Panel tackles self-segregation issues

About 50 people participated in a lively debate last night that examined self-segregation on campus.

"I define self-segregation as... when a large majority of individuals in communities... do not integrate with other communities," United Minorities Council Chairwoman Darcy Richie said.

"It starts off as a sense of rejection, a conscious effort to stay with people you feel safe with," the College senior added.

Yet while most students agreed that such segregation does exist on campus, not all were convinced that it is detrimental.

"There's a belief that our culture has eroded over time," South Asian Society President Robby Sikka said. Self-segregation is "somewhat of a positive factor in conserving our culture," the College senior added.

Students at the forum said they wanted to encourage cultural interaction in both academic and social settings.

Undergraduate Chairman Jason Levy suggested a proposal to target freshmen by changing certain aspects of the college houses.

"My personal view is most friendships are made during the first weeks... at Penn," the College senior said. He added that he believed if a diverse body of students lived together, race relations might naturally improve.

Others felt that more active measures were needed.

"I feel there's a reason why there's culture-specific housing," said Clarence Tong, vice chairman of political affairs for the Asian Pacific Student Coalition. "Unless there's some resources devoted to learning about people's cultures, nothing's going to happen," the College senior added.

Many wanted to supplement social programming with a "diversity requirement."

"The University definitely dictates to us what we should be learning," Bicultural InterGreek Council President Jerryanne Heath said. "It should be required to learn about people who don't look like me, talk like me," the College senior added.

Several participants said that white students need to educate themselves to better relate to all ethnicities, or they will be ill-suited to the professional world.

"Penn always talks about diversity, leaders for tomorrow," College sophomore Quanisha Smith said. "What kind of leaders are they making?"

As is so often the case, the students felt the administration was not doing enough to promote intercultural understanding.

"I don't think Penn has truly committed to making Penn a multicultural place," College junior Cassi Pittman said. She added that the percentage of black students at Penn has barely grown in 30 years.

Students had a mixed reaction to the forum -- which was held in the Arch Crest and organized by the Asian-American Undergraduate Studies board and multiethnic and multicultural student group Check One. Some enjoyed the high level of discussion.

"I think it was productive," College sophomore Fatimah Muhammad said. "This is a huge issue that needs a lot of dialogue."

Others, though, were more ambivalent, as similar forums have been held several times before, precipitating no perceivable changes.

There has been "no progress since I've been at Penn," Pittman said. She highlighted one point in particular that showed the level of apathy on campus.

"Why were there so few white people present?" she said. "Do they not care about diversity?"

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