Participants at the Black Thoughts Table meeting last night expressed concerns that the USG is unresponsive to African-American issues and that upperclassmen dining options need to be reformed.
The meeting, a result of the town hall forum on African-American life at the University, occurred one day after the Committee on African-American Life at Princeton presented a report to the Council of the Princeton University Community concerning issues related to black student life.
Topics in the conversation included a perceived problematic USG, the eating clubs and the state of the Carl A. Fields Center.
"This is a follow-up to the conversations started in the town hall meeting," said Heddye Ducree, Fields Center director. Opening the discussion, Ducree spoke of the table's potential to organize social activities, alumni gatherings and campus networking events.
Gathered in the Jose Marti Lounge of the Fields Center, students and administrators began the discussion with introductions and descriptions of their favorite experiences at the University. They then moved into a discussion of their concerns.
Comments about the USG reflected a general dissatisfaction with a student government seen as unresponsive to African-American issues. Solutions to combat this problem primarily include the need for a greater awareness of the work of elected officials and to hold those in office accountable, said Shena Elrington '04, Black Student Union president.
Continually a controversial topic, the eating club system was also heavily discussed, as students voiced the widespread opinion that the system needs to be reformed to be more welcoming.
More broadly, participants said upperclassmen dining options are too limited and the life of the independent student is unsatisfactory compared to social and alumni-connection advantages held by the eating club system.
They also talked about the Fields Center's status as an alternative to the 'Street' and thought of methods to revitalize the center.
Ducree said the Fields Center used to be more active with volunteer programs, networking mixers and social events. Students and administrators expressed the desire to restore several programs and make the center a vital part of campus life.
"As a junior, I was skeptical [of the meeting] because I believed the black community had exhausted all options of improving black social life," Mikaela Tyson '04 said. "[But] the idea of having a Black Thoughts Table is a good idea to encourage dialogue among black students."
Similar table meetings existed from 1978 to 1985 as a way to share the "concerns of the community" and organize projects.
Lauren Robinson-Brown '85, communications director, shared her experience with the earlier incarnation of the Black Thoughts Table.
The meetings are an "important way of sharing concerns," she said, noting that when she was an undergraduate, the minority population on campus was considerably smaller.
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