I T'S A RELIC of our adoles- cence, something we all can relate to: the feared "birds and the bees" talk that our parents attempted to force upon us. It proves to be awkward and embarrassing, and no one is quite sure how to justify what is said. As with the father in "American Pie," it seems almost easier to lay it all out, uncomfortable and graphic as it may be for father and son alike. But the fact of the matter is that the conversation is important.
Although the topic at hand is not related to things so racy, but rather to race, students have been engaging in challenging discussion of their own. The Forum on the State of Race Relations that was held last Wednesday night was both informative and productive. A compelling example of how far student initiative really can go, it also proved to be a springboard for how much farther we must go.
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The example of the forum can be extended in many ways for the outlook of the University. The drive of the student leaders who led the survey and forum is to be commended. Their concern and desire to generate discussion must be perpetuated if real change is to be affected. Several interesting points came from the forum and should be considered for the future.
Students must try hard to leave their individual agendas at the door. Focusing on pain from the past helps only insofar as it highlights the need for change. Once that need becomes recognizable, expending energy by working on solutions benefits everyone.
Another sentiment expressed by those in attendance was the desire for visible action by student leaders to combat existing problems. The idea that a group of students can proactively generate change can indeed prove beneficial. Hopefully, such a coalition can be formed and will indeed work to improve the state of race relations.
For lasting effect, however, administrators must actively participate. The student body is a transient one and if we hope to achieve successful and lasting results, we must ensure that they will be preserved. By the same token, as the attitudes of student bodies evolve, so must the University. It is a delicate balance to realize and maintain.
Take, for example, the incident last year when ethnic slurs were painted on Beta Bridge. Many students felt that it did not receive proper and necessary coverage by The Cavalier Daily, an interesting fact in concurrence with some of the findings of the survey.
However, overlooked in all this was the commendable effort made by Student Council - another organization perceived to have insufficient minority representation, according to the survey - to redress the situation. A resolution, serving as the voice of all University students, was passed condemning the act.
Furthermore, a representative worked to bring together the Office of the Dean of Students and cultural organizations to publicly spread this message of both disapproval and support of diversity. The forum hopes to generate more of visible, positive actions such as these.
Students at the University are among the most driven, educated and pragmatic in the country. We must use these facets for a productive purpose. The potential is there and certainly can be tapped. It is time to listen to each other and work toward "positive, workable solutions," as described by the forum organizers.
Without becoming mired in the detailed findings of the survey, these results sparked a conversation among the students in attendance that could have some very positive consequences. Even though it was difficult to talk openly about these concerns, the forum provided an excellent opportunity for students to do so. We're grown up and past that whole "awkward" phase. Let's not take this matter lightly.
(Katherine Martini's column appears Mondays in The Cavalier Daily.)
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