The Bowdoin Orient

February 16, 2001
Volume CXXXII, Number 16

Response to Asian fliers

To the Bowdoin Community:

   It is not my weekly routine to write a letter to the Orient, but the flyers that have been put up recently around the campus, seeking awareness for Asian students, have prompted me to share my thoughts. One of the many reasons why my life at Bowdoin has the potential to become the 'best four years' of my life is that I am not conscious of the fact that I am an international student. Even though I am involved in the International Club, I am rarely conscious of the fact that my home country is Japan. A big deciding factor that made me come to Bowdoin was the fact that there were very few Japanese students enrolled here. The reason for this choice lies in my secondary school experience.
   For seven years before I came here, I attended an international school in Germany. There were many Japanese students enrolled at the school, and in my class alone, there were seven students from Japan. There was a tendency for Japanese students to form an isolated group that prevented interaction between the Japanese students and the other students-and we received a lot of attention. I became self-conscious about my nationality and was uncomfortable in this situation. As Bowdoin had few Japanese students, I thought I would not face the same problem, and I believe I made the right choice to come here.
   The recent call for diversity and attention to races, however, does alarm me. Diversity at the level of individuals is great. I am very supportive of diversifying the student body with students from different backgrounds and unique experiences. However, when one starts to define diversity as differences in race, we are unconsciously seeding a source of racism. The mere action of categorizing by races brings the awareness of difference and prejudice. In the same way, calling attention to different races is a source of prejudice. As far as I know, there is no obvious unequal treatment of minorities on campus. What is then the need for extra attention? Instead of focusing on racial differences, we should cherish and recognize uniqueness of every individual and the individual's unique background. As Bowdoin places emphasis on diversifying the student body, I hope that diversification does not become purely a matter of diversifying racial differences.

Yui Suzuki '01