Issue Of The Week I: Color on Campus

I have academic divide; seven years as a staff member, and the last 10 years as a faculty member. Before that, I spent 3 1/2 years earning my undergraduate degree. I commend Dr. Ellis' vision as she challenges us all to take part in this historic intercollegiate dialogue on race relations. It is this generation, and the ones that follow that can make the real difference. But, you must first make contact, begin talking, and listening...to all voices.

Our campus accepts people of various nationalities, race, and color, with open arms. I'm glad that I can be in a place where everyone is treated with the same amount of respect. It is unheard of for on-campus groups to discriminate against others. If a situation does arise, however, we have a "Council on Discrimination and Harassment" who will intervene whenever necessary. We have many opportunities for people of different races to express their opinions and learn from each other. We have a Black Student Union a Latino American Student Organization and many more. This article was wonderfully written and was incredibly insightful.

I feel that it has change from a personal standview. I see that color is not really a factor becuase even teams like the rugby team in my university was all white and now more diverse students are interesting in joining

I feel there are meaningful interactions between people of color and culture on my campus. Our campus is trying to be more diverse, and we have a number of diversity and cultural groups on campus. Everyone respects one another no matter the race or culture. I feel this is the case because we all young adults of a new generation. I think racial issues are still alive because of adults from older generations because that was what they had to live through.

Issues regarding race segregation seem to be a thing of the past, at least here on my campus they are. We are being so well educated on prior racial issues throughout our college experience; it would be foolish to act upon racial discrimination because we all know how flawed that way of thinking is. I completely agree with one user's post that our interests seem to guide our social groups rather than our race. Our generation is beginning to disregard racial distinctions and realize that we are all biologically and physiologically the same. Moreover, the article was very well thought out, well written, and very intriguing. Personally, I see this National Collegiate Dialogue as a success already!

I am employed at a private university in a program that helps minority students prepare for graduate school. I am also a student at the school. There are meaningful interactions between students of different colors and cultures at our school. There are also several programs specifically to assist disabled students, students of color, and students from other countries. However, I have heard racial slurs on campus a number of times, as well. And our diversity in the student body is not always mirrored in the faculty. We have made progress, but we also need to continue to educate our campus regarding diversity, and to continue to recruit a diverse group of faculty.

I think the first thing we need to do before anything else is abolish the term "race" from this conversation. There is only one race. By giving credence to this sociological construct based on pseudoscience and superstition is merely giving us one more hurdle to negotiate in our quest for equality. This antiquated notion regarding people being of different races does nothing but exacerbate the problem of exclusivity and ethnocentrism we see on our campuses and our communities. Personally I don't think the term should be included on any forms (especially the one I had to fill out to become a subscriber to RiseUp!)
Anyone who has taken a general biology course is aware of this fact and yet we continue to identify ourselves in a way that does nothing but accentuate the very differences that we here are striving to squelch. Lets get rid of this term once and for all and in doing so, diminish this issue to it's most central constructs. Instead of asking me what race I am, why not just ask me how much melanin I have in my skin - isn't that the true intent of the question? Because in reality, I'm the same race as you.
I thought the article was a fluff piece. I don't want to "imagine" - I'm frustrated that I live in a world that strives so hard to be progressive and new and advanced yet spends so much time bogged down in mindless semantics and vanity that we can't do anything to really address this most ridiculous of all issues. And in this fact, the issue is self-perpetuating generation after generation. We've become very good at recognizing it as of late, but sadly we're not very good at actually doing anything about it. I don't know, maybe writing a few more blogs about it will fix something...

My college has about 2,000 students which really makes it hard to have much diversity at such a small campus. Most of the people on my campus are white, but there are a good number of other races, but it isn't strong enough. My high school was so completely diverse, I felt like I knew someone of every race and when I came to my college it kind of shocked me that there weren't many other races.
I feel that my generation really does not worry about the color of someone's skin and that it's their personality that is the most important, as it should be. The only thing that upsets me about my school is that most of the time each race sticks together. I find this very sad, because this is something that is in our subconscious and we don't even notice that we are segregating ourselves. I just wish/think there were more interactions with all of the different nationalities that are on my campus.

I am so thankful that I don't live in the earlier days when segregation was an issue. It hurts me to think that human beings were once treated so badly. Everyone has a meaningful background and life history.

The world today is made up of people from so many diverse backgrounds it just amazes me to be able to learn about it.

And, I agree with the writing in that I believe in our lives today that treating everyone equal will be a natural part of life.

