Correction Appended
*Editor's Note: This is the second installment in a three-part series investigating race at the College. The experiences and opinions expressed are the views of individual students, and should not be considered representative of wider communities.**##
When Marian Gutierrez '13 stepped onto Dartmouth's campus as a freshman, she said found she herself a member of a student population strikingly different than the one that existed in her hometown of Los Angeles.
"It wasn't as diverse as I thought it would be," she said. "It was a bit of a culture shock."
The College's efforts to widen the diversity of the student body have resulted in an undergraduate population increasingly reflective of national demographics as of this fall, the undergraduate population is 8 percent African-American, 14 percent Asian-American, 7 percent Latino, 4 percent Native American, 7 percent international and 53 percent white, according to the Office of Institutional Research.
But these numbers are among the lowest percentages of minority representation in the Ivy League, and many students say "a lack of mutual understanding and respect" still exists in Dartmouth social life.
The Dartmouth interviewed students from a range of backgrounds to explore how racial diversity factors into their experience at the College. Many students emphasized that it was impossible to make generalizations on the basis of individual student opinions.
"There's not the black' experience or the Latin' experience or the Native American' experience it's everybody's independent experience," Nikkita McPherson '13 said.
Nearly all students interviewed said that the community should not consider diversity simply through the lens of race, stressing the importance of socio-economic status, culture, religion, political views, gender, sexual orientation and other factors in preparing students for entry into a globalized workforce after college.
"Diversity' to me means a community of people with varying interests and perspective on life solving problems and working together," Inter-Fraternity Council President Tyler Brace '11 said. "You're bringing your own sort of perspective or background to the table, and you get a very vibrant environment as a result."
A truly diverse community requires mutual understanding and respect for individual backgrounds, several students said. But many said they had to confront racial and ethnic stereotypes more frequently on campus than in their hometowns.
"From the Asian-American male perspective, standards are higher with regards to academic ability, manners, person as a whole," said one Dartmouth student, who asked to remain anonymous. "Personally, I don't feel it's overwhelming, but I wouldn't be surprised if other people would say it was."
Upon matriculation, many minority students face the issue of heightened visibility in a predominantly white school, several students said.
"We stick out," Kyle Battle '11 said. "And specifically being a black male on campus, people see you. When you are in class and you don't show up, you are probably going to be noticed."
Several students said that horizontal, or lateral, oppression a phenomenon in which one person from a group exercises power over another from the same group by excluding the other person manifests itself on campus in ways that may cause tension within groups. Some members of minority groups, refer to those whom they perceive as lacking engagement in their racial community as merely "box-checkers," according to one student, who wished to remain anonymous.
"I think that sometimes if a person of color does a lot of more mainstream' [non-affinity] stuff, it can be looked at like you're not fully part of the minority community," Jana Landon '11 said. "It's a really unfortunate part, because I think you're missing out on Dartmouth if you didn't engage in activities inside your community and outside of your community."
Lateral oppression is not necessarily characteristic of an entire community, but is practiced by individuals who may exclude others based on their own perception of their communal identity, students said.
"If a black person was raised with white people, if anyone claims that she's not entirely black, they are not being considerate," Cordelia Owusu '13 said. "We're all coming from different places."
Other students cited the role that language or geographical origin plays in the perception of "Latinoness."
"There are individuals in the community who feel like if you don't speak Spanish, you're not Latino, or if you're not born in a Hispanic country, you're not Latino," Francisco Herrera '13 said. "To be honest, we're all here. I don't really see why would they do that."
Ana Sofia De Brito '12 said the presence of students from other countries as well as other states has caused her to re-evaluate her perception of "Blackness" or "Latinoness" to encompass a more global, less "American-centric" perspective. Other students, including Owusu, agreed.
"I think if anything, a thing you can learn is the types of diversity even within your own race," Owusu said. "There's so many different backgrounds that black people come from."
Students of mixed race said their backgrounds allowed them to mediate between different groups on campus.
"Being half black and half Mexican has made my life more interesting here I feel two ways at same time," Chris Norman '13 said. "There's more than one group I can go to and relate with. For me, it's easier to branch out to the mainstream community being mixed race."
