Confronting stereotypes

This is the first of a four-part series about diversity at Providence College. The series will address diversity in a variety of forms and will include accounts from students, as well as suggestions, proposals, and ideas for reform from other members of the College and the greater community.

Growing up in Queens, N.Y., Ray Cross '08 lived in a predominantly black neighborhood with little opportunity for education. 

Of his five closest friends, two dropped out during their junior year of high school, one was placed in special education classes from the fourth grade on, and two left college after freshmen year because they felt they had been inadequately prepared. Cross, 20, was the only one who has stayed in college and done well academically. But when asked to elaborate on his academic success, he cannot help but be reminded of derogatory comments he hears regularly from students at Providence College.

 "No one really knows that I deserve to be here. People question why I am on this campus," said Cross, who is originally from Trinidad. "It puts me in a tough spot: It makes me feel like I should have to explain myself to everyone."

 Some students, he noted, will ask him in conversation how he got into PC, believing he was only accepted because of affirmative action policies, which the College does not have. In actuality, Cross was valedictorian of his class, had a 3.9 GPA, and was involved in theatre and athletics.

 While living in Queens, Cross attended a predominantly white, Jewish school where he said he never experienced racism. It wasn't until he and his family moved to Cumberland, R.I., and a classmate called him a derogatory name in the sixth grade that he learned just how hurtful words can be. While attending high school at St. Andrew's Academy in Barrington, R.I., Cross was surrounded by an ethnically diverse group of students, quite different from PC, where the student body is 83.6 percent white.

 Cross, who was deciding between going to Tufts University and PC, said he considered the College's homogeneous environment but ultimately came here because of the scholarship money he was awarded. Though he has enjoyed some aspects of his time at PC, Cross said the College's lack of diversity has made him feel compelled to defend his race and dispel the stereotypes that abound in society.

 "People think that every black student on this campus is on the basketball team," said Cross. Though he was a member of the basketball team for two years before leaving to dedicate more time to schoolwork, Cross has many black friends at PC who are not on the team.

 Other misconceptions, he noted, are that all black people are lazy, confrontational, and loud, don't like to do their work, take the easy way out, always listen to rap music, and only spend time with other blacks. "At the same time, no one questions why a group of Caucasians hang out together," said Cross, who loves writing poetry and listens to Maroon 5, India.Arie, and the All-American Rejects.

 At times, Cross has not only been the victim of racial profiling at the College but also of hateful remarks and offenses. Earlier in the semester while walking to Fennell Hall on a Saturday night, a group of PC students passed by him and remarked, "We just walked by the campus ghetto."

Another time, students called Cross and his black roommate a derogatory name and threw two-liter bottles of soda at them without an explanation. Once at nighttime, a female PC student got out of a PC shuttle, saw Cross and his friends, said, "Uh oh," and ran away in the opposite direction.

"It's so over the top. It's like a slap in the face," said Cross. "It's rough because my first reaction is to say something or do more than that, but I feel I have no choice but to hold my tongue." Such racism stems, he believes, from ignorance, negative experiences with minorities in the past, and a lack of understanding of other cultures. "I don't think there's one way to justify or explain it. I would hope it's not all out of hatred," Cross said. 

 He noted that one of the best ways to combat racism and hatred is to talk about diversity in the classroom setting. A sociology major with a double minor in black studies and women's studies, Cross said he has found many students to be accepting in his classes, where he often engages in detailed discussions about racial and ethnic diversity, inequality, and racism.

 "The classes I'm in tend to attract students who want to get a better understanding of what it's like to be a minority," Cross said. "It's just nice to see people who want to help the cause, who want to hear your story-people who want to get to know the real you."

 Often, minority students find comfort in the interactions they have with students of similar backgrounds. Tiffany Foynes '07, a Chinese American from Braintree, Mass., has developed several friendships with other members of the College's Asian American Association with whom she shares her heritage.

 "Being able to talk with the few other Chinese students about how we spent Chinese New Year or where we went last Sunday for Dim Sum is comforting and calming," Foynes said.

