Getting real

Much to my surprise, I have discovered that the most important work of art on campus can't be found on the walls of our well-stocked art museum, but on the television screens of Dillon Gymnasium. It turns out that MTV's "The Real World" holds the truth our campus so desperately needs. To understand why, you need watch no further than the opening moments when a group of impeccably beautiful college-aged kids proclaim that they live in a special zone where "people stop being polite and start getting real." Considering Princetonians' refusal to discuss the marginalization of students of different races, sexual orientation, economic backgrounds and religions on our campus, perhaps we should adopt this saying as our new motto.

For decades now Princeton has accepted and graduated females, non-Americans, nonwhites, LGBT students, underprivileged students and other minorities. This, however, does not mean we are a fully integrated community.

Based on conversations with classmates as well as discussions during the Carl A. Fields Center Leadership Retreat, minority students feel slighted in a whole host of ways. Black and Hispanic students complain that they feel as though they are dismissed as affirmative-action beneficiaries and, in some cases, say they are discriminated against. Students from underprivileged backgrounds feel out of place or unprepared for Princeton. Women feel put down by a perceived good-ol'-boys, chauvinistic culture. Students of non-Christian religions complain of being mocked or considered weird. International students claim that they feel pressure to conform to U.S. cultural practices and are unable to comprehend American college students' fixation with alcohol.

Sadly, these minority communities are marginalized on many campuses. Princeton, however, is unique because we refuse to discuss this reality. Minority communities feel as though their complaints are unheard. On the other side, majority students are confused. While generally concerned that these communities feel marginalized, they do not understand what specifically these students dislike and what can be done about it. Similarly, many minority communities are unaware about why exactly other minority students complain.

Unfortunately, there is a stigma surrounding the discussion of race, class, religion and culture. The topics are deemed too inflammatory for lunch-table conversation. As a result, we are at a standstill. We are too polite to be "real."

Our community can never be whole and thrive unless we start to finally talk about diversity. It is time to start this dialogue.

For starters, metrics are a prerequisite to understanding the effect of any efforts to start discussions about diversity and foster an inclusive atmosphere. A broad array of students and faculty should form a committee to conduct a comprehensive survey that analyzes minority issues on campus. To demonstrate that the University takes this issue seriously, President Tilghman should form the committee and have it report its findings and recommendations directly to her.

Since individual students are unwilling to start the conversation, institutions need to step in to fill the void. President Tilghman should take her office-hours to the students by holding public question-and-answer sessions in the dining halls and eating clubs on a regular basis. Dean of the College Nancy Malkiel, Vice President Janet Dickerson and other relevant administrators should accompany President Tilghman on these listening sessions. In so doing, the administration will call attention to this issue in a very public way as well as gain a good perspective on the problems facing minority communities on campus.

The Office of Undergraduate Students (ODUS), which funds most student clubs and events, needs to take a more active role in encouraging diversity discussions as well. Identity organizations, such as Asian American Student Association and Chicano Caucus, are ready-made tools that can be used to advance this dialogue. ODUS should mandate that one of every five identity club events encourage dialogue about issues of diversity. To spark real discussion, identity clubs should have to hold mixers and discussion groups, not just feel-good study breaks.

The writing seminar, the one academic course that is mandated for all undergraduates, should be used to generate discussions about diversity. For example, the program could mandate that all students interview a classmate of a different background and then write a reflection about the issues this student faces on campus.

Finally, the University should institute a mandatory, two-day sophomore orientation that will encourage students to address, reflect upon and talk about diversity. During freshman week, the entering class is too new to the community to truly understand issues of diversity on campus. Conversely, many upperclassmen are already settled and too jaded to seek to drastically change Princeton's culture. Sophomores, since they are both young and not yet settled, are the perfect group to target.

We need to start telling our stories and listening to the trials of others. It's time to "stop being polite and start getting real." Adam Bradlow is a freshman from Potomac, Md. He can be reached at abradlow@princeton.edu.