The 'Street' is the center of the University social scene and has often sparked controversy and questions. Certain racial and ethnic minority groups in the University population are much less satisfied with the social arena offered at the 'Street.' The following is the first in a series of four articles about the social experiences of black and Hispanic students at the University.
The eating clubs' faceboards tell a remarkable story.
The old, faded club photos that show only white men in black suits have given way to more recent pictures with women, Jews, Asians and Indians in abundance at all 12 eating clubs on Prospect Avenue.
The face of the student body is evolving, and with it evolves club membership. But the most recent chapter of the story is incomplete. The faces of black and Hispanic students often are not seen on the faceboards.
Many students feel there is a problem with the social scene at Princeton. While over 75 percent of all sophomores join eating clubs, the participation of black and Hispanic students is significantly less.
The reasons for this trend are difficult to decipher. Black and Latino student populations are not monolithic. There are individual differences of opinion over the club scene and the alternatives offered to it. However, the many students who were interviewed for this series expressed several common threads that tie together the minority experience at the 'Street.'
This series explores the social options of black and Latino students both inside and outside the traditional club system. Today's article looks at the factors that affect minority involvement in campus activities and the social options that minority students explore outside of the club system. The articles tomorrow, Thursday and Friday will explore the experiences of blacks and Hispanics as they join and then work to be comfortable within that system. Throughout the series, we have focused on the perceptions and stories of black and Latino students in the social arena at Princeton.
For this series, the term "minority" refers to black and Hispanic students, since their involvement on the 'Street' appears to be very different from that of other groups. The term "black" refers to all students of African descent, not just African Americans.
Race Consciousness
There is no one viewpoint that tells the whole story of blacks and Hispanics in the social arena. However, one common theme is the feeling of a heightened race consciousness at the University that is amplified in social settings.
Many minority students said they feel they are viewed solely as being members of a racial group rather than as individuals.
"I feel as if I am the representative of the (black) race," said Colonial Club member Victoria Coleman '99, who describes herself as half-black and half-white. Coleman is one of four black women at Colonial.
"People always get the four of us mixed up," Erica McCormick '99, another one of the four, said "We are seen as a group."
Ayana Mangum '98 is a third black female member of Colonial. Last year, she was the only black female in the club. She said she thinks Colonial is much more open than some other clubs at the 'Street.'
However, she said she feels that she is much more aware of her race at the University and at the 'Street.' "I didn't realize I was black until I came to Princeton," she said.
"Everybody has an eye on you. You have to watch what you do," said Coleman.
McCormick said she thinks students who are aware that they are viewed as representatives of their race instead of as individuals are less comfortable "hooking up" or drinking excessively.
One senior black female, whom we will call Kim, chose to remain anonymous. Kim, who is not a member of an eating club but attends some events with her club-member minority friends, said many whites interact with minorities based on their perceptions from watching black popular culture on television.
"If a white guy comes up to me while I'm dancing, he will try to change the way he dances to some 'ghetto' style he's seen in videos or . . . try to speak black slang. He's not interacting with me, he's interacting with his (racial) perceptions," she said.
For the most part, however, she said, any interracial interaction is rare. Often, minority students feel as if they are not seen at all.
"You walk in through the door (of a club) and become 'invisible.' No one's blatantly hostile, but you just feel ignored," she said.
The women at Colonial say other members often come up to them and ask if they are members. "If I get asked if I'm a member (again), I'm going to beat somebody up!" said Mangum, who has been a member for the past two years.
Jahmal Lake '98 decided not to join a club during his upperclass years because of the sense of "standoffishness" that he experienced at the clubs.
"I didn't feel I was welcome always," he said "You don't feel comfortable in social situations where you feel like a foreigner."
He says the sense of alienation is from something as subtle as the way non-minorities at the 'Street' "look at you." Lake said the way non-minorities "instinctively look at you is not the way they look at friends." He said minorities have to constantly "wonder" how someone will react to their race.
Kim said it's impossible to feel completely "safe" in the predominantly white environment at the 'Street.' "At some point someone's going to make a stupid crack or something," she said. "In a social context, I think it would be very rare for you to feel completely safe. You can't be sure race is not going to be an issue," she said.
Unlike precepts or even extracurricular activities, the 'Street' is a place where students go to relax. Many minorities said that when they are out to have a good time, they do not want to have to nervously wonder how they are perceived.
"You don't want to deal with that," said Lake. It is far easier, he said, to find other social options where he feels safe.
'Subculture'
The University has a very specific school culture, Kim said. The eating clubs are a symbol of that culture. "Either you fit into that or you don't." she said. "When you don't fit in, you find a subculture that you'll fit into."
Many minority students opt to participate in social events where they do not feel conscious of racial differences. To a large extent, explains Kevin Hudson '98, a minority affairs adviser, this means many minorities must create their own social life.
"It's so different for white and minority students. For white students, they have the 'Street' to go to after a hard week. Minority students (don't) . . . I think minorities end up building more stress than they need to," said MAA Maya Yiadom '99, a member of Cap and Gown Club.
As an MAA, Yiadom said she notices that concerns over the 'Street' culture are not limited to minorities.
