LETTER: Redirecting ethnic focus in admission policy will undermine race

---

by Marcial Sanchez

---

To the editor:

I consider myself as having had many opportunities, if not privileges, in my lifetime, and I am grateful for every one of them. One of the greatest of these was my acceptance to Rice.

Almost immediately upon arriving, I was impressed by the diversity here of class, ethnicity, national origin, personality and so much more.

Yet, it seems even this diversity is now under attack by that faceless entity, the "Court."

Upon reading the March 29 issue of the Thresher , specifically the three letters dealing with this topic, I was truly disturbed by what some of the letters had to say.

Before that, let me first say thanks to Sheffy Gordon for his contribution, behind which I found myself standing one hundred percent.

As for Alejandro Gonzalez, I can only disagree. When I achieve a goal, I give thanks that it happened. When I fall short, I resolve to move on or do better next time. I cannot allow myself to let my race account for all of my successes or take the blame for my failures.

I have every confidence that the Office of Admission selected the best class it could, and I hold my head high that I am a part of it.

The statement that Gonzalez's "race/national origin is not an issue for me" leads me to believe that he and I come from wildly different backgrounds.

My race is a huge issue for me. It is where I came from and come from. I am who I am because of it. My relatives, including my father, crossed the border many years ago, bringing a background in another language, a set of customs and traditions, family ties and loyalties and a strong religious sense.

Gonzalez's suggestion of redirecting our efforts to pursuits other than ethnic would only undermine our respective races.

His closing: "You're black. You're Hispanic. That's great. Now move on." Great it is, but race, heritage and history are not things to move on from, but rather to express, celebrate and share.

I don't have the talent to fully speak my mind on Jason Ciarochi's letter and maintain any semblance of brevity, but here goes.

This painfully debate-style article is pock-marked with oversight upon assumption upon buzzword (what's stigmatization?).

For one, the suggestion to use serial numbers assumes that we all came from equal backgrounds, and it is here and only at the accepted/rejected pile that the discrimination occurs. Obviously, affirmative action is specifically designed to even out the imbalance created by the severe differences in background and quality of education available.

Also, we are not here to wreak vengeance, as is so subtly hinted at, on the Good Christian White Man; we are not asking for a handout. But we want only what we have been for so long denied: a fair shot at the superior education and experience Rice has to offer.

The situation need not extend beyond stepping through the Sallyport. Let the proving grounds be within the hedges.

After all, once we get to this level, we start over again (don't we?).

Besides, Gonzalez's argument is based on the complexity of the issue. Well, life is complex.

I can barely stomach the idea that centuries of oppression and racism can be equated to the plight of the ugly.

Subconsciously, it might be analogous, but it ends there.

How many white women grab tighter onto their purses when an ugly man walks by? How many ugly people have been kicked out of restaurants? How many crosses have been burned on the lawns of ugly people?

How far does property value drop when an ugly family moves into an all-handsome neighborhood? How many businesses, delivery services, and emergency responders refuse to enter the ugly 'hood?

Ciarochi's "strongest" argument has no basis.

He states that affirmative action leads others to doubt whether we have a right to be here.

Yes, these allegations bother me, but this thinly veiled racism tells me that the accusers simply have not been sufficiently educated (hey, we're in a university!).

The whole point of the Rice setting is to educate us, not just about flux capacitors and the role of the Church in Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales," but about the peoples we share our (yes, our ) country and world with.

The allegations mean not that I should go whimpering home and work for Burger World, but that more education is needed, an education feasible only in an environment inclusive of diverse groups and individuals .

Why, you ask, are Latinos and blacks the "protected" minorities? It's a difficult issue which I'd love to discuss, but evidence is best gathered firsthand.

Even in your own sheltered world, Rice, open your eyes and look around once in a while. Next time you're on the shuttle bus, check the color of the skin on the bus driver. Next time you reluctantly go to get your CK lunch, note who's serving your food. Next time you're walking around your college, take a good, hard look at who's emptying your trash, who's cleaning your sinks, who's vacuuming your floors, and tell me that the discrimination and class system are of the past.

Then notice that they all do it with a smile. Why? Maybe they see something you don't. Maybe they see how great this place is.

Then maybe ask yourself why almost all of the personnel wearing guns (campos) conspicuously lack this pigment. It is not their fault any more than it is that of the other workers, but why is it so?

Reality check. I am not writing on behalf of all Mexican-Americans. I am not writing this on behalf of all minorities, all Democrats, any government institutions, all minority Rice students or any other group, except those who agree with me, be there any.

I am a single individual, with my own opinions, my own beliefs, my own personality.

Whether or not I represent my race in your eyes, I am also a person, not a stereotype, not a clone, not a statistic. This is why I am here, and why I want to be here.

Again, in closing, I give thanks for where I am, insomuch that here we can resolve (or at least dispute) our differences in ink, not blood, even those issues that mean so much to us.

We've come a long way. This a great university, a great city, a great country. It can be better. Let's make it that way.

Marcial Sanchez

Jones '99

This item appeared in the Opinion section of the April 12, 1996 issue.

Copyright © 1996 The Rice Thresher. All Rights Reserved.
This document may be distributed electronically, provided that it is distributed in its entirety and includes this notice. However, it cannot be reprinted without the express written permission of:
The Rice Thresher, Rice University, 6100 Main, Houston, TX 77005-1892, USA.