those minorities the space and confidence to reach out to other communities.”

It is the responsibility of the majority to not just embrace the culture on a primary level, like going to a celebration, but to go deeper, Vendiola said.

“A lot of universities struggle to get past that base level of diversity,” Vendiola said. “Diversity is more than just numbers and race. Classifications limit the definition of what diversity is. Diversity is a social justice effort. Going deeper means institutional change, representation in the curriculum.”

While the ESC feels pressure to host celebrations and events, hosting the events is also an empowering experience for the clubs, Vendiola said. But the clubs need be cautious as to not limit themselves to only those events.

“Sometimes there is a feeling among a minority that they have to be the teachers of their culture, like a spokesperson” Tsunokai said. “While other groups don’t necessarily have that sense of responsibility.”

But outreach is a two-way street. Since Western has a 76.5 percent white population, the responsibility to end self-segregation lies in the hands of the majority also, Tsunokai said.

“It’s important for a majority group to realize everyone’s experience is not universal,” Tsunokai said. “It shouldn’t be the minority’s responsibility to defend and validate their life experiences.”

Despite the strides Western has made to improve diversity, the white student body is still much higher than at the University of Washington, where the white student population makes 52.5 percent of the student body. But when one considers the 90.2 percent white population of Whatcom County, Western looks pretty diverse.

“Diversity makes us stronger,” Shepard wrote on the Web site.  “Open acceptance of differing viewpoints and perspectives is integral to higher education and is at the center of learning and knowledge.”

The purpose of having diversity is to bring a broader perspective to a community, which in turns enriches the intellectual development of the community, Vendiola said.

“We don’t talk a lot about race relations in lower education, like elementary school,” Tsunokai said. “I think awareness needs to be raised much earlier in education. Children 3-4 years of age can process information regarding race, but usually they just get their information from the media, which is often distorted.”

The impetus for creating a truly diverse campus community lies not on the university, but on the individual, Seguinza said.

“It’s about trying to see all the ways in which we are connected,” Vendiola said. “There are common issues and challenges that many people face. That’s usually the way that change occurs. When different organizations collaborate with each other and share an issue or challenge.”

 

Comments (1)

Posted by stiguy, on Apr. 14, 2009 10:40PM President Shepard continues to provide surface level lip service with no depth to his statements besides deceiving diversity numbers. While there are numerous opportunities for diverse backgrounds to interact, very few are as powerful as sports (intercollegiate or otherwise). When Shepard made the premature decision to eliminate football, he also made the decision to eliminate the most utlilized opportunity for the student population to work with and understand different ethnicities while working toward a common goal. While university P.R. attempts to work the numbers on their diversity statistics, the fact of the matter is that the African American poplulation just took a significant hit at WWU. In making this decision, President Shepard did not consult his Special Assistant to the President for Diversity Issues until after the decision had been made. He also did not consult with the Dean of Students until after the decision was made. Both of these university administrators also happen to be African American. Amdist the budget crisis for higher education in the state of Washington, this issue has been swept under the rug. I would encourage everyone to ask more questions, and to challenge the decisions that our inexperienced President is making in a time that most (including him) have not seen before. My example of athletics is just one of many opportunities for the diversity of WWU to thrive. However, the point remains the same. Lip service from our new president is one thing, walking that walk is much different. Report

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