Entire community must contribute to improving Princeton's racial climate

Is there a race problem on this campus? At first glance, the answer seems to be no. Enrollment of minority students is on par with other Ivy League institutions, and members of different ethnic groups have created various organizations for cultural identification and self-expression on campus. Such a development may be considered impressive for a university that was one of the last Ivy League institutions to admit black students on a regular basis. And yet, there are several problems with race relations on campus that remain unexplored or unresolved. Some of them involve institutions such as Public Safety, while others relate to University policies and financial commitments. Others still pertain to attitudes and relations among Princeton students.

Two weeks ago, The Daily Princetonian ran a series that discussed the cold reception many African-American residents receive from the University community. In the article, Crime Prevention Specialist Barry Weiser admitted that Public Safety may wrongly detain or question a student or town resident. He maintained, however, that he would rather be overly cautious than admit suspicious people onto campus.

This policy of questioning "suspicious people" may lead to greater campus safety, but it often involves stopping people of color who do not wear the standard campus gear of preppy clothing. Such actions by Public Safety create an uneasy racial environment, not only for students of color who need to carry prox cards as their badge of membership, but also for members of the town community who feel that they are not welcome at Princeton.

Public Safety is by no means the only contributor to problems of race relations at Princeton. The administration also needs to think more carefully about how it allocates money and spaces for expressions of cultural diversity on this campus. Last year, some students suggested making Chancellor Green a multi-cultural performance space with a multi-ethnic cafe. Instead of seriously considering the idea as a way to increase the profile of Princeton's ethnic diversity, the University decided to proceed with its initial plan of converting the rotunda to a non-circulating library.

There have been other suggestions by organizations to improve inter-ethnic relations, including ethnic study breaks at residential colleges and University funding for ethnic banquets that attract diverse members of the campus community. Instead of embracing these ideas as ways to improve interactions across racial lines, many in the University remain cautious about changes to the status quo.

Even the 'Prince' is not beyond reproach when it comes to race relations on campus. While it is commendable for the newspaper to devote several issues to the problem of race on campus, it should also report on multi-cultural activities more regularly. Just as athletic events get a daily spotlight, so too should the myriad activities of ethnic and community service organizations. Furthermore, the 'Prince' should also re-examine its policy of reporting crime on campus.

For instance, on Nov. 16, the newspaper reported that an unidentified Princeton student was a suspect in a burglary in Forbes College. The article then referred to a police description of the suspect as a "black male, about 20 years old." Instead of referring to more specific information about the approximate height, weight, hair length and other identifiable features of the suspect, the 'Prince' replicated a police description that stated only the person's race and gender. Such a description not only contributes to an uneasy racial climate on campus, it is also not helpful for campus safety because it could apply to scores of students.

Finally, improving race relations requires changes in attitudes and relations among Princeton students. Cultural shows and kickoffs for ethnic heritage months should attract hundreds of members from the entire University community, not just the members of one racial or ethnic group. There also needs to be greater outreach among members of different Asian American ethnic groups. For instance, South Asian Americans (or "Desis") do not attend functions sponsored by the Asian American Students Association because they consider the organization to be primarily for East Asians. This lack of involvement by Desis perpetuates the feeling among many Chinese and Korean Americans that South Asians are not really Asian. This pattern can also be found among Filipinos and others who trace their roots to Southeast Asia, and among other ethnic groups along lines of class or national origin.

We at Princeton University have the potential to create a vibrant and interactive multi-ethnic community. The proportion of minority enrollment has risen considerably in the last two decades and will likely increase in the years to come. Numbers will mean little, however, if we do not make changes in our University's institutions, and in the way we interact with each other. S. Karthick Ramakrishnan is a politics and Office of Population Research graduate student from Huntsville, Ala. He can be reached at karthick@princeton.edu.