EDLF 555, better known as Multicultural Education, is in dire need of funding. With a waiting list of over 200 people, there are simply not enough sections available to meet the high demand created by this class. It is easy to suggest creating additional sections to meet such a demand, but it not that simple. There is currently a monetary deficit, which does not allow for new teaching assistant positions to be filled for the new sections. Everyone is aware of the university-wide budget cuts that are placing clamps on many departments, but there are some courses that should not fall victim to this economical strain. Multicultural Education is one of these courses.
Multicultural Education is a course in which the topics discussed and lessons learned are immediately applicable to a student's everyday life. Such a trait is one of much value considering that there are many courses we attend here, at our University, that do not and will not apply to everyday life. Not only is Multicultural Education beneficial to students, but it is beneficial to the entire University community; a community which has been under close scrutiny over the past year for the horrendous race relations present on these grounds.
Ever since the unfortunate incidents surrounding the Student Council elections, the University has been making a conscious effort to push diversity as one of its top priorities -- the Board of Visitors has even created a new committee to oversee the diversity initiative on campus. While it is nice to talk about increasing cultural awareness and improving race relations, nothing will change until attitudes are altered and action is taken. Multicultural Education is the spark that could ignite such change. EDLF 555 is a course in which students confront their own prejudices and see how those prejudices affect their lives, the lives of those around them, and society as a whole. The course asks these students to make a conscious effort in improving their relationships with those who are of opposite race, gender or sexual orientation.
One important aspect of the race relations problem at the University is that students refuse to venture outside their comfort zones and gain new experiences. Every week, students in Multicultural Education work in groups to discuss various social problems, whether it is hate crimes, affirmative action or welfare. In these group meetings there will be a Caucasian male conversing with an African-American female or a homosexual male speaking with a heterosexual male. Not only are these students sharing their views on pressing issues, but they are interacting with people outside of their comfort zone. From week to week, students are asked to work with people they have not worked with in the past, thus broadening their multicultural experience. As weeks go on, more and more connections are being made between people of different ethnicities, religions, genders and sexual orientation; people are being exposed to different points of view, and in some cases new friendships are made.
When one does not reach outside of his or her comfort zone, he or she can easily fall victim to tunnel vision -- not seeing everything that goes on around him or her. For example, one Caucasian male was surprised to find out that a large number of minorities think that the University is a "white" school. I assume it is safe to say that he is not the only Caucasian person who would be surprised that many minorities share this same view.
One of the most influential activities in Multicultural Education is the "White Privilege Exercise." In this exercise, students are read 50 privileges and they have to record which ones apply to them. Most of the Caucasians could relate to 30 or more of the privileges, whereas some of the minorities in the classroom related to as few as a single privilege. Afterward, students expressed their astonishment that their fellow peers do not have many of the same privileges as their own. For example, the privilege to walk around a store without the fear of being harassed by a sales person; or sitting in a classroom where everyone else looks like them. Such an activity as the "White Privilege Exercise" not only illustrates to students just how alienated minorities may feel here, within our community, but also in society as a whole.
Bob Covert, the head professor of EDLF 555, does not ask much of his students or force views upon them; rather, he simply asks them to respect one another's views, beliefs and lifestyle. He wants everyone to leave his classroom having learned from others, as well as having learned about themselves. Once these students have looked within and realized their prejudices and personal beliefs, they may confront those prejudices and work toward eliminating them. With this enlightenment, they are now capable of making a positive influence on those around them who hold the same biases that they once had.
Multicultural Education is not the entire answer to solving race relations at the University of Virginia; but it is a place to start. It forces people to confront and work toward eliminating their own prejudices, in addition to exposing them to different lifestyles, races, and different thought processes. There has been talk of creating a "diversity requirement" for all students in attendance here; this course is one of the few offered at the University that could fulfill that requirement. If the University truly holds diversity in as high regard as it claims, it would provide the extra funding needed to allow for Multicultural Education to educate and unite more of its student community.
(Ulrick Casseus and Evonne Perez are fourth-year students in the College of Arts and Sciences.)
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