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The Rice Thresher
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To the editor: Last week, a minority flight discussion was held to discuss reasons and solutions for minority students moving off campus ("Race and the college system discussed," March 16). However, I feel the results of the study were used to trivialize the problem of socioeconomics and education to one of mere race. We often see that many economically disadvantaged students have a tougher time getting into higher education, which causes a trend of socioeconomic entrenchment in many communities. However, issues at the minority flight discussion revolved around racial alienation and isolation. Many minority students complained that the low number of minorities and large number of whites and Asians at Rice meant that they had nothing in common with most students. However, this shows a clear narrowness of perspective. Students who come to Rice expecting the exact same environment as where they grew up are generalizing their own upbringing as ubiquitous when in fact we all come from different backgrounds, racial or otherwise. We as minorities should not expect Rice to be a minority school. The world outside is not a minority world, and college should prepare us to enter the world of the majority, not seclude us from it. Meeting people of different backgrounds is not a pointless, lonesome experience, but rather one that broadens our world view and our perspective on diversity. I personally have discussed this issue repeatedly with many minorities, including my three Hispanic roommates. Even they would agree that minority students demanding that more students of similar backgrounds be on campus is not diversity, but rather a more subtle form of racism and preferential prejudice. Though our thoughts and feelings often travel homeward, Rice should not be expected to completely supplant it.
Jackson Lee Jones junior
Forcing diversity not necessary, misguided To the editor: First of all, I am a Mexican-American. I was the first person in my family to be born in the United States, where I've lived all my life. I am writing because I think too many people have the wrong idea about how to fix the diversity "problem" here at Rice, or in the world in general. First and foremost, I don't believe that anyone can "force" true diversity to exist without some kind of prejudice. As soon as you start making decisions based on quantities of races, religions or anything else, you immediately lose any claim that, "Rice University does not discriminate against any individual on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, age, disability or veteran status in its admissions, its educational programs or employment of faculty or staff," because you are trying to get so many people of this kind or that kind. But the words "this kind" and "that kind" are also a form of discrimination. This is why I don't believe that we should be looking for a way to make minority students feel more comfortable, because we discriminate in our decision of whom to make more comfortable. Instead, if anything, let us make everyone more comfortable. Several people made comments quoted in last week's Thresher with regard to having difficulty finding other minority students to relate to, and hence feeling like they should move off campus ("Race and the college system discussed," March 16). I ask, why are you looking for "minority" students to talk to? Why not look for any student? I don't hang around any race specifically for the reason of being with people of my race, I simply talk to people who seem friendly to me, regardless of anything in their background, and it works out quite nicely. As a freshman, I was put in a room with three white students, and as far as I know, there has not been any issue whatsoever with me being Hispanic. I believe this is most likely because I did not bring it up. As a current sophomore, I live with the same roommates now and plan on living with them next year off campus (only two of us were booted). I don't try to identify or label myself as a Hispanic person, but rather, I try to project myself as who I am inside, what my personality is, what I care about. And I believe if we all just thought of ourselves in such a way, things would be a lot easier in general. I may be an idealist, but I just think that if we blame too much on race, then race will never be a non-issue. To Hanszen College sophomore Jose Ramirez, I'd like to note the following: Going to any college is a complete culture shock to about 99 percent of students. Sure, a white student coming to a predominantly white university may feel comforted because he thinks he'll be among people "like him," but he's just as likely to find out that he can't identify with anyone once he's there because no one shares his simple love of bubble wrap or whatever other thing makes him who he is. We all enter a completely new environment when getting to college. Why complicate things more by caring about race?
Jonathan Mendez Will Rice sophomore
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