This is the first installment in a five-part series looking at race dynamics among undergraduates. Tomorrow's story will look at race dynamics within cultural groups and how these shape attitudes toward race.
More than two years after its inception, Spectrum organization finds itself weathering an identity crisis.
Recent requests for admittance into Spectrum by the Duke Gay, Bisexual and Lesbian Association have prompted the group's leaders to question whether Spectrum is -- or should be -- a multiracial, multiethnic or a multicultural group, and which construction will most effectively serve the interests of minority students.
The question is raised at a time when race-related issues on campus have been brought to a head -- through the elimination of a vice-presidential post dealing with minority affairs, the increased awareness of minority employee concerns in the Medical Center, and recent allegations by former NAACP director Ben Chavis that the University is a "plantation." The answer may determine the future shape of minority issues and the future definition of what constitutes a "minority" on campus.
"I think DGBLA's question of Spectrum is very legitimate," said Ellen Plummer, director of the Women's Center. "They're wanting some kind of articulation of what we mean by culture."
For DGBLA, admission into Spectrum is a way to significantly increase its power, visibility and resources.
"There's a power structure among undergraduates," said Trinity junior Seth Persily, president of DGBLA. "You're either aligned with UHA, IFC, DSG and Panhel, or with Spectrum, BSA, ASA and Diya. Both sides have resources, funding and a lot to offer the community. Unfortunately, we feel shut out of both systems. All the presidents of other cultural organizations are friends and know each other, while we're never asked to be a part of anything."
Most of those involved in the debate do not hesitate to acknowledge the legitimacy of gay culture. However, opinions diverge widely about gay culture's place among other cultures that are more defined by race or ethnicity.
"DGBLA's request has helped us see better how they fit in," said Trinity junior Anji Malhotra, president of Spectrum organization. "We always considered culture an ethnic thing, and we realized that this is a mainstream view."
Still, Spectrum is leaning towards refusing DGBLA's request for executive board status in their organization, Malhotra said.
"The groups [included in Spectrum] don't feel that race and ethnicity issues have been addressed enough yet," she said.
Spectrum will probably move to create informal "alliances" with DGBLA and campus religious gruops, Malhotra said.
"We'll definitely propose something to make all groups fighting prejudice work together," she said.
But such a compromise does not sit well with DGBLA members. Persily said Spectrum is behaving hypocritically by not granting DGBLA executive board status.
"They realized the inconsistencies of calling themselves multicultural and not including DGBLA, so now they're thinking of calling themselves multiethnic. It's just incredibly ironic that the groups that scream the loudest about oppression are doing a significant amount of the oppressing," he said. "Spectrum has done a great job but they and the campus would benefit a lot more if they included all oppressed peoples, not just races."
Clouding the issue is the fact that Hillel, a Jewish organization, is a member group of Spectrum. While it is generally accepted by Spectrum members that Judaism is an ethnicity, some question Hillel's place within Spectrum.
"Spectrum's title as `multicultural' isn't exactly fair, and I don't think Hillel really fits as such," said Trinity senior Sarah Dodds, former co-president of Spectrum. "Spectrum's actual composition is narrower than what it claims to be. It's ethnic culturalism."
DGBLA pointed out Spectrum's inclusion of Hillel during discussion regarding DGBLA's admission, Persily said. "I think [Hillel's inclusion is] ridiculous. It's not a race thing," he said. "It's a religion, maybe it's a culture."
Another related issue is whether Spectrum would have to admit other groups, such as the Women's Coalition, if it admitted DGBLA -- and whether such a move would have a negative effect on Spectrum's mission.
"Once Spectrum acknowledges that they're excluding certain cultures, the next question is whether Spectrum has to admit every culture, such as the Women's Coalition," said Persily.
The Coalition has made no such move nor indicated such a desire yet.
"You could argue that there's a culture that's uniquely female, but the Women's Coalition feels like more of a reach for me intuitively," Plummer said. "FeM [a feminist activism group] and the Women's Coalition are more diverse in their ethnic populations, whereas gay, lesbian and bisexual issues are less integrated."
Others disagree on the extent to which gays and lesbians should be involved in racial issues as well as gay issues. "It is thought by a lot of people that black gays need to create a voice through BSA, and so on," Dodds said.
Malhotra said Spectrum members are most concerned with diluting the group's power and mission and with setting a precedent that would allow for groups such as IFC and Panhel to request admission into Spectrum. But others said such an occurrence is highly unlikely.
"You can argue that there is a Greek culture on campus, but it ends with the campus," Plummer said. "Fraternity and sorority members are not a nationally-recognized minority facing institutional, historical racism or prejudice the way certain races or cultures are."
A recently-formed University committee on diversity, however, does include student representatives from Greek organizations and DGBLA, as well as from groups that currently fall under Spectrum. The former two groups were given seats on the committee because "they are identifiable groups that are part of the campus," said Julian Sanchez, director of the office of intercultural affairs.
"We felt it was important to hear the issues DGBLA has before them about building community," Sanchez said.
Other administrators have also indicated their support for DGBLA's admission, although they stress that the decision rests with the student leaders of Spectrum.
"Julian Sanchez and I decided there were similar types of questions facing DGBLA and other cultural groups when we formed the diversity committee," said President Nan Keohane. "We were thinking about diversity in a larger sense, a kind of redefinition. Spectrum must see themselves as a kind of microcosm for the campus environment and society at large."
Administrators also strongly feel that DGBLA could only be a positive addition to Spectrum's mission.
"At this point, the diversity committee is not worried about dilution even though we have all these groups sitting in," Keohane said. "It's not diluted if everyone's talking and there's a powerful conversation."
"There's value in finding common ground and building coalitions," Plummer said. "There's political strength to be found in that."
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