Native American ethnic counselor: odd man out?

If you glance through the 2003 facebook or search for her room on Old Campus, you won't find an address for Amanda DeZutter, PC '01. However, you will find her in various dining halls sitting with the freshmen to whom she has been assigned, chatting with them in their rooms, or throwing study breaks for them in her actual residence in Pierson College. DeZutter's new position of Native American Peer Advisor was created by Richard Chavolla, assistant Dean of Yale College, and Betty Trachtenberg, dean of student affairs, in response to rising enrollment of Native Americans. Her new post is the latest addition to an expanding support program which is constantly redefining its significance in the lives of Yale freshmen.

DeZutter has faced some bureaucratic mishaps in the initial stages of her new position. Although she received standard freshman counselor training, she was not told she wouldn't be living on Old Campus when she moved in at the beginning of the year. Also, unlike other ethnic counselors, she does not have freshman from only a couple of residential colleges. However, she said, "Dean Chavolla [who advises the program] has been incredibly supportive." Native American students really appreciate having a counselor of their own, she said. "Five of them this year come from reservations. When you are used to being in the overwhelming majority, and then you are a minority within a minority, it is a huge adjustment."

DeZutter and her freshmen have complained that since she does not live on Old Campus, it is harder for them to stay in touch. Melody Redbird, DC '03, said, "Although it is so nice to have someone to whom [I] relate, it is really hard to have to go to Pierson to see her when other students' counselors live with them."

However, administrators defend their cautious approach. Dean Trachtenberg said, "The addition of a new ethnic counselor is a gradual process." Dean Chavolla added, "We are using this year to assess and reassess the needs of Native American students. We need to see if adding a Native American ethnic counselor will benefit the needs of students."

JOHN YI/YH Amanda DeZutter, PC '01, is an active ethnic counselor though she doesn't live on Old Campus.

The counseling program for minority freshmen was tiny when it was founded in 1972. The ethnic counselors were not intended to substitute for the residential college counselors, but to provide additional support for the freshmen assigned to them. Now, almost 30 years later, the program has expanded from a handful of counselors to 12, reflecting the increase of Yale's minority population to 30 percent of undergraduates. The program currently includes Asian-American, African-American, and Puerto Rican/Chicano/Latin-American counselors.

Today, ethnic counselors are more than just a resource for students of similar backgrounds. Dean Chavolla explained, "The students in ethnic counselor positions are also freshman counselors. We encourage them to be open to students outside of their cultural groups as well as in them." Ethnic counselors undergo the same training as freshman counselors and serve many of the same functions. Genevieve Ko, MC '00, states that while some students definitely see her to talk about their identities as Asian students, "many come to discuss their friends or dating." Marietta Tan, DC '03, is one such freshman. "I don't really talk to my ethnic counselor about being Asian," she said. "But she's a really great person to talk to about everyday things."

Head ethnic counselor Angelica Jongco, SY '00, said, "Ethnic counselors have long been an under-utilized resource. I see a role for the ethnic counselors in trying to initiate discussions that bring a more diverse set of perspectives to the floor. We've all at one time or another had a talk about the so-called `black table' at Commons or the tendency of Asians to hang out together. The greatest problem with these discussions...is that they usually take place among like-minded individuals. I want to promote an environment in which it's okay to talk about difference...on gender, sexual orientation, disability, class, and religion as well."

These changes have made some students suggest Yale should move towards a counselor program similar to Princeton's, where all freshmen are assigned to Minority Affairs Advisors (MAA). Lowell Schiller '03 explained, "Anyone can feel like he or she falls into some kind of minority. Such minority groups can include intellectual minorities, familial minorities, economic minorities, or cultural minorities. The MAA serves to help any student who feels as if he or she does not fit into a larger group and to help the larger group realize that not everyone may fit in."

Yale ethnic counselor Fuerza Linda Fraga, BK '00, does not believe it is necessary to assign all students to ethnic counselors. However, she is "in favor of inviting non-ethnic students to choose an ethnic counselor they are comfortable with and assigning them thus." Yale students in the visible majority have mixed views on the issue. Alex Leeds, DC '02, supports ethnic counselors, but also thinks "students are capable of creating forums for discussion on their own." Duncan Crosby, JE '00, said, "My first choice would be to eliminate ethnic counselors altogether. I feel that emphasizing ethnicity makes it harder for diverse groups to come together...But if the ethnic counselors are an institution that can't be removed, then yes, I believe that all freshmen should have one."

Indeed, some schools, such as Harvard, have chosen not to provide ethnic counselors at all. Amy Chung '98 said, "I was fine with the guidance provided by my freshman proctor." On the other hand, Alicia Johnson '01 found that having a proctor to whom one could relate on racial lines was very beneficial. "Although I am sure that I would have gotten the same support from a non-Black proctor, I made a connection with my proctor that may not have happened had the proctor been non-Black. I was initially intimidated about being at Harvard," she said. "When I saw that my proctor was a Black woman, I immediately felt comfortable about being one of the only three black people on my dorm floor. I felt a sense of belonging. With a non-Black proctor, unfortunately, I would have been a bit more reserved and maybe even untrusting, and thus we may never have formed an initial bond to serve as the foundation for a friendship."

Johnson's Eli counterparts have supported the expansion of Yale's ethnic counselor program. Some have also proposed the addition of biracial ethnic counselors. Anna Taylor-Shih, SM '02, who is half Chinese and half Caucasian, thinks that ethnic counselors should not exist, but if the positions continue, multi-racial counselors should be added to the list. "We face unique issues that people who identify with only one race are not particularly able to empathize with," she said. Daniel Hernandez, ES '02, who is Mexican-American and Korean, said he often felt at odds with his two ethnic counseling groups. "I felt pressured to choose [between the two groups]. A feeling of exclusion from everyone occasionally occurs because very few can relate [to me]."

Ethnic counselor Stephanie Cabrera, JE '01, said, "Ideally everyone would have a counselor of the same ethnicity." She acknowledged, however, the difficulty of creating such perfect matches considering the diversity of backgrounds among multi-racial students. Dean Chavolla strongly emphasized that multi-racial students can be assigned to as many ethnic counselors as fits their needs. Although there are no plans presently to appoint a multi-racial ethnic counselor, there have been multi-racial discussion groups in the past and some of the ethnic counselors this year are multi-racial, even though they do not officially serve in that particular capacity.

Meanwhile, DeZutter is continuing her successful counselling year —in spite of her distance from Old Campus. No matter what changes are made to the ethnic counseling program, the one thing that will stay the same will be the dedication of the individual counselors.

Graphic by Shawn Cheng.

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