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| Peter Larkins | The Appalachian |
| Students listen to discussions
on ethics and diversity in today's culture during Monday's
forum. Panelists included members of multicultural clubs on
campus. |
by Elizabeth Ashford
Staff Writer
Cliques of students are common everywhere, but some people wonder
why people of the same race seem to gravitate toward each other
to form what some think of as “exclusive groups,” which
do not allow everyone in.
On Feb. 16, Multicultural Student Development brought a forum titled,
“Why Are All the Colored Kids Sitting Together?” to
Appalachian State University as part of the 2004 Diversity Series.
The speakers were presidents of different ethnic clubs on campus.
“The Hispanic Student Association is a place where Hispanics,
Latinos and anyone else can come together for support, awareness
and for fun,” HSA President Laura B. Limon said.
Limon said the club is about overcoming different Latino issues
and is open to anyone on campus who wants to learn about the Latino
culture.
“The purpose of the Asian Student Association ... is to get
together with people who either share your heritage or share interest
in it,” ASA President Serah E. Chavda said.
Chavda said that the club is a place for anybody to come and celebrate
Indian culture.
Black Student Association Chair Shalonda J. Goodwin and Bisexual
Gay Lesbian and Allies Associated for Diversity President Teressa
G. Cameron were also present.
The floor was then open for discussion; the first question asked
was why races tend to separate along color lines.
“I know that when I’m here, it is a great feeling to
be around people who look like me, because that’s what I’m
used to at home,” Goodwin said.
She said she does not speak for all African-Americans, but that
organizations like BSA are there to celebrate her heritage and discuss
issues that affect African-Americans on a daily basis.
One issue discussed at the forum was how a student could benefit
from going to an ethnic club if they were not a minority.
“Allies are an intricate part of BGLAAD,” Cameron said.
“What you can gain from coming and being around LGBT students
is tolerance and understanding, and getting involved around campus
on things you might normally wouldn’t be involved in,”
Cameron said.
Common misconceptions about other cultures were brought up and Limon
said she has had some students tell her they thought they would
just see “Mexicans” in the meetings. “Sometimes
people expect to walk into the Hispanic Student Association meeting
and see a bunch of Mexicans that are dirty, with a mustache,”
Limon said.
Limon said that HSA has students from many different Hispanic countries
and that they do not all look alike.
Goodwin said that some people have thought BSA is exclusively for
African-Americans, which it is not. The BSA is for everyone, Goodwin
said.
She said she felt other stereotypes of African-Americans are that
they are unintelligent, or cannot speak well. She said she gets
tired of people acting surprised and complimenting her on her speaking
abilities. “I’m a senior in college and I got here for
a reason. What do you expect me to do?” Goodwin said.
With many clubs on campus vying for membership, one participant
asked if the ethnic clubs try to work together and support each
other.
“I think we really want to try to do more to actively support
the other multicultural and diverse clubs,” Chavda said.
Many education majors were present at the forum, so some of the
questions focused on the classroom.
Limon said that she would love for teachers to celebrate each child’s
culture.
“I don’t think it would be creating some separation,
I think it would be giving knowledge,” Limon said.
After the forum ended, many of the participants stayed and talked
to each other.
“I really enjoyed hearing from their perspective about how
their groups are treated and how they present themselves to other
people,” elementary education major Amanda S. Hane said.
“I really learned a lot about educating students,” Hane
said.
“I thought it was great,” accounting major Kendrick
C. Tillman said. He said he liked HSA bringing up actual stereotypes
that people might think but would never mention.
“To actually be up front about your feelings, that’s
the way you learn more about a culture,” Tillman said.
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