Simeon McMillan | Playing the activism card

I hope the Tibetan monks don't plan to write to The Daily Pennsylvanian anytime soon to protest Chinese rule because apparently some of our readers aren't too sympathetic to diplomatic, non-militant forms of activism.

The Penn chapter of the NAACP has been idiotically criticized this week for its push for long-overdue renovations to DuBois College House. In fact, it'd be ludicrous for them not to be involved. How would you respond if your grandfather's honorable name was synonymous with the ghetto of on-campus housing?

"W.E.B. DuBois was a founder of the NAACP .of course we would take issue with [the building's condition]," said Heather Wilson, College junior and president of the Penn chapter of the NAACP.

All this was in response to last week's article about administrators and students meeting to set a timetable for DuBois renovations. Despite the civil discourse, the NAACP's involvement in the matter was labeled by anonymous posters as "reactionary", "ridiculous" and an example of playing the "race card".

One reader posing as everyone's favorite 1930s racist caricature "Buckwheat," even posthumously added an "Otay!" to the discussion for good measure.

Fortunately, most student criticism is far more benign, at least when forced to go on the record.

While in support of renovations, Wharton sophomore Jordan Halpern-Leistner said, "there are probably other issues [the NAACP] should worry about. Fellow classmate Nikhil Marathe, also in support, described it as "a bit weird" for the NAACP to address what he saw as a "facilities issue."

To get to the bottom of this, I decided to do the unthinkable and actually make several visits to DuBois before forming an opinion.

"Based on what I have seen in the meetings and heard in discussions of the project, the 'race card' has not been played," said College sophomore and DuBois resident Eric Augenbraun, who happens to be white.

"[DuBois] would need renovations regardless [of] the race or ethnicity of its residents."

Considered by many to be the "black dormitory" on campus, the building's true racial composition is as opaque as a closed bag of skittles. Since there are no official University statistics on the matter, one can never know for sure. But after walking through the halls and glancing at door signs, unless the last names Yang, Singhal and Ramirez are new ethnicities of Nigerian, it's safe to say the house is more diverse than people give it credit for.

Much of the confusion around the NAACP's involvement seems to stem from common misconceptions about the organization. While the group is most famous for its involvement in the Civil Rights movement, it often addresses all issues pertaining to the community it represents.

From organizing voter registration to sponsoring AIDS testing, the NAACP does much more than raise a fuss when a washed-up former Seinfeld actor decides to go on a racist tirade.

Still, some students wonder why DuBois, the smallest dormitory, deserves special consideration.

After all, they're far from the only college house in need of an extreme makeover. The freshman penitentiary known as Hill College House has long been engulfed in a civil war between its mice and cockroaches. During the winter months, fighting becomes so ravenous that the current squabbling in the Democratic party pales in comparison.

While real, the woes of other decrepit dormitories don't make the NAACP's advocacy for DuBois any less legitimate.

"We are paying the same amount to live here as in the high rises, yet our amenities are not the same," said Wilson.

At a time when too many student-run clubs are accused of being little more than resume padding, at least the NAACP is willing to speak up on a matter unavoidably intertwined with its legacy.

And while there may be no place for activism in China, it will always have a home in DuBois.

Simeon McMillan is a Wharton senior from Baldwin, NY. His e-mail is mcmillan@dailypennsylvanian.com. Common $ense appears Thursdays.

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