Looking back on her four years in the classroom setting, Foynes does not recall having ever experienced racism from faculty or staff but nevertheless believes that more members of the administration need to understand the value of diversity in the classroom. 

"I believe that having different ideas and viewpoints in the classroom contributes much to our learning and to our awareness," she said.

 Students who lack, or choose to ignore, this awareness have discriminated against Foynes for her ethnicity, she said. Because she is part American, some students cannot tell from first glance that she is Chinese and will make derogatory comments in her presence.

"I feel that many Caucasian students are more willing to make racist remarks when no minorities are around. Whether it is a joke, an impression, or a mere mention of a stereotype, some students are unaware that they are being discriminatory," Foynes said. "Even if they do not necessarily intend to be prejudiced or hurtful, they are being no less racist."

Upon learning that Foynes is Chinese, they often ask her the same derogatory questions, such as, "Do you eat rice all the time?" and "Can you do karate?" 

 Once during a group discussion, a student singled Foynes out as being Asian and commented on her slanted eyes, flat face, and dark hair. "He went on to stereotype me as a dog eater and a 'ching chon, pin pong' speaker,'" said an emotional Foynes. "I was fortunately able to remain calm and correct his bigotry. In actuality, I was crying on the inside."

 Recent efforts have been made on campus to address the prejudices that exist at PC and in society as a whole, including Target Diversity Week, sponsored by the Board of Multicultural Student Affairs (BMSA), and an upcoming seminar with Multicultural Scholarship Program (MSP) recipients and members of Students Organized Against Racism (SOAR) scheduled for March 30. The seminar is intended to provide students with an outlet through which they can share their experiences of racial and ethnic inequality in the classroom and devise solutions to help ameliorate the problem.

 Target Diversity Week, which features events about diversity in the workplace, the disparities in Darfur, and multilingual rosaries, covers diversity not just in relation to race and ethnicity, but also in terms of disabilities, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status. Polyana De Oliveira '07, president of BMSA, has been planning the event with other BMSA board members Julia Paolucci '07, Mike Pennuto '07, and Jennifer Senosiain '07 since the beginning of the school year.

 "I think it's important to have these events because oftentimes PC students are trapped in a bubble . . .  and these events allow students to step outside their comfort levels and experience a little bit of something else the world has to offer," De Oliveira said. "I don't think this is a matter of students of color versus non students of color. It's a matter of having a different experience altogether, or learning about what's going on in the rest of world and how to deal with it."

De Oliveira, who is Brazilian, said she has never experienced any personal attacks on campus and instead looks to others' ignorance as a chance to educate the greater community about diversity. "I'll say, 'No, actually, we don't speak Spanish in Brazil. It's Portuguese . . .,'" said De Oliveira. "Yes, some people really just don't care, but some people do care, and some people do ask questions."

 Dr. Inglish Morgan-Gardner, director of the MSP program and assistant dean of multicultural affairs in the Balfour Center for Multicultural Affairs, also spoke to the importance of educating students, faculty, and staff about diversity at PC and in the greater community.

 During her time working with MSP scholars such as Cross and Foynes, Morgan-Gardner said she has heard countless stories about racism on campus,s and has sought to help students find positive ways of coping.

 "When students come here, I have to teach them forgiveness," she said. Forgiving others, she noted, does not mean one has to approve, excuse, or agree with what another has said or done. Rather, it is about acknowledging what has occurred and deciding to carry on with life. "You have to move on and begin the healing process," Morgan-Gardner said.

 Along with forgiveness comes the power of interaction among all members of the College community. To hear the stories of PC's minorities, and to discover who they are as people, Morgan-Garden noted, is perhaps the best way of breaking down stereotypes and prejudices.

 "We are more than our athleticism. We are more than the color of our skin or the sound of our voice," said Morgan-Gardner on behalf of minorities at PC. "To understand this, people need to talk to each other and be empathetic listeners. . . . People are so interesting if you seek first to understand them, understand their body language and their hearts. There is power in your thoughts, words, attitudes, and actions."