Minority groups strengten community from within

UMC discusses ideas,UMC discusses ideas,concerns with Rodin Every Wednesday evening, a small group gathers to work toward its chosen mission -- establishing a strong minority voice at the University. The United Minorities Council, an umbrella group for 11 minority student organizations, has been developing close ties with University administrators and the student body to solidify its presence on campus. "I believe a great number of students are represented by us, but it is not our aim to represent every student of color at Penn," said UMC President Susie Lee, a College senior. "That is not our purpose. Our purpose and vision is to give Penn a voice that addresses issues pertaining to students of color." While stressing that the organization cannot please all students on campus, Lee said she is excited about the possibilities for the UMC during the upcoming year. The major issues the group plans to address include obtaining a UMC seat on University Council, minority permanence and randomized housing. The UMC also hopes to improve internal relations within constituent groups. "Every chair has a different vision, but my primary goal for UMC is to build a closer bond between the 11 groups," Lee said. "It is something we are going to consistently work on." In conjunction with this goal, all constituent groups are required to co-sponsor two events during the year, most of which will likely be social programs. Last year, these joint efforts included ice skating, dinners and parties. Lee is a key organizer for most UMC events, according to South Asian Society President Neal Shah, a Wharton senior. "Susie and the entire UMC is always there to help us out -- we have someone to turn to when we have certain problems like finding a hall or publicizing one of our events," Shah said. "The one thing that UMC does especially well is facilitate communication with the University, especially with bureaucracy." UMC leaders met with University President Rodin Wednesday to discuss issues like the safety of the Greenfield Intercultural Center -- where UMC meetings are held -- and the representation of minority students on campus. The meeting also focused on the lack of the University's ethnic-based academic programs, especially compared with other Ivy League schools. Lee said Rodin hopes to eventually form more departments along those lines -- especially in areas like Asian American Studies, where two new professors were recently hired. Shah said the UMC has made progress with Rodin, though sometimes a "bureaucratic struggle" takes place and important goals do not get accomplished. At this year's first UMC meeting, the body discussed a similar apprehension concerning Rodin's new minority permanence plan. Some members said they believe the plan's details could divide the Black Student League and the UMC. The BSL is investigating where the $35 million recently allocated for minority students has been dispersed. But the relationship between all constituent groups is strong, according to Lee, especially following a well-attended fall retreat. "Susie Lee has been very supportive of BSL's efforts in the recruitment and retention of black students and faculty," said BSL President Obinna Adibe, a College senior. "The UMC's advocacy plays a pivotal role in our efforts and I have faith that they will continue to be behind us." Because of the UMC's strength this year, the group plans to reach out to other organizations and continue to expand. UMC Vice Chairperson and College sophomore Olivia Troye noted that the group was involved with MTV's recent "Choose or Lose" expedition to campus and plans to participate in several more University-wide events, including Safety Week. "I think that we are going to get involved with the Penn community in general and work with other big organizations on campus to get involved in major issues that concern minorities as a whole, as well as the rest of Penn," Troye said. UMC Programming Coordinator Tope Koledoye, a College junior, is now scheduling weekly meetings to organize Unity Week. In addition, the group is preparing for Minority Scholars Weekend, which has been moved to April this year. The UMC is also in the process of developing a newsletter to announce upcoming events. Troye said two new groups -- the Penn Taiwanese Society and CheckOne -- have expressed interest in joining UMC this year and will probably be accepted. Another group, Global Village, is not planning to join the UMC, but wants to schedule programs with all constituent groups. "I think the importance of UMC's Wednesday meetings are getting to know members of other minority groups and learning about their events," said Engineering sophomore Rohit Desai, who is a member of the South Asia Society. "I think co-sponsoring events and meeting new people helps enrich our lives at Penn and that is necessary for breaking the barriers that sometimes exist between different races and cultures." Lee noted that any student who is a member of one of UMC's constituent groups is automatically a member of the UMC. "All groups are on equal footing and watch out for each other," Lee said. "By the end of the semester, everyone knows each other well."