Multiculturalism and diversity at Dartmouth." Sound like key buzzwords thrown around in admissions brochures, don't they? Buzzwords that are accompanied by pictures of smiling black, Indian, Native American, Asian, Latino faces clustered around the Green. Looking at such pictures, you could easily be tempted to assume that Dartmouth is the epitome of harmonious diversity. We know this assumption to be false, of course. As much as this college strives to improve its diversity numbers, the idea of harmonious diversity is far from being a reality. The existing climate in the College is such that students from different backgrounds often have to face an important decision: whether to be actively diverse or not. And with such a climate, there can really be no harmonious diversity.
If you are a student from a "diverse" background, from the moment you enter this college, you are bombarded with blitzes and invitations from organizations representing your ethnicity. A typical freshman is overwhelmed by the transition to college; imagine also dealing with this issue. On one hand, you can choose to become a member of the organization and actively identify yourself as Asian American or whatever. On the other hand, you can choose not to participate and remain somewhat "outside" that ethnic circle.
Right about now, you're probably wondering why this is such a calamity. It doesn't seem like such a hardship. It sounds as though all you have to do is choose to be in a given club or not. We all get dozens of blitzes from many clubs, so what's one more? You see, this is the crux of the issue. I'm not talking about just another club. I'm talking about a cultural or ethnic organization, and accepting or rejecting it can be akin to accepting or rejecting your racial identity. Racial identity at Dartmouth is a complex idea. Sometimes what it comes down to is choosing between being essentially "race-less" or choosing to be actively diverse.
Sometimes, if you don't hold on to your cultural identity, you are in great danger of being engulfed and assimilated in the majority. That, in itself, is not a problem. I have no grief with that. If, however, assimilation means that somehow, you lose your own uniqueness, then there is something terribly wrong.
The greatest evil is the tendency within all of us to categorize and pigeonhole everyone we see and meet. As a student, if I choose not to be in any diversity clubs, then I am automatically not seen as a willing member of my community. I may be accused of acting "white," or of rejecting my roots. On the other hand, if I choose to become a member of these clubs, then I am stereotyped as someone who exclusively associates with people of similar backgrounds.
I faced a similar decision on coming to Dartmouth. I got blitzes from Milan, the South Asian club, the Pan Asian Council and numerous other diversity-lauding organizations. I attended some meetings, although I never became highly active. I didn't really recognize any of this as a problem until a girl on my hall told me, "You know what I just realized, Tanisha? You're not white! I never thought of that before. You just seem so white." I am Indian. This didn't trouble me so much as puzzled me and I began to wonder what it was that made her feel that way. What did I do that made me "seem white?" Was it because I didn't hang out exclusively with Indian people or because I didn't exhibit all the mores associated with Indians? That didn't make any sense and yet, maybe that was all the reason she needed to pigeon-hole me.
I grappled with this issue for a little while and came to the conclusion that what I was after was a happy middle, and I believe it can exist. I am not ready to be considered either white or a militant Indian. I am just me. Being Indian is not my entire identity, but it certainly is a part of it. Denying that would be denying my roots. I want to be in the happy middle where everything I do doesn't necessarily reflect my "Indian-ness," but at the same time, I am free to be as Indian as I want to be. This happy middle is the only way I can see us achieving that elusive harmonious diversity. Harmony implies happiness and satisfaction, which cannot exist if part of the student body debates its cultural identity. If we only adjust our attitude and avoid jumping to conclusions about any person, then much of the problem will be solved. And maybe then, the pictures on admissions brochures would be a reality.
