Minorities find support on Yale campus

PATRICK MCGARVEY The Puerto Rican cultural center hosts many ethnic activities throughout the year.

By Jennifer Supernaw

The adjustment to college life is stressful for everyone. Minority students, however, may face additional challenges when they arrive at Yale. Students and administrators have developed a variety of ways to help incoming minority students make a smooth move to their new home and find their niche within the broader Yale community. Their efforts have evolved over time, and now provide numerous options for incoming minority freshmen.

Each residential college appoints one ethnic counselor to live in the freshmen dorms and help minority students deal with concerns of university life, especially those related to ethnicity. "Ethnic counselors are trained in the same way as residential college counselors," Jane Yoon, BK '97, a former ethnic counselor, explained. "We try to be accessible whenever students have something to discuss. We're here to listen and support freshmen as they go through new social and academic experiences."

Many minority students find Yale's cultural houses to be a great place to meet people with similar backgrounds, interests, and experiences. Yale's African American Cultural Center, founded in 1969, served as a model for the Asian American and Chicano houses, and for La Casa Cultural de Julia de Burgos, a Puerto Rican cultural center.

Each cultural house contains kitchens, libraries, computers, and other facilities and are often used to host parties, meetings, concerts, and film festivals. The activities are designed to attract students of many ethnic backgrounds in order to promote a better understanding of other cultures.

These sites foster a sense of community within one's ethnic group. According to Terri-Anne Davis, SM '99, a co-moderator of the Black Student Alliance at Yale (BSAY), the cultural houses can play a vital role in minority students' lives. "Cultural houses are great because they're a place where we can all come together as a community, whether it be for meetings, parties, or just to spend time with each other," Davis said. "They serve as a unifying force because the African American community is divided among the residential colleges. Cultural houses also can bring together a lot of African American student organizations on campus so we can interact with each other."

Yale has long promoted the study of various ethnic groups by offering programs such as African and African American Studies, East Asian Studies, and Latin American Studies. In March of 1997, the Administration approved a proposal to create Ethnicity, Race, and Migration (ER&M) as a secondary major. The new department allows students to choose courses from a variety of disciplines, such as history, anthropology, and foreign languages, while concentrating on one racial or ethnic group.

Yale also boasts many organizations that address the needs of particular ethnic groups. In response to concerns that the large number of Asian-American groups encouraged fractionalization within the community, the Asian-American Students Organization (AASA) reconstituted itself in 1993 as an umbrella group. AASA brings together the Chinese-American Students Association, the Filipino-American Students Association, Korean-American Students at Yale, the Taiwanese Club, the Vietnamese Student Association, the Asian-American Women's Group, and the South Asian Society.

Since then, the groups have coordinated dozens of activities and increased the Asian-American presence on campus. Among other projects, the organization hosts a Chinese New Year celebration, sponsors a number of activities during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, and brings in speakers throughout the year to address a variety of issues relevant to Asian-Americans. Such promotions ease minority students into Yale, creating a comfortable atmosphere for these individuals in a new environment.

"Coming to Yale is often a big change for students of color, and ethnic organizations are very important because they help minority students feel welcome and find a place for themselves in the Yale community," Bob Hoo, MC '98, former AASA moderator, said. He said that AASA aims to promote cultural understanding throughout Yale and that it invites all students to participate in its activities.

A number of student groups also exist to help foster a strong sense of community among African Americans. BASY organizes many events, and sponsors the annual celebration of Black History Month. Other African American student organizations include the National Society of Black Engineers, the Black Undergraduate Law Association, the Black Women's Caucus, the Yale Chapter of the NAACP, and the Black Political Forum. Many of these organizations, as well as some fraternities and sororities, are closely affiliated with the Cultural Center and encourage students to become more involved in community service.

Latino students also enjoy a very active cultural community at Yale. Despierta Boricua (DB), created in 1974, works with New Haven Puerto Ricans on a variety of service projects. It was instrumental in creating La Casa, where it now hosts theatrical productions and cultural activities.

The Mexican-American community is also highly visible, with many activities organized through the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA). In the fall of 1996, Chicano students from across the country flocked to Yale for Pachanga, a national conference. The Professional Society of Latinos, an organization that encourages Hispanic students to pursue careers in law, business, and the sciences, hosted a career forum at Pachanga.

While Yale's Native American population is small compared to those of other Ivy League universities, it is developing a greater presence on campus through both student and faculty activism. The Association of Native Americans at Yale invites speakers and encourages action on a variety of environmental and social issues. Visiting professor Jace Weaver was recently promoted to a junior professorship. As the University's first Native American faculty member, he is expected to increase awareness of issues relevant to his ethnic community.

Minority freshmen may often feel overwhelmed by all the social and academic changes that come with their journey to college. But Yale is committed to providing the resources necessary to help make the transition as smooth as possible, and to creating an environment in which all students feel comfortable and accepted.

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