"I think there are a lot of non-minorities who are unhappy with the 'Street' as well," she said. But most of them, she added, end up joining an eating club anyway – while many minorities do not.
Yiadom said she thinks the social life of Princeton students is limited because the University is not located in a big city. Aside from frequenting coffee shops, malls and movie theaters, there is not a great deal for students to do outside of the 'Street.'
"You have to make your own fun," Yiadom said.
Many Hispanic students on campus have found a way to do just that.
"Many minorities feel . . . the types of music . . . at the Street is not geared towards them," said Chicano Caucus president Carlos Bermudez '98, a member of Colonial.
Bermudez explained that many Mexican-American and Puerto Rican students organized parties in their rooms where they play their choice of salsa, meringue and other Latin music.
According to Bermudez, such parties take place once every few weeks.
"It's a very different environment from the Street," he said.
While minorities may feel more limited within the eating club system, ethnic organizations often provide minority students with a greater spread of social alternatives.
There is a variety of ethnic student organizations, ranging from pre-professional groups such as the Society of Black Engineers, to cultural organizations such as the Organization of Black Unity (OBU), to performance groups such as Ballet Folklorico, a Latin dance troupe.
"When I came to Princeton, I felt yanked out of my Latino heritage," said former director of Ballet Folklorico Jessica Vasquez '98, a Mexican-American.
Without her home and family as a touchstone for her native culture, Vasquez became increasingly aware of her ethnic heritage. During her sophomore year, she joined Ballet Folklorico as a way to express her culture. As a member of Colonial, she is involved in the club system but feels that Folklorico has been a "good meeting place" to share experiences with students with a common heritage.
Even ethnic organizations can double as social settings for meeting minority friends.
Lake, who is a member of OBU and Akwaaba, the African students' group, says such groups are "very positive outlets for most African Americans. There's a real comfort level there." He says he met most of his friends through OBU and Akwaaba meetings.
Developing a social circle can be a natural byproduct of being in such a group.
Quadrangle Club member Aaron Cezar '99 is co-artistic director of Black Arts Company, one of the few "minority artistic voices on campus." While he says Black Arts is primarily a dance and drama group, it doubles as a place to mingle socially.
"Typically, all of us in Black Arts hang together . . . Typically people who audition know someone in the company already," he said.
The shows, though not exclusively for blacks, are created primarily with a black audience in mind, Cezar said. He said the troupe is very conscious of its responsibilities as a representative of "black culture."
"With every piece, we ask 'is it a positive representation of black culture? Is it black art?' "
Such ethnic organizations provide both a cultural outlet and a social safe haven for many minorities. By far, the largest resource of that type is the Third World Center.
"When you are at the TWC, it's home. The fact that you have a different skin color doesn't stand out," said Hudson, who is chair of the TWC Governance Board.
Founded in 1971, the TWC houses an auditorium, a big-screen TV room, a kitchen and other facilities which are used by ethnic organizations on a regular basis. The TWC hosts dinners and festivals almost weekly by a variety of ethnic groups as varied as the Asian-American Students Association and Akwaaba.
The center serves as a haven for minority students. "The TWC is a place where you can go where you're never a minority," said Lake. "I don't know what I would do if TWC wasn't on Princeton's campus," he added.
TWC Governance Board member Atu Darko '99 is a member of Ivy club. He explained he attends as many TWC events as he can, but he also enjoys partying at the 'Street.'
However, while many minority students attend TWC events from time to time, it is not a constant hangout for most students.
The center, Lake said, is often under-utilized. However, "even if there isn't anybody there, the whole point is that there is support for you if you need it."
Stevenson
TWC is limited by both its responsibilities to all ethnic minority groups on campus beyond blacks and Hispanics and by the facilities available there. Unlike the eating clubs, the TWC is a social organization that does not serve food.
In recent years, however, Stevenson Hall, a University-sponsored dining hall at 83 and 91 Prospect Ave., has come to be a de facto extension of the TWC for some minority students.
"Many firstand second-year members of TWC view Stevenson as an eating option of TWC," said Stevenson Publicity Chair Shalini Alisharan '98.
Located beyond Charter Club on Prospect Avenue, Stevenson's two buildings include a University Dining Services dining hall, cafe, TV room and other facilities. According to Justin Buckner '98, Stevenson president, Stevenson is "like an eating club without the taproom."
Like the eating clubs, the hall offers trips, cultural events, winter formals and Houseparties. As a University-sponsored facility, however, Stevenson cannot serve alcohol.
Members of Stevenson purchase a regular Dining Services contract and pay a $340 social fee. Students who draw back into a residential college can split their social fees between their college and Stevenson.
The majority of Stevenson's 75 members are nonwhite, according to Alisharan. The place has only recently been the focus of minority involvement, she added. In the mid-nineties, a group of black students joined Stevenson because it was "a place waiting for someone to occupy it," said Alisharan.
The current board has several black students, and is largely nonwhite. Though Stevenson does not have a majority of black and Hispanic students, it has a greater number of "active" black and Hispanic members than most eating clubs, said Buckner.
Lake, who was formerly a Stevenson member and is now independent, said he spends a lot of time there. "It's the only place at the 'Street' where you don't feel nervous," he said.
"It seems almost like a black eating club."
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