LETTER: A Challenge

I wholeheartedly agree with Bill Madison's assertion that the social life here at Penn is divided by race (DP 2/18/92). Whose fault is that when our campus organizations are based primarily on race, gender and faith? We have fraternities and sororities divided along the lines of white/black/Latino, Christian/Jewish and male/female, as well as there being cultural/racial groups like the Chinese Students Association, Korean Cultural Society, Black Student League, the Scottish Society and the list goes on ad nauseum. This campus needs groups comprised of diverse members in order to have a diverse mix of people included in social activities. For instance, Phi Sigma Pi, of which I am a proud brother, includes in its membership women, men, blacks, whites, Asians, Latinos, Christians, Jews and many others. The local chapter of our coed national honor fraternity even has a blind man in our current initiate class. We are for all people, and we socialize with all people. During rush, we do not look for characteristics like race, sex or religion. Our membership includes the beautiful and the ugly. College is supposed to desensitize us to the differences between the members of our diverse society, but instead it serves only to heighten our awareness of these differences. The campus needs more organizations like Phi Sigma Phi that are willing to accept people as individuals and not by characteristics. Is this campus willing to truly embrace diversity or will the majority continue to insulate themselves? Organizations based on race, sex and creed do have their good points, but they fail to allow their members to socialize in a diverse environment that truly reflects the realities of American society. I want to close by issuing a challenge to the students of this campus: instead of whining about how I bruised your ego or stepped on your favorite organization's toes in this letter, stand up and reach out to those around you -- even those who are different from you! There is plenty of room for more diverse groups at Penn. The question is: do we have the leadership to adapt to new realities or will we continue to hide in what is safe and secure, namely conformity? Today, we must embrace diversity and do it totally. RANDALL FORESTER College '92