The presidents of the member organizations of the Minority Rights Coalition chose third-year College student M. Bruce to serve as the group's 2003-2004 chair in an election held last night in Newcomb hall.
Formalized last fall, the Coalition is a cooperative union of the five largest minority groups on Grounds: the Asian Student Union, the Latino Student Union, the Black Student Alliance, The Queer Student Union and the National Organization for Women.
The organization quickly has gained visibility on Grounds, largely due to two events that sparked University-wide debate on diversity.
Members of two University fraternities were photographed in blackface at a Halloween party last fall and Student Council President-elect Daisy Lundy was allegedly the victim of a racially-motivated assault this spring.
Maintaining a sense of motivation for the Coalition's goals may be difficult in the absence of similar high-profile events, outgoing Coalition Chair Ryan McCarthy said.
"One of the biggest challenges will be keeping up the heightened level of activity without the catalyst of a tragic event," McCarthy said.
To sustain its growth, the Coalition must seek to involve more of the University community in its initiatives, members said. They expressed a desire to offer support to other groups on Grounds that work for diversity.
To reach out to such kindred organizations, the Coalition will work to meet with individual student leaders and will consider opening a portion of their weekly meetings to the public in order to address community concerns, members said.
But while reaching out is key to sustaining the organization's newfound influence, there must also be a commitment to internal cohesion, said Huong Huynh, newly-elected Asian Student Union president.
Bruce agreed.
"As a collective voice, we have a huge power to advocate," she said. "We must be strong within."
Beyond maintaining a united front in the University forum, member organizations should also support each other from day to day, Bruce said.
"If LSU is flyering, BSA can help, if BSA is having an event, NOW can attend," she said.
Bruce emphasized that member organization presidents will continue to set the Coalition's agenda.
"I'm the spokesperson, but the things I say are what [the member presidents] represent," she said.
Bruce's commitment to the interests of the individual member organizations makes her an ideal candidate for the position, Latino Student Union President-elect Alex Yec said.
"M. seems like the perfect person to mediate between the interests of the CIOs involved in the Coalition," he said.
The election of a white woman to the chair of a minority advocacy group may cause confusion among members of the University community who may see the Coalition as an organization centered around advocating for racial minorities, outgoing ASU president Maha Abejuela said.
"It's going to be a challenge to be a white woman chairing the Coalition, but women are a cultural minority," Bruce said. "You don't have to have a certain identity to care about the issues and I care about the issues."
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