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Thread 3875

Thread ID: 3875 | Posts: 7 | Started: 2002-12-06

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il ragno [OP]

2002-12-06 06:24 | User Profile

Of course they'd never phrase it that way but some things speak for themselves. Now if they could only stop grading black skin on a curve, we'd be getting somewhere! (And imagine what Ujamaa or Muwekma-Tah-Ruk must smell like after a kegger....)

[url=http://daily.stanford.edu/tempo?page=content&id=9709&repository=0001_article]http://daily.stanford.edu/tempo?page=conte...ry=0001_article[/url]

Dorms with ethnic themes not ‘segregationist’

By Editorial Board last updated December 4, 2002 11:52 AM

In September, the most ethnically diverse class in Stanford history entered the Farm. Many of these students were drawn to Stanford by the University’s investment in ethnic diversity. At the same time, the New York Civil Rights Coalition published a study arguing against ethnic theme houses and other Stanford programs, calling them “paternalistic” and “segregationist.” We find the study and its conclusions highly flawed, especially given the study’s unscientific nature. The researchers — student interns from Harvard and NYU — simply looked at bulletins, course catalogs, publications and official Web sites of several universities including Stanford, without studying the programs themselves or speaking to students.

The word “paternalistic” implies that Stanford’s ethnic theme dorms were created by an overbearing administration hoping to impose its version of diversity on a reluctant student body. In fact, the movement to create the houses was mostly student-driven. Stanford’s first ethnic theme house, Ujamaa, was created in 1970 at the behest of students from the Black Community Services Center and the Black Student Union. The rest of the ethnic theme houses — Okada, Casa Zapata and Muwekma-Tah-Ruk — followed. While students, including non-minorities, can choose to live in ethnic theme houses, they are by no means forced to.

Perhaps the researchers believe that minority students are segregating themselves? But in fact, most ethnic theme houses cannot fulfill housing requests from every student, even those who “match” the theme. Therefore, many minority students who would like to live in theme houses must accept other housing. And it is very rare for a student to live in the same residence for four consecutive years — or even two or three years — given the nature of Stanford’s spring housing draw. Most students who have lived in an ethnic theme dorm have also spent a considerable part of their college lives in other housing.

Plus, 50 percent of the residents in each house are not members of the ethnicity that the house celebrates. Ethnic theme houses do provide students with a comfortable, nurturing living environment, but they also allow minority students to share their culture with those outside of their ethnic group.

There are other houses on campus that have thrived under so-called “segregationist” themes — Casa Italiana, La Maison Francaise and Yost House, for Italian, French and Spanish speakers, respectively; Naranja, for those interested in social entrepreneurship; Roth, for females; not to mention fraternity and sorority houses, open only to those in the Greek system.

Ethnic theme houses, like the houses mentioned above, aren’t meant to segregate. Instead, they are meant to bring together a group of people who have something in common, to engage in dialogue, form a community and share that community with the rest of campus. We think they add richness to the Stanford campus by celebrating diversity in an inclusive way.

Walter Yannis

2002-12-06 11:01 | User Profile

While students, including non-minorities, can choose to live in ethnic theme houses, they are by no means forced to.

I can't believe that applies to European Christians.

Walter

solutrian

2002-12-07 04:30 | User Profile

I've asked Stanford if ethinc White Christians may have such an enclave on campus. Thus far, I've received no response.

skemper

2002-12-10 01:12 | User Profile

I just got kicked off Free Repulbic for my reply to this article. I only said that if all these minorities could get their own dorms, then why couldn't whites and Christians have theirs.

kminta

2002-12-10 05:16 | User Profile

Don't you just love Political Correctness!!! :D

jay

2002-12-10 18:11 | User Profile

Originally posted by skemper@Dec 9 2002, 19:12 I just got kicked off Free Repulbic for my reply to this article. I only said that if all these minorities could get their own dorms, then why couldn't whites and Christians have theirs.

                Free Republic must mean, you can post on there for free.

-J

Robbie

2002-12-10 18:30 | User Profile

Skemper--

I just got booted off of FR about a little more than a week ago. I made the grave mistake of recognizing Israeli terrorism in Palestine, plus Jeb Bush's drug addicted daughter, among other things.