Solution to communication has been with us for years

There is one author I am sure every student at this University has read. One of the finest writers of the twentieth century, he has influenced countless lives and put hundreds of children to bed at night. Many students here, however, have chosen to ignore one of his finest messages.

Theodor Geisel, better known to most of us as Dr. Seuss, told us in "Sneetches and Other Stories," (a good five-minute read for those of you who usually don't read for pleasure) not to succumb to labeling and stereotyping. This message, which is driven into our heads all throughout our childhoods, seems to have gotten lost in our little corner of the world.

I am as guilty as any other Duke student of assuming things about people because they belong to a certain group on campus, whether that be a fraternity or an a cappella group. Everything we do on campus has a stigma attached to it. These stereotypes force us to lose out on one of the great benefits of the college campus and life, for that matter: interacting with people unlike ourselves.

There is little we can do about stereotypes themselves; they've been around since the beginning of time. What is upsetting many on campus is how we act on these pre-made assumptions. These ideas determine who we hang out with and get to know. For years, over-eager students and administrators have tried to force the breakdown of walls through different types of efforts, most of which have failed.

Organizations like Spectrum are a great idea and have good intentions, but the members of this organization, by forming a multicultural "selective" living group, are setting themselves apart from the rest of campus and putting themselves in a virtual Catch-22. In an effort to foster communication between different types, it seems they have actually broken it down by becoming selective.

Administrative efforts to cultivate "community interaction" have been almost as unsuccessful. Students are tired of having this catch phrase shoved down their throats, but the student body has not choked yet. Putting money in a fund to get bands on the quad does not break down the barriers between different groups. Just like when we were children, if it seems as if we are being forced to do something by authority figures, we want to do it less and less.

The Intrafraternity Council's Community Interaction Fridays on Clocktower Quad were a good idea to get students together to start off the weekend and listen to some good music, but in reality it became a way for different groups and selected others to chow down on chicken nuggets and veggies. Faculty and administrators showed up too, but the sense of community which these Chick Fil-A-fests were intended to develop never really appeared.

More often than not, these problems of labeling and social stereotyping are blamed on selective living groups, especially fraternities. No one is to blame for this but ourselves. There is no group that can be kicked off campus because they are the ultimate barrier to communication and there is no band that will play on the quad and solve all of our problems. When we begin to take individual responsibility for our own interpersonal relationships, this lack of communication becomes a non-issue. The rifts that have been formed on campus will not be breached by criticizing groups or trying to promote interaction. The solution comes down to looking within ourselves.