Residence Life curriculum needs change
Former program created uncomfortable environment
Issue date: 11/6/07 Section: Editorial
The direction Residence Life has taken with its meetings and programs is also unsettling. In previous years, floor meetings and programs were focused on social icebreakers and interacting with new members of the residence hall community. Testimonials from both sides show that many of these meetings have been redirected to focus on tolerance and diversity issues.
According to some freshmen, including Arman Fardanesh, some RAs forced students to express personal opinions in front of their peers relating their thoughts on questions to do with race, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, religion, ableism and socio-economic status. Residence Life's own materials promote the view that white citizens are inherently racist because of historical precedence and that RAs should conduct activities that express this idea.
The students who went to FIRE and stood up for their beliefs should be commended. Too often the students at this university are considered apathetic and incapable of real action. Here, we see students taking a stand and actively pursuing change for their own lives.
Students may feel uncomfortable answering these questions but may have a hard time saying no to RAs. In such an environment, providing a perceived intolerant answer or one that deviates from Residence Life's stance can lead to isolation from the floor community and tension with the RA.
RAs are intended to create floor harmony and offer a welcoming atmosphere to students; however, these kinds of activities often succeed in achieving the opposite effect by causing resentment and creating discord. These personally-intrusive meetings and programs have no place in public universities and need to be eliminated from Residence Life's curriculum.
With the recent backlash the university has faced in light of last semester's South of the Border party incident and a rash of other hate crimes and racially-insensitive events, Residence Life attempted to change outside perceptions of a racist stigma. Residence Life's ramped-up diversity and tolerance education programs served as a hopeful quick-fix solution for the university's public relations woes. In attempting to do so, it overcompensated and has now gone too far in the other direction.
The university did not make a mistake in its mission of providing positive developmental opportunities for its students. While it is appropriate to punish those who commit hate crimes, students who choose to be intolerant cannot be preemptively punished. The university needs to educate without forcing its views on anyone else. Residence Life should create opportunities for learning that refrain from making students uncomfortable. Moreover, the Office of Housing should promote the further integration of residence halls to create more opportunities for this exposure and interaction.
According to some freshmen, including Arman Fardanesh, some RAs forced students to express personal opinions in front of their peers relating their thoughts on questions to do with race, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, religion, ableism and socio-economic status. Residence Life's own materials promote the view that white citizens are inherently racist because of historical precedence and that RAs should conduct activities that express this idea.
The students who went to FIRE and stood up for their beliefs should be commended. Too often the students at this university are considered apathetic and incapable of real action. Here, we see students taking a stand and actively pursuing change for their own lives.
Students may feel uncomfortable answering these questions but may have a hard time saying no to RAs. In such an environment, providing a perceived intolerant answer or one that deviates from Residence Life's stance can lead to isolation from the floor community and tension with the RA.
RAs are intended to create floor harmony and offer a welcoming atmosphere to students; however, these kinds of activities often succeed in achieving the opposite effect by causing resentment and creating discord. These personally-intrusive meetings and programs have no place in public universities and need to be eliminated from Residence Life's curriculum.
With the recent backlash the university has faced in light of last semester's South of the Border party incident and a rash of other hate crimes and racially-insensitive events, Residence Life attempted to change outside perceptions of a racist stigma. Residence Life's ramped-up diversity and tolerance education programs served as a hopeful quick-fix solution for the university's public relations woes. In attempting to do so, it overcompensated and has now gone too far in the other direction.
The university did not make a mistake in its mission of providing positive developmental opportunities for its students. While it is appropriate to punish those who commit hate crimes, students who choose to be intolerant cannot be preemptively punished. The university needs to educate without forcing its views on anyone else. Residence Life should create opportunities for learning that refrain from making students uncomfortable. Moreover, the Office of Housing should promote the further integration of residence halls to create more opportunities for this exposure and interaction.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
San Singh
posted 11/07/07 @ 5:24 AM EST
We have been watching these developments from China. We often have trouble with workers getting ideas independently. We didn't know the US had developed a reeducation program, but we would like to find copies of the training materials. (Continued…)
Becky
posted 11/08/07 @ 8:59 PM EST
How about all schools, including universities and colleges, move from indoctrination back to education. You know, things that are actually useful in real life instead of just making some people feeeeeeeel so touchy-feely, warm and fuzzy. (Continued…)
The Stevie-D (yeah, its me!)
posted 11/08/07 @ 9:05 PM EST
Wow!
So the "...university did not make a mistake..." in assuming "Residence Life's ramped-up diversity and tolerance education programs served as a hopeful quick-fix solution for the university's public relations woes. (Continued…)
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