Minorities debate their role in U. segregation

Recent discussions of race relations at the University have focused more and more on the issue of segregation. And this year, the administration put forth a major effort to address segregated housing by implementing programs to further the integration of students. But many minority students said segregation is a construction of the University itself. They indicated that the University needs greater participation by the individuals who complain about the lack of diversity. Engineering and Wharton junior Marjorie Janvier said she feels the real issue lies with students who are unwilling to discuss their ignorance of other cultures. "It's all hush, hush here," Janvier said. "Rather than throwing it under the covers by getting everyone together forcefully -- students should admit to their lack of knowledge about other cultures and discuss it." Engineering junior LaShanta Johnson voiced similar thoughts. "In the end people are going to do what makes them the most comfortable," Johnson said. "Putting me in an all-white community is pointless- -- it won't change the differences that make me seek out my own culture." College sophomore Meisha Thompson referred to a Daily Pennsylvanian column that questioned why black students segregate themselves. "We don't stick together any more than other students do," Thompson said. "Why should [W.E.B. DuBois College House] be pinpointed as an act of segregation? It's not our responsibility to educate the white community at the University about our culture." College senior William Walton echoed Thompson's sentiments. "I'm tired of hearing from white people, 'blacks don't participate in our groups', " Walton said. "It should be a give and take on both sides." Walton said he believes that overcoming racial differences is a highly individualized decision that a person must be aware of constantly. "Why do student groups handing out flyers on Locust Walk make assumptions about who will come to their event?"Walton questioned. "It's about time we realize that people should be open to participation in unfamiliar circles." Walton said it is particularly important that group leaders address stereotypes that hinder students . He added that students need to understand that they are capable of taking action to make a difference. Greenfield Intercultural Center Director Lawrence Burnley said he believes that the idea of self-segregation originated with whites who aimed it at minority students. Burnley explained that an individual should be responsible for putting himself in a cross-cultural situation. "Students who are not minorities at this University have to make a choice to leave their comfort zone," said Burnley. "Minority students don't have the luxury of that choice." Burnley said he believes the obsession with the issue of self-segregation at the University came from a fear of people who secluded themselves in their own groups. "If people have an interest in getting to know other people, they should focus on the choices that are preventing them from having a more racially and ethnically diverse experience at the University," he said. Despite Burnley's belief that the individual needs to make a personal effort, he said he does think the University has a responsibility to create opportunities for students to move beyond their comfort zone. "We could have core classes with literature that critically reflects the intellectual discourse of all peoples," he said. "That way people would be put in a classroom setting to hear and understand the experiences of others."

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