Non-Minorities In Ethnic Theme Dorms
[This student blog entry is part of a Stanford PWR 2 assignment that is discussed at greater length here]
In researching Stanford’s Ethnic Theme Dorms for my research project in “The Rhetoric of Cultures, Subcultures, and Group Identity” I came upon countless articles condemning this system for its perpetuation of racial divides but also as many praising it for its awareness of cultural differences.
Whether these four dorms - Casa Zapata the Chicano/a theme dorm, Ujamaa the African-American theme dorm, Okada the Asian-American theme dorm, and Muwekmah-tah-ruk, the Native American dorm - are discriminatory or not, this particular graph grabbed my attention.
The graphs, found in an article in the Stanford Review, depict the non-ethnic student required draw numbers to get into the ethnic theme dorms in comparison to the dorms nearby very similar to it. (Higher draw numbers mean less desirable dorms.) Choosing black and white as the two colors, demonstrates the drastic opposition of the two choices. The term ‘non-ethnic’ is ambiguous, is it what the author thought was a politically correct term for Caucasian? Given that Stanford’s student body includes a heavy Asian population, are they also considered non-minorities? Or does it include anyone who the highlighted ethnicity in the particular dorm?
Why are the draw numbers for non-ethnic males and females into these theme houses always so high? Could it be that upon entering these dorms they become the minority in the house; finally understand the feelings and frustrations most minorities experience on a day-to-day basis? In another Stanford Review article entitled “Ethnic Theme Dorms Hinder School Diversity,” a Caucasian resident of Ujamaa expressed feeling “socially and culturally ostracized” and noted “being forced to associate [himself] with a culture was not [his] idea of a pleasurable experience.” He felt “clearly unaccepted by many of his fellow residents and was forced to find a social network in the other residences of Lagunita…[He] felt forcibly immersed in one dominant culture, with few outlets to other perspectives” (Theron). Does a Hispanic student at Branner, or an African-American student at Arroyo feel the same way?
Whether ethnic theme dorms in and of themselves perpetuate racial tensions is a debatable issue; however, if there are no attempts to become culturally aware and failures at interaction by non-minorities and minorities alike, there is no reason to expect a more unified campus in any near future.
Comments
Vanessa--
I think that this topic is so interesting! I think that in your blog you posed very good questions to consider in your paper and presentation. I particularly liked the question, does a Hispanic student at Branner, or an African-American student at Arryo feel ostracized just as the Caucasian student living in Ujamaa did? I think that this topic is so controversial on campus that you can find a lot of student opinions and therefore a lot of primary research concerning your topic. I look forward to hearing your final presentation! Good luck!
Posted by: Tara | October 31, 2007 09:36 PM
I think draw number cutoffs are an interesting source that is very informative. The topic is very interesting. I think one of the most interesting questions you bring up is “Could it be that upon entering these dorms they become the minority in the house; finally understand the feelings and frustrations most minorities experience on a day-to-day basis?” Because in these dorms minorities do get an opportunity to be the majority, they get to be around people from their own background. It is very interesting to see how this switch affects everyone. Good luck with your research I look forward to your presentation.
Posted by: Eethar | November 1, 2007 10:01 PM
Vanessa,
Your topic was most interesting and I find it very useful that you decided to describe a cross-cultural phenomenon taking place within the sphere where you live and study. To be able to detect clashes of culture is sometimes regarded as something you do "out there" which means that we miss to see things happening right under our noses.
/Nicole Borg
Örebro University
Sweden
Posted by: Nicole Borg | November 2, 2007 01:05 AM
Vanessa,
You are doing a great job with this topic -- and I'm pleased to see you working with a range of sources, from information graphics to Daily articles. Thank you also for you conscientiousness in linking up to the related sites: not only did this model great blog authorship (as a form of Connective Writing), but it indicated your awareness of how helpful such linking might be to the international audience which is reading this blog.
I would like to reiterate what both Eethar and Tara mentioned in their comments -- your questions, which get at de-familiarizing our cultural understanding of racial tensions, really get at the heart of the issue, and nicely represent the complexity of the question of ethnic-identification on campus and the impressive way in which you are addressing it. Keep up the good work!
- Christine
Posted by: Christine | November 2, 2007 09:10 AM
Hi Vanessa,
Well done coming up with such an intriguing research topic! I'm totally unaware of the existence of ethnic theme dorm in the States! (mourns over my ignorance of the world)
Maybe you could explain a little more so that I can understand the drawing system better. What exactly is the draw number all about?
Singapore is a multiethnic society where we always stress the importance of ethnic tolerance and harmony. Even for our university campus hostel there's a quota for each different ethnic group to ensure ethnic diversity and cross-ethnic interaction.
I feel that while ethnic theme dorms provide a place that international students could feel home, it discourages interaction between the different ethnicity and could have an adverse effect upon cross-ethnic tolerance and hinders the understanding of one another.
I believe your research outcome will provide your readers a lens to understand cross border cultural issues even in places we can associate with well such as the school!
Anyway I’ve got a question. Is there even a way that I can read your paper or something? If not, that will be quite disappointing. =(
Good luck!
Posted by: Yong Xun, Toh | November 7, 2007 09:32 PM
Hi Vanessa,
Great choice of topic! You’ve really piqued my curiosity about cultural diversity in Stanford. It looks like racial segregation of dorms makes the majorities in that dorm form their own exclusive cliques, and makes other minorities feel left out. I can imagine how it would feel like if everyone around you is talking in a language you can’t understand! Is there any possible explanation for how such a cultural trend developed? Is it simply human nature that birds of a feather tend to flock together? Or do the dorms put in enough efforts to integrate minorities into the community?
I had a friend in my high school who was the only Malay girl in the entire class of Chinese students (as my high school is approximately 90% Chinese!) and she didn’t appear to click in well with the rest of the class; I think she must also have felt like how the Caucasian student in Ujamaa felt, which is culturally ostracised. Not only do others speak a different language, sometimes the common topics, values etc. they share are also different.
Perhaps Stanford needs a major reorganisation in its distribution of races in dorms in order to break such a trend! Stanford has a truly colourful and diverse student body, which I agree should not go to waste. But a possible repercussion of diversifying the racial ratios in dorms could be tension and greater intolerance between the different racial groups, which was what happened when the Singapore government attempted to fix the racial ratios for public housing, by implementing a minimum quota of minority races in each block.
Thanks for raising such a potentially exciting topic!
Posted by: Wen Qi | November 12, 2007 05:20 PM