I truly do believe that there is a certain inclusiveness among those of the same racial and ethnic backgrounds, only due to the past history of our nation and the present ideology that it represents. Unfortunately we feel familiar around people of the same race, and are able to relate and associate better with them. Different races tend to face the same struggles and the same alienation among themselves, and seems as though together can cope with the heartache that this brings. Personally, I hope that the future will only lessen these fears, and allow us as individuals to set a standard of inclusiveness that base around internal struggles and future goals instead of race.

Color issue is fading and continuous
progress is important to help heal past wounds and help the generations after us to be able to embrace each other without regarding color or culture.

On my campus the diversity is okay, there's about 41% of colored people and the rest is white. I've noticed that in our school clubs there's for the most part diversity involved, for example the Salsa club we have I mean people would expect for Hispanics or anyone coming from a Spanish background would be involved but there's a few white involved in the club which I find to be great. I guess in my generation the whole ideology of being diverse has set in just fine, it's actually something we all kind of look for instead of having everyone segregated into their own "race". It's nice to know that things have changed around a bit, but yet there's still a lot of change that needs to be done. I mean even though our campus is "diverse" I still am able to pinpoint out the groups who seem to stick around the people that have their same skin color. I also agree with one of the previous posts about how "race" is nothing but a word that society uses in order to "identify" themselves and I personally believe that's just being ignorant. We are all one race and we are no different than each other, yes we all have different skills and what not but in the end we are all the same.

On my campus the clubs that I have heard about are mostly based on merit. There are clubs like the Honor students club through the sorority, and in this club it doesn't matter what race you are because it is just based on grades.
Our campus has diversity, in fact we are accredited for it. We have the percent needed of Latinos and Asians and Pacific Islanders. But I think that just because in the governments eyes we have diversity doesn't mean that people except it. But on our campus people seem to not really care what color or race you are because I think that our generation of young adults doesn't really care about that. We are more excepting of different backgrounds because we see ourselves has one group, HUMANS.

As a college student at a relatively small private university, I have noticed that racial interactions tend to be a little more uneasy than the schools I grew up in. I attended large public schools from kindergarten through high school, and almost all of the students were of the middle-class variety. This created an exciting and diverse cultural climate throughout the schools, and by the time my classmates and I were graduates, we had become exceedingly comfortable and familiar with the variety of cultures and people that we grew up with. However, at my private university, I have noticed that races other than Caucasian are much more rare than what I was accustomed to, and in many cases, this creates a greater diversity among students of different races. In this regard, I quite often miss the racial interactions of my previous schools.

I have found that our small campus is very welcoming. Every direction you look, you can find races of all types. There does not seem to be separate groups divided solely by race. The high school I came from was very similar in the fact that we had many types of people representing places all over the world. Unlike this campus, however, these different racial groups did not branch out from their own comfort zone. I will even go as far as saying that sitting in the cafeteria or the gym, you could clearly label each section based on what skin color the group was. Whites with whites, african americans with african americans, hispanics with hispanics, so on and so forth. Walking down certain hallways or being in certain classes could be very uncomfortable if you were not the same as them. I am proud to be at such a campus that welcomes diversity, that proudly parades different ethnicities, and that strives to keep prejudice, seclusion, and disrespect non existent. I wish that my high school carried this sense of pride in of not having several different groups but one big body of students.

I attend a small private university with many international students and other different races. While for the most part there is a great sense of unity no matter the race, there are also often times I see a touch of segregation. In chapel most of the African Americans sit in one section, while others are mixed in, in some of my classes the international students all sit together and in the library the international students generally clump together. Is this because of other commonalities, or solely based on race?

