Racial tension
For 56 percent of CMU employees of color, racism seems to be a campus problem, according to a recent CMU survey.
Despite University President Michael Rao's constant behests for campus diversity, and despite several campus programs devoted to diversity, more than half of minority employees still feel significant racial discomfort on campus.
This raises the question: Is racism actually a problem, or are these minority employees merely insatiable on matters relating to diversity?
Some may suggest the latter. Perhaps employees are seeing something that isn't there - after all, CMU hosts numerous diversity speakers and activities. Perhaps they still are bitter about Proposal 2.
But that explanation doesn't match the rest of the survey.
Nearly half of minority employees reported having had a negative campus experience pertaining to race or ethnicity.
Almost 60 percent of minority employees claim to have heard students making derogatory remarks.
No, racism isn't as flagrant as, say, the Jim Crow laws. But to say it's been eliminated entirely from our culture far overestimates our accomplishments.
At what point does racism "seem" a problem? How prejudicial must a campus be?
The reported negative experiences - the overheard derogatory remarks - indicate, at the very least, there is enough to make minorities feel less than perfectly comfortable.
This itself is a problem. The survey's findings should not simply be swept under the rug, as though there's nothing students and other faculty and staff could have done to improve the situation.
Racism should not be treated as indelible or insurmountable, or as something that only is a figment of imagination.
At this point, what needs to be done extends beyond compulsory programming. It extends beyond additional coursework on diversity, and beyond seeking a more diverse workforce.
It comes down, quite simply, to getting to know one another - to take the time to learn about one another's heritage.
Rao can continue to preach about diversity until his face turns blue. But unless the campus population takes them to heart and makes a conscious, independent effort to take interest in other cultures, the racist experiences reported in this survey will persist.
The campus community needs to acknowledge the survey's findings have some footing in reality.
No, most of us are not flagrantly racist - but perhaps we're still lacking in cultural understanding, and perhaps this deficiency is enough to give off the aura of hostility.
