I am ¼ Asian and because of this fact I can apply for the Dean’s Scholarship at Rhodes College and receive $20,000 off my tuition. However, I applied to Rhodes as a female Caucasian, and received no scholarship and instead pay the full $36,464. Rhodes College attempts to unite their students and blur the line of racial prejudice that surrounds our campus, however, in reality they only make the line more distinct. On the Rhodes College website, under the About Rhodes Fact Sheet, Rhodes second bullet point about the “student body” is that “Students of color make up 19% of the student body.” This statement comes before the percent of women and men that attend Rhodes or even the acceptance rate. I find this amusing that this fact comes second to the amount of students enrolled at Rhodes College.
The College attempts to place emphasis on their racial diversity yet at the same time pretend that prejudice does not exist. When you click on the link “Students of color” a picture of African American students pop up with an Asian in the corner at a bowling place and a quote below the picture states “Be the change you wish to see in the world” Mahatma Ghandi. There are 5 organizations that Rhodes highlights and yet you will not receive any information about these groups unless you apply as a “student of color” Rhodes College will send emails to “students of colors” attempting to make them feel more comfortable and try to bring them together as a group. But they do not try to intermingle the races. I have never been invited to a student of color meeting and I doubt many of my peers have either because they are not offered to people who are “Caucasian.” The picture of the “students of color” does not have one white person in it. Rhodes has never offered me the chance to go bowling with a small group of students. For this I feel that Rhodes plays their hand against prejudice too strongly. They highlight it more than they try to intermingle it. So I ask this, is Rhodes discriminating against the 81% of the students that are not considered “students of color?” Why does skin color or race get you a scholarship? I feel that Rhodes believes that it is important to highlight that they accept not only white students but are they doing this in the best way possible?
What I think the administration is trying to do is attempt to make the students of color at Rhodes feel more comfortable by surrounding them with people they can relate to. With that being said, just because two students are black does not mean these two people will get along. I completely agree that while Rhodes is trying to embrace and promote diversity, it is hurting the student body at the same time. People discuss how white students only hang out with other whites and black students only spend time with other blacks, and how the racial divide at Rhodes is prevalent. Part of this is due to the fact that upon arriving on campus, blacks are the only ones asked to join the student diversity organizations; therefore, the first people they meet and become friends with are other black students. Perhaps instead of the administration seeking out specific non-white students to join these organizations, these student groups can recruit members at the SACK fair and try and get a truly representative, diverse group of students to sign up, create, and participate in nondiscriminatory events.
ReplyDeleteWell, I do believe the ethnic student groups do have booths at Sack Fair so it isn't like those who are not "students of color" are kept unaware of their existence. The organizations highlighted - ASIA, BSA, GSA, HOLA, and RICE - all definitely have members who aren't the specific target audience. Nevertheless, you bring up some interesting and difficult questions. My question, though, is what if Rhodes didn't promote these organizations or push their diversity percentages at all? I'm sure they would come under criticism and would probably also end up being less diverse. Overall, however, I do feel Rhodes shoves the diversity issue down people's throats.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your three questions...
No, Rhodes doesn't discriminate against those who aren't "students of color" by not explicitly inviting them to these groups. Like I mentioned above, they are allowed to participate in them and can sign up for info at Sack Fair. On the other hand, I have heard some people comment that on the Rhodes homepage they purposely choose students of differing ethnicities to feature. For example, with Faces of Rhodes. I'm not sure if that's true - I am not at all informed on their selection process - but if you quickly look through Faces over the past couple of years, it does kind of seem possible. If that's true then I find that discriminatory. It's not really a big deal but its kind of unfair.
The second question is pretty difficult. It isn't quite the same as affirmative action, but it's pretty similar. Honestly, I don't feel like one should get a scholarship based upon their race. I think scholarships should be simply based upon a combination of merit and financial need.
Thirdly, I have no problem with Rhodes prominently highlighting diversity statistics in their fact sheets. Students like to know these facts before they choose a school. I know part of my reason for choosing Rhodes was because it obviously celebrated diversity. But I do think Rhodes does sort of foster self-segregation, unfortunately. I understand the need to surround students with people they can relate to, but as Sam kind of points out, why should two black students be able to relate to each other better than a black and a white student? It's odd to assume they will just based on skin color. I'm not sure what the best way to walk the thin line between trying to foster diversity and overindulge in it is. But I do think Rhodes could do some aspects better.
Some of my Thoughts
ReplyDeleteRegarding Faces of Rhodes, I believe Rhodes does a great job choosing students who do or have done great and interesting things. Diversity is intrinsic to that selection process, but I find that to be the best feature of Faces. The fact that we have so many different people at Rhodes doing completely different things is a testament of the liberal arts education system and the range of resources provided not only the school, but also the city of Memphis. Just because minorities make up roughly 1/5 of the campus body doesn't mean that they should make up 1/5 of Faces or any other publication. Would that really be a more realistic depiction of race at Rhodes? It seems too quantitative than qualitative.
