THE UNIVERSITY has the phrase "we envision a community of understanding, tolerance and respect" emblazoned across its Diversity Web site. But what is this community and who makes it up? As the noted by the lead editorial "Seeing all colors" on April 6 that referenced remarks made at the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM) Opening Ceremonies, the University does not see all colors when dealing with racial diversity, but only two.
The creation of the Asian Pacific American Studies minor is an example of the University's slowly evolving understanding of diversity. The members of the future community will get the opportunity to learn about the significance of Asian Pacific Americans (APA) in academics and the history of America. We now have the minor due to the hard work and intense lobbying of students and professors over the past 10 years.
But two questions remain: Why did it take 10 years? Why did it take extreme pressure and lobbying by the Asian Student Union and the APA community? These questions are not only reflections on the academics of the University but also its definition of community. The President's Commission on Diversity and Equity and the Racial Incidents Reporting Committee are examples of the University's skewed understanding of diversity.
In the creation of the CODE report, the APA community was largely ignored and misrepresented. Assistant Dean of Students Daisy Rodriguez, whose secondary responsibility is to advise the entire APA community, was never approached about the issue. In the executive summary of the report, APA concerns and groups are only mentioned three times. And when we are mentioned, a clear misunderstanding and unfamiliarity with our organizations becomes apparent. For example, the report recommends funding the Asian Leaders Council as if it was an independent organization rather than a subset of the Asian Student Union. In the list of the commission's co-chair meetings, there is only a single meeting that can be understood to deal directly with issues of the APA community. Rather than being administrative outreach, this meeting was student-initiated.
The Racial Incidents Reporting Committee, the committee that will shape University policy on reporting hate crimes, included no representatives from the APA community -- the largest minority group on Grounds and one that is just as affected by hate as all others, from being called "Osama" at a football game to "chink" on the Corner. All of this occurred while members of the APA community -- both faculty and students -- expressed interest in becoming part of the Committee.
These examples and others necessitate a question: Does this University only look at race as black and white? Is this the "community of understanding, tolerance and respect?" A community in which the entire APA community is officially advised by one administrator, a single assistant dean? One in which the Hispanic and Latino community does not even have a full-time administrative advisor?
One need only look at the University's Diversity Web site and the picture it presents. It is said a picture is worth a thousand words. In this picture you see only African-American and Caucasian students. Where is the largest minority group on Grounds? Where are the Asian American students? We hear the University's message of diversity and acceptance, but what we see is an incomplete picture. Out of the sight, out of mind -- the "invisible" minority, the ignored minority.
The University's vision of diversity must be completed by expanding resources and services to all minority communities. This should not take away from currently existing programs but must build on the foundations they created. The above examples of the institutionalized black-white binary understanding provide opportunities to reflect on the University's definition of diversity and how it influences every aspect of university life. In every example above, students have shown their willingness to reach out to the administration to foster a more inclusive community. We must now hold the administration responsible for its narrow focus. We must use this awareness of the University's past policies to realize that this picture they show is in reality unfinished and incomplete.
Enrico Castillo is a fourth-year student in the College and the former vice president for administration of the Asian Student Union. Navdeep Singh is a third-year engineering student and the former vice president for organizations.
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