Addressing topics such as housing and self-segregation, students came together to discuss issues of race in the University community during the third-annual Day of Dialogue on Race yesterday.
The forum served as a discussion aimed at fighting racism and prejudice on Grounds, according to Day of Dialogue coordinator Frank Michael Muñoz.
"The Day of Dialogue was created out of a perceived need for a forum where student leaders could come together to discuss issues of race," Muñoz said.
Participants separated into small groups to discuss their personal encounters with racism and various topics from local newspaper articles that related to race.
Second-year College students Sarah Searle and David Newsome said they noticed a correlation between race and housing locations at the University.
"It seems like Copeley and Faulkner are predominantly black, Hereford -- Asian, and off-Grounds housing near the Corner seems to be predominantly white," Searle said.
Searle added that she believes this correlation is the result of students seeking to return to the comfort and familiarity of their own culture.
One group of students agreed the University is a microcosm of the larger issue of racism in America.
"The problem is not that we [students] join these groups that are race specific, it's that we allow them to limit the other things that we do," said second-year College student Brian Tucker regarding extracurricular activities at the University.
After group discussion, each individual was asked to place himself within a specific racial and ethnic stereotype. Then, each group asked other groups questions.
One question was about identifying oneself as part of two different minority groups. First-year College student Eugene Resnick discussed how he feels to identify himself as both gay and Jewish.
"I identify more with being gay because right now, there is more for me to fight for being gay than if I was only Jewish," he said.
At the end of the day, the groups came back together to discuss possible ideas for improvement such as seminars encouraging students to attend cultural events and creating financial incentives that promote cooperation between student organizations.
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