From: Mercedes Monaco
Submit: Post Message
Date: 08 Dec 1996
Time: 20:23:42
Unfortunately I don't think what you described is unique to Porter. My experiences at Stevenson have also shown me that this campus is an uncomfortable place to live for students of color. Being a residential assistant last year gave me some insight. There was an incident last year in which a white student was very loudly expressing some racial slurrs. The response of the administration (or the virtual lack of one) caused a pretty big uproar amoung the students. A lot of students of color I spoke with during that time expressed furstration that it took something so blatant to happen for people to talk about whats really going on racially on our campus. I wonder what the future of this campus is, especially, as Ed pointed out, with prop 189 and 209 and the regents decision about affirmative action. If students of color were already feeling unwelcome, what will the effects be (and what are they) of these new propositions? I'm afraid that a lot of students of color will stop applying to this University.