Thursday, January 30, 2003

from the Office of News and Information

Many opponents of affirmative action argue that racial discrimination has
been largely defeated in America. But a new book by Swarthmore College
sociology professor Sarah Willie finds that African American college
students still face racism, and that their college experience is especially
difficult when minority enrollment falls short of a critical mass.

In “Acting Black: College, Identity and the Performance of Race” (Routledge
2003), Willie argues that until American colleges and universities become
truly multicultural, the Ivory Tower will continue to be a difficult and at
times alienating experience for African Americans.

“Racism and discrimination continue to exist, though often in more subtle
ways than a generation ago,” says Willie, who based her book on interviews
with 55 African American alumni from Howard University, a predominantly
black institution, and Northwestern University, a predominantly white school.

“While students may not be hurling racial epithets at each other, there are
racist discussions in online chat rooms and subtle expressions of racism
ranging from ignoring black students in classrooms and shepherding them
away from certain majors to condescending behavior in dormitories,” Willie
says. “These things are difficult to change but crucial to overcome if
we’re going to get to the next stage as a society.”

One question that interested Willie was why historically black universities
such as Howard continue to appeal to large numbers of African Americans
when blacks are no longer barred from once-white schools. A large part of
the answer, she found, is their desire to pursue higher education without
having to spend time distinguishing racism from rudeness on a daily basis.

“Many of the Northwestern alumni I interviewed were disappointed that they
did not make more non-black friends,” Willie says. “Half said they left
with certain racial insecurities, and half of those indicated they would
consider sending their children to a historically black college or university.”

Willie believes that the campus experience of blacks improves when schools
reach a certain threshold–perhaps 15 percent–in non-white enrollment.
“Without affirmative action, colleges and universities in most states will
not be able to achieve a critical mass of students of color,” Willie says.
“That could mean not just a more alienating experience for students of
color, but a limited college experience for majority students as well.” In
addition, Willie argues that there’s a place for white students on
historically black campuses.

Willie, who earned her Ph.D. at Northwestern in 1995, completed her
undergraduate studies at Haverford, a predominantly white college, and was
an exchange student at Spelman College, a historically black women’s
college. She is associate professor of sociology and chair of the Black
Studies Program at Swarthmore.

*****

* President Bush spent Wednesday working to illustrate a connection between
the terrorist al Qaeda organization and Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
Coalition intelligence sources say that the person responsible for the
assassination of a US diplomat in Jordan in October likely traveled through
Baghdad. British intelligence sources have supported the claim as well, but
added the qualifier that there was no apparent link between Iraq and the
September 11 attacks. According to CNN.com, Bush said Wednesday that
Hussein could use al Qaeda as an army to attack the US “and never leave a
fingerprint behind.”

* South Korean envoy Lim Dong-won announced Wednesday that North Korean
leader Kim Jong Il had agreed to consider the South’s pleas to end the
current crisis. While Lim did not meet with Kim Jong Il during his three
day visit to Pyongyang, he did have what he termed constructive talks with
Kim Yong Nam, North Korea’s second highest official. The letter delivered
by South Korea includes, among other issues, a request for the North to
sign back onto the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

* Private banks in Venezuela will return to normal operating hours next
Monday, opening another crack in a two month long strike in opposition to
President Hugo Chavez. However, the oil worker strikes which form the core
of the movement continue unabated. The two major banking organizations in
Venezuela, the National Banking Council and the Venezuelan Banking
Association, decided by a two-thirds vote to restore the hours at a meeting
on Wednesday. During the strike Venezuela’s currency has fallen 28% and the
world’s oil markets have been shaken by the uncertainty in production.

* An explosion ripped through a pharmaceutical plant in Kinston, North
Carolina on Wednesday, killing two and injuring more than two dozen. Three
workers were still missing late last night. Rescue workers are attempting
to pinpoint the locations of the missing workers by interviewing those who
have been rescued since the structure has been deemed to unsafe for more
random searches. Fires continued to burn through the night, while fire
crews worked to keep them under control. The cause of the blast is
currently unknown. The plant was cited with 30 safety violations last fall,
but officials say that all of the safety issues had been addressed.

*****

Helen F. North lecture
Scheuer Room, 4:15 p.m.

Education job candidate talk
Kohlberg 115, 4:15 p.m.

Philosophy job candidate talks
Papazian 324, 4:15 p.m.

Psychology job candidate talks
Trotter 203, 4:15 p.m.

Reception for “Value and Presence”
List Gallery, 5:00 p.m.

Beinecke Workshop for juniors
Parrish Parlors – East, 6:15 p.m.

English Country Dance class
Community Center, 7:30 p.m.

The Anomalous Picture Show presents “Plan 9 From Outer Space”
Trotter 203, 7:30 p.m.

SQU Movie Night: “Kissing Jessica Stein”
Intercultural Center, 7:30 p.m.

Fellini Film Festival: “8 1/2”
LPAC Cinema, 8:00 p.m.

———–
Open Mic Nite.
This Friday in the BCC 8pm.
Hosted by Mjumbe [The campus literary magazine for students of African descent]
* Come * Read * Sing * Recite * Share * Receive * Eat *
Refreshments will be served.
Open to the whole campus.

*****

SPORTS UPDATE

Katie Robinson ’04 posted a double-double, recording 13 points and 12
rebounds in addition to her seven steals to lead the Garnet Tide to a
romping 72-36 victory over Haverford.

After jumping out to a 12-0 lead, the Garnet never looked back, finishing
the first half with a 34-10 advantage. The Fords committed 18 turnovers in
the first half, and 30 for the game. Swat enjoyed runs of 20-4 and 13-3 in
the second half en route to the victory.

Ali Furman ’03 scored 12 points on four 3-pointers, while Radiance Walters
’06 and Jerusha Rodgers ’04 each scored 10 points.

The Garnet’s record is now 13-4 overall, 6-1 in the Centennial Conference.
Haverford drops to 5-11 overall, 2-6 in the Centennial.

*****

The men’s basketball team was less fortunate than the women, falling to
Haverford 59-45 despite sophomore Blair Haxel’s double-double. Haxel posted
10 points and 12 rebounds and blocking four shots, but his effort was
ultimately not enough.

Haverford jumped out to a 15-4 lead and finished the half up 25-20 as Matt
Stein hit 7-of-12 for 14 points in the half. Stein finished with a
double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds. The second half was closer, but
the Garnet ultimately fell victim to their poor shooting, as they hit just
15-of-52 attempts for 28.8% from the floor, while Haverford shot 43.6% from
the floor.

Jacob Letendre ’04 led the Garnet with 11 points, and Matt Gustafson ’05
posed seven. The Garnet are now 7-11 overall, 3-3 in the Centennial.

*****

Today:
Badminton hosts Bryn Athen, 7:00 p.m.

Tomorrow:
There are no contests scheduled for tomorrow.

*****

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“There are 10^11 stars in the galaxy. That used to be a huge number. But
it’s only a hundred billion. It’s less than the national deficit! We used
to call them astronomical numbers. Now we should call them economical numbers.”
–Richard Feynman

*****
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