Most people derive their understanding of "self-segregation" by extrapolating the words. Along with negative connotations of the word "segregation," this term implies that one is so absorbed in a particular group that he or she rejects outside communities. This is not what race and culture-specific organizations at Dartmouth serve to do.
All students of Dartmouth College, indeed all people, have multifaceted aspects of their personal identities. We are not just our race, gender, sexual orientation or athletic affiliation, but rather the sum of all these various identities. At Dartmouth, we have numerous outlets to showcase, highlight and celebrate different aspects of our identities, whether that means being a Croo member, pledging a Greek house or participating in a racial or ethnically-based organization.
It is easier to accuse race or culture-based groups of self-segregation, because as minorities, these individuals stand out. To congregate is to stand out even more. Can African-American students sitting together in a dining room be considered an instance of self-segregation? What about an all-female table? Or a table consisting of the members of the Dartmouth football team? All of these are examples of students congregating based on one aspect of their identities, but only one of these examples would be labeled as self-segregation. The ethno-cultural divisions, so dubbed acts of "self-segregation," are not the fault of cultural organizations. These divisions existed well before the formation of these groups as a reaction to the historic composition of the College. They existed because the predominant Caucasian culture rejected other cultures. The introduction of a more diverse student population occurred only in the recent quarter of Dartmouth's history. At the College, we must own our difficult history and acknowledge the systemic dismissal of many of the cultures that these groups were formed to celebrate. The creation of these cultural groups was not based on a rejection of identities outside of them. They were created in order to allow camaraderie and solidarity among students as well as to highlight the identities that were otherwise unrecognized. At the very least, these organizations are safe spaces for members of a common identity to share their experiences. Over time, these organizations have raised awareness of the cultural diversity on Dartmouth's campus through sharing celebrations and discussions with the campus at large. Some may ask, what is the continued utility of these cultural groups? First, they are open spaces for sharing common cultural heritages and interests. Second, they provide formal support spaces for those who have shared common experiences based on race, ethnicity or culture. In the past year alone, at least two homophobic and three racist bias incidents have been reported. For the students who were directly or indirectly affected by these incidents, these culture-based organizations offer solace a place where they can go for support. Both authors were negatively affected by these recent incidents and used these spaces as forums to discuss how we, as individuals and as communities, can address these incidents and prevent future microaggressions.
Before assuming that these cultural organizations are self-segregating, we challenge you, members of the Dartmouth community, to go participate in one, or as many as you would like. These organizations are open to all students. If there is any hesitation, ask yourself: is it based on your discomfort in engaging with that group, or is it based on problems with members of that community? These are not questions that you necessarily need to answer by yourself. The Office of Pluralism and Leadership, for example, has a range of advisors who support the various communities on campus that have historically been underserved, but their work is not limited to supporting minority groups. They are open to supporting self-exploration of any and all students at the College. One individual can identify with a number of smaller communities on campus. Students often identify with several of these smaller communities and, as a result, form shared experiences. Multiply this across over 4,000 undergraduates on this campus, and we have an incredibly interconnected, diverse Dartmouth community. What ultimately makes this campus stronger is when individual students do not hesitate to explore new communities and create more of these shared experiences.