It is incredibly interesting and true that humanity embraces color reflected in the world, but opposes "different" skin color, as if skin is somehow a marker that should remain a "neutral" color. It’s as if we idolize skin, believing it must be a pure, untainted symbol and when this symbol is threatened with "another" color, the dominating group rejects it as villainous or labels it as some sort of defect. It seems to me that, like change and new ideas, we are apprehensive of aspects that violate what we consider "normal"; in this case, white skin is the norm and we are fearful of embracing others of different racial and ethnic background. My campus, CSUSM, is predominantly white, as am I. I didn't realize this dominance until freshmen orientation, which not only took me by surprise, but also instilled me with disappointment. My entire life I've lived in Escondido, which is an immensely diverse city. I also went to the most diverse high school, had numerous, diverse friends, and was reared under a liberal roof; thus, I have not only adjusted to "color", but I'm fond of it as well. I’m usually ranting about the prevalence of whiteness at my school and that I wish there was more diversity on my campus. When I tell this to a white person they usually have a confused expression and ask me why I would want more diversity. It isn't simply that diversity is the "norm" for me, it is about what diversity brings with it; when collaborating or socializing with multiple minds that are culturally and racially different, more ideas and experiences are generated and generated through different lenses, allowing perspectives to broaden and open-mindedness to expand. If and when a problem arises, this multi-cultural outlook can solve it with various solutions, rather than one, limited solution. The few racial and ethnic groups that I do spot on campus are usually tightly knitted, sticking together as if they are a pack; to me, these tight packs send a message: we hide in these packs because we are different and we refuse to conform to whiteness. It seems as though groups are fearful of mingling because they are comfortable within their own groups, but mingling doesn’t mean acculturating or conforming. One can retain their identity and be a part of a mixed group. When people are separated into clusters, the campus resembles the wild; the obvious groupings of people make each group seem like a different species. CSUSM also experienced hate crimes last year, mirroring the dividedness amongst the student body. It’s seems odd for a diverse state like California to be encountering such segregation, which I guess parallels with the institutionalized segregation within our country; we are still maintaining barriers that hinder equality across racial and ethnic lines.

thinking about it as well i feel that color is new in campus as well becuase when i enter my college is predomintantly white sometimes i think is not intentionally but they see us diffrently

Out of all the schools I have attended, the one where I witnessed the most diversity was my elementary school in Japan. I think this is quite ironic because America is supposed to be the "melting pot" of nations, yet I can hardly say that we witness enough diversity in our society. Many immigrants are forced by fear and ridicule into hiding their culture. Those who are fearful assimilate to the American culture, merely blending in instead of incorporating their culture. Like many of those who commented, the schools I have attended in America have been composed of primarily white students. I attended a private Catholic high school in Del Mar where I saw the least diversity. Most of the colored students would group themselves with those who were associated with their culture. In Japan, I went to an elementary school composed of students from everywhere around the world. There was no segregation or grouping based on color. This showed me the true definition of "melting pot" because everyone felt safe to express their culture. The use of color in this article was a very good metaphor that shows us the importance of seeing the beauty of color not only in our natural surroundings, but in each other.

I think in high school would have to be where the student and faculty was most diverse. Our school was mostly divided into those group as well. I feel that it was like that because, they probably felt more comfortable with people who more like them, with their culture, their language. i think they felt could relate more to a person of their race and ethnicity that outside their race. I agree with Ms. Ellis by the fact that if the world it was natural that when we see someone, it is not because of their skin color but by who they are. I believe that the world would be better off. We are all human, same body, same mind, same arms, legs, eyes, nose, but different color. We have so many things that are similar but because of one different thing, we go crazy.

This is my first semester on this campus and I am taking this Race class and a Diversity class which is making me notice more things that never occurred to me before. As far as race on this campus, well, we are a diverse campus. I like it that way. Imagine walking around with only one race, i will use white...it would just be so boring. We learn from each other. Even if we don't know it. Just offering this class is so great because I have a more in depth view on the history of so many different races and their struggle to be here and their fight for equality and fitting in. Something that is still happening today. White people don't and won't understand the full capacity that people of color feel, go through, went through and strive for. They can't. It's like a man trying to understand what it's like to be a woman. We need to use our diverse campus as a tool of communication and understanding to open our minds and hearts and realize how lucky we are to be on this campus together.

This was a very unique article to read and it was insightful reading how different colors in society make wonderful things and make everyday wonderful and inspirational. It’s very true that we indulge in colors when it comes to our clothes as well as our homes. When the skin of a person is of a color non white, people get nervous and scared when conversation is taken. This goes with the notion of white space and how white people feel comfortable talking among themselves but uncomfortable when minorities are present. People who speak, dress, and act different than the elite norm, are viewed as contemporary citizens of society and ultimately distinguished as part of a lower class.

I feel that race on our campus isn't as big of a deal as other colleges. It seems that our campus is really big on ethical values and equality. I'm currently in a racial inequality sociology class right now and I know I mix well with other races in our class and it seems that everyone gets along. We all want to see the racial divide close down more and more even though it happens very slowly. I really liked this article. Everyone needs to realized that we are all more alike then most people believe. I was just learning in my other class that any two humans are more alike than any two gorillas. Not sure if I mentioned that before or not but I find it so interesting. Whether they be a black and a white person or a hispanic and asian they all have the same genes. That would be amazing if every human was treated the same for buying homes or getting into schools etc...but it seems that would be nearly impossible for us to achieve to treat everyone as equals.

