MRC, IFC, ISC discuss diversity
By Kristin Hawkins | April 3, 2006Members of the Minority Rights Coalition, Inter-Fraternity Council and Inter-Sorority Council came together on Wednesday and Thursday evenings last week to discuss issues facing the minority and Greek communities on Grounds. The program, called the "The Next Step," was designed to provide information about what actions are being taken to improve minority-related issues on Grounds as well as to inform students of how to get involved, MRC Chair Adrienne Patton said. The program is a follow-up to last semester's "The First Step," which focused primarily on education about minority issues, Patton said. Representatives of each group within the MRC as well as representatives from the IFC and ISC gave presentations about their organizations, including information about the history of each organization, University resources available to group members and issues facing each community. Some organizations' representatives voiced their concerns about inadequate resources for their groups on Grounds. Black Student Alliance President Aaron Blake noted that the University has only 123 black faculty members, of whom only 23 are tenured or tenure-tracked. Asian Student Union president Patrick Lee, LaAlianza President Patrick Martinez and Queer Student Union President Kevin Wu expressed their organizations' respective wishes that an Asian Pacific American Studies major, Latino studies department and Queer Studies minor be created. "We're one of the few universities in the country that doesn't have an established [APAS] program," Lee said. Bernard Harkless, the IFC's vice president for party patrol, spoke on behalf of the IFC Thursday night, noting that the IFC also faces stereotypes. Harkless said one should not make generalizations about the IFC as a whole, since it is made up of 32 distinct organizations, yet students involved in Greek life are often assumed to be rich, racist and unwilling to give back to the community. "We're working to change those stereotypes," Harkless said, noting, for example, that many students involved with Greek life also actively participate in community service in conjunction with the Office of African-American Affairs. Patton noted at the conclusion of the presentation that students should take advantage of the University in order to broaden their understanding of diversity. "Go out and take some classes," Patton said.