The use of the term "self-segregation," referring to the voluntary segregation of a minority group from other communities, can be misleading, several students said. Because the term "segregation" has such a negative connotation, those who use the term overlook the fact that students may just be seeking out others with whom they have more in common, they said.
Students seeking acceptance in a new and unfamiliar environment often congregate on the basis of familiarity, which may include similar cultural backgrounds, academic interest, athletics or extracurricular activities, Assistant Dean of Student Life Pam Misener said.
"On a relatively small campus, in a mostly rural area, the notion that people would seek out others like them is not at all self-segregating," Misener said. "It's more about congregating. You're able to be in a space where you don't have to explain yourself, you don't have to wonder what to expect, you don't have to wonder what's going to come out of people's mouths."
Several students said they also had difficulty reaching out to people from different backgrounds when they arrived at the College, which encouraged them to associate with people like them selves.
"When I have classes and small discussion sections with people, I see them, but they pretend they don't see me," McPherson said. "The idea that we're in the same class, and they can't even say Hi' it hurts me a lot."
Some students pointed to the fear of saying something offensive, which they said could discourage people from approaching and asking questions of people of different races.
"I find people guessing about me, rather than coming to ask me a question," Owusu said. "It's not easy to approach people. I think maybe it's just a sense of people thinking when they come forth and ask questions, they will be labeled as racist.' This prevents people from knowing more about each other."
To overcome these issues, individuals should remain open about discussing their individual backgrounds, students said.
"We need to pursue open dialogue and talk about conflict resolution by educating people about who you are," Parker said. "People don't know enough. We need to be more open, have more events."
Greek Life
Throughout their history, affinity Greek organizations have had to defend themselves against accusations of self-segregation a charge members said they consider unfounded.
Current recognized organizations on campus include Alpha Pi Omega Sorority, Inc., Sigma Lambda Upsilon Senoritas Latinas Unidas Sorority, Inc., La Unidad Latina Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
"Minority [fraternities] offer another option for people," Milan Williams '09, a member of unrecognized African-American fraternity Omega Psi Phi, told The Dartmouth last year. "Everyone doesn't want to be mainstream. Everyone can't be mainstream. It's all about being comfortable, especially in a new situation that you've never been in, being away from home."
Students who seek to become members of affinity organizations sometimes do so because of a dislike of the fraternity mentality and drinking culture, rather than a belief that the rush process is racist, students said.
"In general, I think that for me in embracing the Greek system, I wanted to make sure I knew who I was before I pledged anything," Landon said. "It takes about four years to figure that out. I didn't want something to define me before I was comfortable with how I wanted to define myself."
Students who attempt to balance membership in non-affinity organizations with participation in multicultural groups may experience additional challenges, according to those interviewed.
"For me, my personal experience has been balancing being part of the Greek system in a mainstream sorority, as well as a part of La Alianza Latina and the Latino community here," Laura Zapata '11, a member of Kappa Delta Epsilon sorority, said. "I wanted to put myself out there and challenge myself, as well as other people's perspectives about what identity means."
Student Suggestions
Of over 400 student groups currently recognized on campus, over 40 currently have ties to specific cultural communities. The Inter-Community Council, a student-run program run by the Office of Pluralism and Leadership, aims to promote awareness of diversity among students, according to ICC student intern Maya Granit '11.
Groups associated with the ICC include the Multi-Faith Council, Access by Leadership in Equity and Greek organizations, as well as representatives from the LGBTQA, Native American, black and Latino communities.
Student Assembly also maintains a Diversity and Community Affairs Committee, which serves to increase interactions between communities, according to committee co-chair Amrita Sankar '12.
The committee sponsors the Inter-Community Development Fund, which supports "innovative, diverse events." Through the Pangea Initiative, Student Assembly provides funds for groups on campus to host events focusing on Dartmouth-related issues, Sankar said.
Student groups on campus frequently host discussion-based events about topics of diversity. Most recently, students took part in an affirmative action discussion run by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, a mixer run by ICC focusing on issues of lateral oppression and a Women of Color Collective event that probed perceptions of Dartmouth.