I like how they first talked about how we all, humans, even of different race loves colors and when it comes to people it's the total opposite. I never thought of that. I think at my high school was where I saw this a lot. At my high school there was a lot of different minorities, you got your whites, asians, mexicans, blacks, we were all there. But the thing was that they all hung out with their group. I don't think it was because they were races, because it was a pretty peaceful school, but I think it was because they felt more comfortable with their own group, which shows that we are still struggling with breaking down the barrier of color. We need to start thinking of the inside instead of the color on the outside, but if we do see color, think of it as beautiful, like the rainbow, it's beautiful because of the many colors. The world would be so boring and ugly if it was only one color, I mean look at how much we love our colored television, do you want black and white TVs again? I also like the part where they talk about having no laws because all the respect we have for one another would just come naturally. I wish that could happen. We need to cherish the fact that we're all different then complain and criticize about it.

I never really took the time to break down everything around is, is filled with colors. I never broke down that everything around is we appreciate it, and we appreciate these things based off colors sometimes. Like plants in nature, painted rooms, clothes we wear, and even our cars. We really do appreciate colors on everything around us except when it comes to people’s skin colors. If you are “colored” that is the wrong way to be, according to society now and even our society’s history. That has never changed; I just find it really hard to comprehend this. How do we appreciate all colors when it comes to anything but skin colors? Also one thing I have to disagree with is that we must become one as a society but at the same time recognize all the races and their experiences. If we don’t we would be practicing colorblindness which is just another form of racism. So becoming one peacefully as a nation, we still need to understand that even though we all bleed red, an African Americans experiences in life will always be similar to another African American and not a Mexican American. Same goes for all the minorities in this society. We still need to embrace this trait, especially if we want to ever embrace the different colors.

When it comes to color in human beings, we shun and discriminate against each other. I could not agree more with these sentences. “ We welcome the richness of color into every aspect of our lives,except when it comes to the color of other human beings- that is. When it comes to people, suddenly different colors and shades provoke closed-mindedness rather than openness, fear rather than friendliness, oppression rather than freedom, and the baseness within us rather than the beautiful.” I do not understand the mind of somebody who judges people on their skin without knowing their personality. I am proud to say that St. Bonaventure has a mix of people in each group. I walk around and see African Americans with whites, Indians and Muslims with each other and then when a sporting event like the basketball games are going on, we all merge into one group, the student section, to cheer on our team.

On my campus most of the color students is in some type of sport, mostly of them are in football. I'm a color guy and I look like I'm on the football team but I'm not. I spin a flag for the half times shows at the games. I have been spinning for 8 year now. When I step onto that field and I do what I do and I step off of the field there are so many people coming up to me in shocked that I spin a flag. I'm this big tall black guy on the field. It's really funny. I decide to pledge a club on campus this year. I was kinda afraid because there were only 1 black member and another black guy pledging with me. So I thought there would be some favoritism going on in the club but there wasn't. We both were very comfortable in the club. Once we got in we got so many eyes and people staring at us like they have never seen black guys in club. On our campus we don't have many black professor on this campus but we do have them and they are joy to have here. When I am in need I can go them and get help and guidance from them. But there will be color every where on campus. But I'm glad that I attend a campus that we are not being judge like other schools. Professors here wants us to succeed in life and be the best that we can be in our career.

On my campus most of the color students is in some type of sport, mostly of them are in football. I'm a color guy and I look like I'm on the football team but I'm not. I spin a flag for the half times shows at the games. I have been spinning for 8 year now. When I step onto that field and I do what I do and I step off of the field there are so many people coming up to me in shocked that I spin a flag. I'm this big tall black guy on the field. It's really funny. I decide to pledge a club on campus this year. I was kinda afraid because there were only 1 black member and another black guy pledging with me. So I thought there would be some favoritism going on in the club but there wasn't. We both were very comfortable in the club. Once we got in we got so many eyes and people staring at us like they have never seen black guys in club. On our campus we don't have many black professor on this campus but we do have them and they are joy to have here. When I am in need I can go them and get help and guidance from them. But there will be color every where on campus. But I'm glad that I attend a campus that we are not being judge like other schools. Professors here wants us to succeed in life and be the best that we can be in our career.

Its amazing the things I've learned about race from my race and ethnic relations class my first semester at CSU San Marcos. I'm aware now that white privilage has allowed me to not really think about race while people of color think about race in their everyday lives. From what I've seen our campus is very diverse. I think for there to be more meaningful interactions between students of different colors we frist need to create "safe space". People of color need to feel safe to express their experiences. And that may mean excluding white students at first and then enculding them when student of color feel safe or confortable.