My alma — and overall "big player" in assimilating negroes — Trinity College, made the NY Times today with a look at racial tension on campus, the most recent inciting incident I helped break over a month ago. The Times looks at Trin's status and approach to diversity, most of it critical:Thee harshest assessments of Trinity’s diversity efforts have come from its own students. Based on student surveys, Trinity has made the Princeton Review’s annual list of schools with “little race/class interaction” for the past eight years. Trinity topped the list in three of those years, and is currently ranked fourth. College officials have disputed the methodology of the surveys.Some hard numbers of note from the Times - Trinity's tuition is now at $42,410 (gets you a lot of wings at the GCS). Trin's "minority rate" is 20%, while other liberal art schools in the area (Wesleyan, Swarthmore, Amherst) register around 30% on average. Trin admits over 50% of negro applicants, compared to 43% of all applicants. Enrollment is 2,165.
Draw your own conclusions. I'll have more personal stories from The Long Walk to add in the future.
The saga continues ...
Some Say Dere's Racism At Dem Dere Liberal New England Colleges [NY Times]
Previously:
Breaking: Trinity Assimilation Program Stronger Than Most [TAN]
Letter To/From Trinity President [TAN]
It's been like that at every school I've been to, and no one has ever tried to make a change--including me. But it does always surprise me when the Times, or any paper for that matter, prints stories like these as if these stories are new, and as if no one knew what the was going on until the Times printed it up. I suppose, though, there are still a lot of people out there with their eyes closed.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that needs to be acknowledged is that some black students purposely segregated themselves at Trinity (at least when I was a student). Those who sat in little Africa didn't do so because they were asked to, but because they wanted to. It was as if it was a rite of passage. You're black. You sit here. This was a choice. In fact, I know of situations where whites felt unwelcomed in that little section of the cafeteria. Similarly, a lot of people who complain about the lack of diversity, are the same people who didn't make much of an effort to get to know some of the non minority students on a social basis. It's a two way street. If you expect people to treat you in a certain manner, you shouldn't be adverse to integrating yourself. Similarly, if you chose not to socialize with a certain group because you're expecting the worse, then chances are you're going to have tunnel vision during those few interactions that you do have, and only see the worse. Trinity is a school filled with students from incredibly priviledged backgrounds. Yes, a lot of the student body may have preconceived notions about minorities. That section about the student who sat at the "football" table kind of annoyed me. I fully believe that this student sat down there and did not say a word. That would make anyone feel uncomfortable, especially if this was a situation where they felt like they were being tested. No one wants some one elses agenda forced on to them.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that needs to be acknowledged is that some black students purposely segregated themselves at Trinity (at least when I was a student). Those who sat in little Africa didn't do so because they were asked to, but because they wanted to. It was as if it was a rite of passage. You're black. You sit here. This was a choice. In fact, I know of situations where whites felt unwelcomed in that little section of the cafeteria. Similarly, a lot of people who complain about the lack of diversity, are the same people who didn't make much of an effort to get to know some of the non minority students on a social basis. It's a two way street. If you expect people to treat you in a certain manner, you shouldn't be adverse to integrating yourself. Similarly, if you chose not to socialize with a certain group because you're expecting the worse, then chances are you're going to have tunnel vision during those few interactions that you do have, and only see the worse. Trinity is a school filled with students from incredibly priviledged backgrounds. Yes, a lot of the student body may have preconceived notions about minorities. That section about the student who sat at the "football" table kind of annoyed me. I fully believe that this student sat down there and did not say a word. That would make anyone feel uncomfortable, especially if this was a situation where they felt like they were being tested. No one wants some one elses agenda forced on to them.
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ReplyDeletesome of the students in there just choose not to interact with you and you get all pissed about it, get out of here. It's Connecticut, it happens.
ReplyDelete