Ethnic Housing

    Ethnic housing is a home away from home for many minority students. It provides an oasis from the college campus by encompassing their traditional culture. However, continuing to live in housing catered to their background encourages segregation amongst different ethnic groups. If ethnic housing was stopped, diversity could be found in every dorm, where every student could learn about the variety of cultures followed by their peers. It is the youth that can change prejudices, but only if segregation is stopped.

    Throughout history, segregation has lead to bigotry and hate towards other groups. Segregation on college campuses through the guise of 'ethnic housing' would be a step in the wrong direction. The New York Civil Rights Commission produced a report, "which surveyed 50 prominent colleges and universities, show[ing] that college campuses are working in the opposite direction, promoting racial division, separation and segregation, all in the name of 'diversity'" (Robert, 2002). College campuses are trying to obtain more and more minority students in order to become more diverse. Yet segregating races destroys the benefits of a diverse learning environment because it decreases the likelihood that different groups will befriend each other. Many people argue that ethnic housing, when open to all races, creates a beneficial learning environment. But in many prominent colleges such as Cornell, "it is a dubious claim... Ujamaa, the African-American house, had only one white resident" (Meyer, 1996). Segregation is still present in 'integrated' ethnic housing and must be terminated in order to destroy the prejudice that traditionally follows.

    Going to college is often the first time a student is truly independent. This is the time when old ideas can be changed. Parker "had gone to high school several hours a day in an environment full of people who were different from [her]-racially, religiously, culturally...[however] college... would engage [her] 24 hours a day, seven day a week" (2002, p 552). It is therefore the college's duty to create a diverse environment to foster racial tolerance. Ethnic housing may bring more minorities into the school, but will lead to "segregation [which] does great harm, because it postpones and delays the opportunity to get to know people without regard to their race or their background" (Hill, 1996). A school free from ethnic housing will create an environment that accepts other races and cultures which is likely to be adopted by its students. Such values will be passed on to future generations and create more tolerance among races. Yale is a premier college that is against ethnic housing. "Yale had declined to allow students to deconstruct the Yale experience by choosing to participate in only one facet of it, just as it declines to allow undergraduates to enroll as part-time students" (Davis, 2001,  p 560). Diversity of students within dorms is considered an aspect of the education at Yale. Therefore, the true college experience should encompass both knowledge and tolerance to stop prejudice.

    Most people would agree that segregation in the past was wrong. However, it is difficult for these people to see the harm in ethnic housing because it benefits minority students. While it may be comfortable to minority students, ethnic housing does not benefit them or their peers. Instead, it creates prejudices. In order to stop this mistake before it becomes as detrimental as it was in the past, students must learn to accept other groups and respect them. But colleges will need to admit their mistake and change their campus dynamics, which could be difficult for many universities.

 

Reference List

Davis, D. S. (2001). College housing policies should avoid ethnic and religious

     balkanization. In L.G. Kirszner & S.R. Mandell (Eds), Patterns for college writing: A

     rhetorical reader and guide (pp. 558). Boston: Bedford/St. Martin.

Hill, M. J. (1996). Do theme dorms sanction self-segregation. Christian Science Mentor,

     88(160). Retrieved October 29,2008 from:

     http://web.ebscohost.com/src/detail?vid=6&hid=15&sid=2ecc12aa-ce07-43c6-8960-e6fd39aff1b2%40sessionmgr9

MICHAEL MEYERS

Meyers, M. New York Times (1996). Ethnic Dorms at Cornell Teach Wrong Lesson. Retrieved October 30

     2008, from: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9802E4DA1039F931A15756C0A960958260

Parker. R. (2002). Why special housing for ethnic students makes sense. In Laurie G.

     Kirszner & Stephen R. Mandell, Patterns for College Writing: A Rhetorical Reader and

     Guide (pp.551-555). Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's.

Robert, S. Jr. (2002). The balkanization of college campuses. Retrieved October 30, 2008

     from http://www.enterstageright.com/archive/articles/1202/1202campus.txt