Drawing to a close a week-long celebration of the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., several student leaders participated Friday afternoon in a panel discussion pertaining to race and race relations at the University.
The event, which was hosted in the Mary Lou Williams Center, began with the introduction of all of those in attendance, including audience members. Trinity senior and mediator Sheri Sauter, one of the coordinators of the Martin Luther King Celebration Planning Committee and the Brown Bag Lunch Committee, began the dialogue by asking students to convey their perceptions of on-campus race relations.
Trinity senior Sheela Sathyanarayana, co-president of Spectrum, began by saying that the current upperclass residential structure, which allows for selective housing, lends itself to racial segregation because people tend to live with those with whom they feel most comfortable.
"Basically selective houses still dominate," said Sathyanarayana, adding that some upperclassmen feel alienated because of the selective living groups' domination of the West Campus social scene. Sathyanarayana said she believes that the all-freshman East Campus is more conducive to interaction and community building.
Other panelists agreed that racial tensions and voluntary segregation are a product of students staying within their comfort zones.
"The best way to change student perception is to do it one-on-one," said Trinity senior Inhi Cho, former co-chair of the Women of Color United Board. "We can't throw out generalizations of selective houses because it further muddles the problem. Student leaders aren't motivating students to take the initiative to break away from their comfort zones."
Panelists continued to talk about the necessity of fostering interaction among students on a more intimate level, suggesting that the University both randomize housing on West and change its curriculum to address better multicultural issues.
Some panelists suggested that multicultural classes be a requirement for all majors. But Cho pointed out faults in this line of reasoning. "If you force students to take courses," Cho said, "they will act in the opposite way in which you want them to."
Trinity senior Freddy Montero, president of Mi Gente, compared the proposed class to UWC, after which time participants debated both the merits and disadvantages of such a course.
Although proponents of this change in curriculum said it would expose students of all cultures to a multicultural experience and teach them how to interact in a multicultural environment, the alteration could be viewed as an unimportant sanction imposed by the University.
Regardless of which side of the argument each participant supported, all panelists stressed that education is a mechanism through which to foster mutual respect for all cultures.
"I have to say that I am a senior and that this week has been one of the best experiences of my Duke career as far as expanding my mind," Sauter said. "It troubles me that not many students take advantage of this. It would be better if we could involve more students. It brings up issues we need to discuss."
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