Student body is ultimately responsible for minority relations

We often hear complaints of the ineffectiveness of the undergraduate student government when addressing specific interpersonal issues, such as those surrounding race and other majority-minority relationships. This, however, is not a case in which our school leadership has failed to make the tough choices or address the tough issues. Instead, our complaints demonstrate that we have misrepresented the problem and have allowed our leaders to do the same. Race and other majority-minority relationship issues are deeply interpersonal. If we hope to see any substantive improvements, we must all take responsibility — not just the administration and the USG.

In the Dec. 12 edition of the 'Prince,' USG President-elect Matt Margolin was quoted as saying, "I also want to address the issues that have fallen by the wayside, like . . . minority relations." Sound familiar? It should. For as long as I can remember, nearly every USG candidate, winner or loser, has mentioned the importance of addressing minority issues on campus.

At first glance, we might say this is a good thing. It shows that our student government representatives aren't afraid to tackle the tough issues. Unfortunately, this is not the entire story.

Race and other majority-minority relationship issues have become the metaphorical "third rail" of campus politics. Everyone knows it's there, everyone talks about it, but people are rarely able to take any effective steps. This is especially true of the USG.

Please don't get me wrong. This is not an attack on Matt Margolin or any member of the USG, past or present. Instead, I wish simply to point out a flaw that exists in many of our discussions about minority relations on this campus.

I have often found myself in discussions on campus asking why people are so foolish to think that politicians can fulfill some of the lofty promises they make. But it seems that we — myself included — are guilty of that same thing on this campus. We have all doubtlessly listened to and supported countless USG candidates that have pledged to help improve minority relations on campus. We should recognize that this is a promise that cannot be kept.

Let me provide some examples. Over the past four years, two administrations have produced reports about the climate for minorities on campus, and another commissioned two advisory committees, one for women's issues and the other for minorities' issues. While these actions did have some positive effects, none of them altered majority-minority relations on campus.

I know this because I co-chaired the committee on minority issues and served as Executive Secretary in a prior administration. In fact, I made the same promises that we are hearing today. During my sophomore year, I naively told the USG Senate that the administration needed to take action on minority issues on campus. I also pledged that I would help lead the Minority Issues Action Committee in determining what these actions should be. After one year, we failed to take any serious action or make any groundbreaking recommendations.

Was it for a lack of effort? I don't think so. Rather, we misunderstood the issues that we were facing. Minority relations isn't something that can be cured through any simple administrative action, USG committee or 12 step program. There is no magic formula and no solution that can provide the immediate gratification we all desire.

Instead, minority relations are deeply interpersonal issues that, if there is to be any hope of progress, require concerted efforts by everyone involved. While one conversation won't solve the problem, dozens of them can. People need to recognize that a problem exists and participate in open and honest discussions about minority relations. It is through these dialogues that people can grow, and we can begin to work together to address the tough issues surrounding race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and religion.

The USG and the administration do not claim that there is a need to address minority relations without reason, and each of the people that have sought to make an impact has undoubtedly done so with good intentions. However, we should not fool ourselves into thinking that we will see any drastic solutions from any one administration. Any substantial improvements will only be accomplished in slow, small increments.

In short, I ask you to take a moment to reconsider what we expect of the USG and other administrators when attempting to address the climate for minorities on campus. Our campus leaders should address these issues, but we cannot sit back and wait for change. If we hope to see any progress, we must all play a continuing, persistent role and then patiently wait for the small improvements that can eventually lead to the larger gains we desire. Sam Todd is a Wilson School major from Birmingham, Ala.