I think the Dean’s Fellowship, which is specifically geared to students of color, is a great award. It is only awarded to 10 entering students a year, so it’s quite selective. However, that’s not the only award minorities are given to financially support their Rhodes education. Bellingraths, Cambridge Fellows, Bonner Scholars, Buckman scholars, etc. have all been awarded to students of color. The argument can be made that, just as these awards don’t highlight race as a fact, the Dean’s Fellowship shouldn’t either. I think that highlighting race, multiculturalism, and diversity is very important to Rhodes, and they want prospective students and parents to realize this. Fostering this importance in the form of a fellowship specific to minorities makes sense to me.
I think it’s necessary for Rhodes to continually feature minorities on the website, in Rhodes News, and in publications and brochures. This image is certainly important for ANY prospective Rhodes student, but I think minorities in particular respond to these images in a specifically way, hence why they apply. This unfortunately does paint a false reality, but I’m wondering if we the students control this reality. In thinking about Hanah’s post, I was wondering what would’ve happened if she went to the Office of Multicultural Affairs, which occupies half of 4th floor Briggs, to not only get more info on what they do for students, but to find ways to get involved in the multicultural communities of Rhodes/Memphis. It’s possible to seek information out at Rhodes. I think people have become too comfortable simply “talking” about the problems, but not really acting up to resolve them. This is prevalent on both sides. Many black students for example feel like they shouldn’t have to come to the majority- facilitate interaction amongst white Rhodes students. I find this to be ridiculous in every fundamental aspect. I think I’ve said enough though, #maybeishouldblogaboutit. I’m interested to hear other thoughts/opinions!
To a certain extent, I think that the having many different types of people of the Faces of Rhodes is necessary. I think that, as a school in the South, there is always going to be the stereotype that the school is racist or anti-gay or preppy. I think that displaying students of all different races is necessary to prove to prospective students that Rhodes is NOT a college for rich, white males.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I find it shocking that many of the cliques at Rhodes are divided by race. I feel like the whites and the blacks and the Asians and the European students only hang out with each other, and any person who steps into one of these cliques that doesn't "belong" has a big chip on their back- and, if I may go so far, is considered a "traitor." I really don't see any way to fix this problem. But I think that it is important to never intentionally shut out someone else because of their race or place of origin. For instance, people of all races, sexualities, and countries of origin should be equally considered for sororities and frats. But that is just one way to start.
One of the most frustrating aspects about Rhodes to me is the SOS, or the Serving Other Students, program available to first year students of color. If you are a member of this organization, you essentially adopt a “big brother” or “big sister” to help your transition to college become easier and to give you a point of contact and potential friend immediately when you arrive at Rhodes. They even ask questions to make sure they pair you with a current student who shares similar interests as your own. I believe group can be extremely beneficial to every first-year student; however, it is only offered to students of color. While the directors of this program may claim anyone may join, this program begins before school starts, and you will only receive information on it if you are a student of color. This really frustrates me, because as a first year peer assistant, I know many white students that would want to take advantage of a program like this. I see this group periodically in Memphis and also hear about them participating in free events sponsored by Rhodes College that I was neither invited to nor ever received any information on. I believe, as a white student, this is unfair to students of my race.
ReplyDeleteAttracting other race other than white by giving them more scholarship is a common appeal that many universities and college practice. In a way, it is very unfair and makes it very competitive for white students to enroll into the college they want to get in. And I thank you for sharing this information with me because as a student of color, I would have never thought or known that white students were not invited to any ethnic groups on this campus. I often assume that white students choose not to attend any ethnic events out of their own will.
ReplyDeleteOne of the many things that I love about this institution is how empowered I feel as a student on this campus. We have faculty, staff, and administrators who (for the most part) spend endless amounts of time, energy, and other resources to help students accomplish their goals. Most of this discussion has focused on the role of the administration surrounding the issue of diversity on this campus. I do not think this is where the blame should lie. As students on this campus it is our privilege and responsibility to shape this environment how we see fit. I have never heard of a student being unable to participate in a student group on campus due to the color of their skin. If a student is interested in becoming involved with a group on campus that markets to a different ethnicity, it is up to that student to take the initiative and seek out that opportunity. The administration certainly has no say in the formal and informal policies that govern the majority of student groups.
ReplyDeleteWhile I do recognize that race and ethnicity is probably a factor in who is published as a Face of Rhodes, I believe that other aspects of diversity such as background, interest, activities, and the accomplishments of the student body are the primary focus. In terms of the SOS program, upperclassman students are given every opportunity to become involved in this program without discrimination as to the color of their skin. While I agree that there could be better ways of advertising this program, I do not think that the pro-active nature of the Rhodes institution is explicitly the wrong way to approach issues of diversity.