Although students said they agree that discussion-based events call attention to important issues of diversity, some faculty members and students suggested that such forums often attract the same students over and over and suffer from a lack of open-minded dialogue.
"I'm not sure people know the difference between dialogue, discussion and debate," Misener said. "To learn how to have a dialogue, to know the skills to talk about our life experiences in such a way that we can notice what it means to be different not as a detriment for individuals or for groups of people, but as a cause for advancement is a cause for liberation."
One way students can develop the skills necessary to engage different campus groups is through OPAL's Diversity Peer Leadership Program, Misener said.
"I think that this campus is a lot more diverse than people acknowledge," Sankar said. "I think to the naked eye it might seem like a homogenous, kind of Caucasian, upper-class community, but after I did the Diversity Peer Leaders program, I learned you can never judge a book by its cover."
Several students said they were hesitant to attend certain community events, even those open to campus.
"I can see how having been the only person of color in a room my entire life being the only white person in a room might feel uncomfortable," Lauren Glover '11 said. "But every person's perspective is very diverse."
A more personal approach to sharing and learning about the backgrounds and experiences of peers could be more effective than large-scale discussion, according to some students.
"A person-to-person contact is what I see to be the best way to raise awareness on campus," Gabriel Lopez '11 said. "You can convey emotional experience, and it's a better way to show your own feelings."
The administration has a limited ability to push students to engage in issues of diversity, some students interviewed said.
"You can't just socially engineer acceptance of diversity on campus," Brace said. "Administration can't force dialogue to happen or for students to re-evaluate their preconceptions. Put all these people in living learning environment, and watch what will happen."
The fast pace of the quarter system may be partly to blame for student inability to attend discussions and engage in this dialogue, some said.
"You hear it all the time I don't have time; I have work to do,'" De Brito said. "First and foremost we're here for our academics, but we also have a social responsibility to students as well."
Other students said they do not regularly consider racial and ethnic backgrounds as defining or limiting factors in their social lives.
"I found my niche here, and it was an organic process," Lopez said. "My best friend is Turkish, my other is Chinese. We found commonalities that transcend racial and ethnic barriers. We have a very similar upbringing in terms of social values, in terms of family and what our interests are outside of the classroom as well."
Dissatisfaction
Some students interviewed by The Dartmouth, who wished to remain anonymous, considered transferring from the College due to dissatisfaction with racial aspects of social life, the drinking culture of Greek life, the rural location, stress of the quarter system and an absence of the community they experienced during pre-orientation programs such as Dartmouth Outing Club freshman trips and Dimensions of Dartmouth.
"I'm still struggling with idea of being me in this place," one student said. "Sometimes I think I wouldn't have stayed it might have not been as hard mentally and emotionally as it has been here. It can be very isolating. But then other times, I think it's been great, that I've really challenged myself and I'm a stronger person."
Dartmouth's strong financial aid packages may provide dissatisfied students with one of few incentives to stay, some students said.
"Of most of the people I've talked to who are minorities here, 75 to 80 percent have started thinking about transferring or sent in an application, but ultimately didn't because they didn't have the money," De Brito said. "Dartmouth, I think, doesn't know their retention is sometimes based on the money they give to people, because there are a lot of unhappy people here."
Since 1997, education professor Andrew Garrod has edited six collections of essays written mainly by Dartmouth students about the identity, relationships and challenges they face as members of minority groups and how their individual background shapes their reaction. Each book focuses on a certain subsection, including those who identify themselves as Native American, African American, Asian-American and Latino American, international students and students with disabilities.
"I think you can wander through a place like Dartmouth and pay no attention to minorities," Garrod said. "But at least if you were in my classes, or read one of these books on your own, it would take you out of what you immediately knew and help present a different way of the world."
Garrod plans to edit two more essay collections, one about Muslim students and another about biracial students.
Overall, individuals interviewed said they hoped students would step beyond their comfort zones.
"It is just in small random acts of kindness you can show or be cognizant of the humanity of every human being," Glover said. "You can recognize universality without negating individual experiences."
