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Volume CXXXIII, Number 10 |
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'Successful' events reflect demand for dialogue
ALISON L. MCCONNELL
ORIENT STAFF
Several recent campus events addressed the oft-debated topic of diversity in various forms, and reactions from students and administrators reflected increasing demand for discussion.
"These events are a significant part of building a pluralistic community," said Dean of Student Affairs Craig Bradley. "That's very much a part of what the college experience should be-gaining some meaningful exposure to cultures and backgrounds."
One of those events was a casual meeting held last Wednesday, organized by juniors Genevieve Creedon and Haliday Douglas.
"My motivations for getting people together are a lot less about diversity than about providing the space for people to talk openly, where they don't have to be tagged as members of specific groups or with specific interests," Creedon said. "Since my first year, I have been very dissatisfied with the lack of time and space for meaningful conversation and exchange of ideas."
Six students attended the discussion, which was held in the Caf‚. "Its informality gave people an opportunity to talk about issues of race as earnestly as possible without a need for political correctness," Douglas said.
First-year Mark Viehman agreed. "There was no formal structure; it was as close to a spontaneous discussion as you can get," he said. "People there seemed comfortable to share what they felt. A more formal discussion arena would deter people from coming and participating because it would seem more forced-more like a classroom setting."
Tanya Mead, a member of the education faculty at Portland Community College in Oregon, ran a cross-cultural dialogue workshop at Bowdoin recently. She indicated that increased discussion may be difficult for a small school.
"Opening up a community to dialogue is challenging largely due to fear, lack of knowledge, and apathy," she said. "Having ineffective dialogue can also regress people into more rigid or defensive positions.
"While fear prevents many from embracing difference, it can be a truly liberating process," Mead continued. "Not only will cross-cultural dialogue help Bowdoin students to perhaps resolve everyday problems that arise around difference, but they will be better prepared to participate in an increasingly diverse world."
Jennifer Finney Boylan, a transgendered professor of English at Colby College, spoke in Kresge two weeks ago. Bowdoin also sponsored performances from tae kwon do and Korean drumming groups recently.
"Those were successful events," Bradley said. "My sense is that there are encounters with difference that occur daily, though not always in a public setting. A ready example is that of roommates negotiating their differences. While this can be hard, students generally bring a sense of goodwill and an open mind, and that's constructive."
Douglas said that students' identification with diversity issues influences their participation in events like these. "If a conversation lacks a sense of relevance or does not affect one's world view, then why would anyone have a reason to enter into it?" he said. "The problem with race issues on this campus is that people of all races, particularly blacks and whites, tend not to mix in an everyday social setting. A very slim minority of people actually intermingle interracially and have the opportunity to see difference and appreciate it."
Mead cited cultural self-awareness a crucial part of the process. "Most people focus on the other when trying to understand issues of diversity," she said. "Often they don't consider themselves in the equation."
Some expressed disapproval of the way Bowdoin has handled its changing demographics. "I don't feel as if the College has a good plan for dealing with the wide span of problems that exist today," Viehman said. "Though diversifying the campus is a move in the right direction, it seems to be a blanket response to the range of problems that exist.
"I don't necessarily think it is the sole responsibility of the College to change people's minds and open their eyes," he continued. "The students need to make changes by being examples to other students."
According to Bradley, apart from sponsoring events and speakers, the College has not necessarily sponsored dialogue on an institutional level. Its focus has mainly been on support of students initiating those discussions.
"Our primary concern is that everyone who comes here has the best educational experience possible, and that the campus is a rewarding learning environment," he said. "Part of that is fostering an environment where difference can be productively discussed and explored.
"It's a fair criticism that we haven't directly created opportunities for what some call 'sustained dialogue' to occur," he added. "We've been talking about it but haven't put it on the ground."
Students agreed that dialogue must be a pivotal aspect of Bowdoin's diversification process. "Change will never happen if most whites continue to pretend that there are no race issues at Bowdoin and if most minorities continue to pretend that they are not part of the reason why there is no dialogue," Douglas said.
"People don't often venture out of their 'comfort zones' to talk to new people on a regular basis, and it reaches a point where sticking with what's comfortable really stifles personal growth," Creedon said. "The discussion needs to begin among students, but it will need to expand to involve faculty and staff as well who are absolutely essential to the sort of institutional changes needed to sustain these discussions."
Mead said that facilitation and planning are important factors in dialogues about culture and diversity. "It is critical that participants feel safe to engage themselves, which may in turn allow them to take risks and grow," she said. "Better to have a great dialogue with a few than to engage the entire community in a way that is meaningless. Leadership that supports such dialogues can make a huge difference."
"I sense a growing interest in discussions about difference," Bradley said. "Having those is the next stage in our development as a pluralistic community."
Creedon indicated that she plans to organize more discussions in the same informal vein as last Wednesday's gathering. "I want people to come with their concerns and voice them," she said. "Obviously, creating this sort of discussion will take time [but] even if only a few people show up each time, there is a ripple effect. Each of us can bring discussion to the other contexts of our lives: classes, friends, family. Change takes time," Mead said. "Those involved in long-term, sustained change need the patience, humor, humility, and creativity to see the changes through."
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