campus quietly debates cultural centerearly this semester at a Social Justice Initiative (SJI) CoffeeHour, the members of the SJI called on <strong>Hamilton</strong> to“demonstrate its commitment and respect for cultural andintellectual diversity” by building a Cultural EducationCenter within the next ten years. Although the Student JusticeInitiative declined to comment for this article, the proposal outlinedin <strong>The</strong> Spectator on February 2 calls for a new campus building thatwould welcome all students, but provide specific meeting space formulticultural organizations such as the Womyn’s Center, the RainbowAlliance, La Vanguardia, the Brother’s Organization, and religiousorganizations. A key component of the proposal is the creation of aDirector of Multicultural Affairs who would work directly with culturalissues at <strong>Hamilton</strong>. <strong>The</strong> building would be named after <strong>Hamilton</strong>alumnus Bob Moses, a prominent educator and civil-rights activist.Luvuyo Mandela ’09, President of the Brothers Union, hopes thatthe Cultural Education Center would work similarly to the ScienceCenter; built for a particular group of students in mind, but welcomingto all and educating the entire student body.<strong>The</strong> SJI’s proposal has been sent to various campus offices and groups,initiating a discussion about whether a Cultural Education Center is thebest way to improve student relations and accessibility on campus. <strong>The</strong>lack of space on campus in which multicultural organizations can meetoften causes scheduling conflicts between student organizations. Tofurther the issue, the Womyn’s Center is slated for demolition duringthe summer of 2009, leaving the organization with no specific locationin which to meet.Since the proposal is still in the early stages of discussion, manystudent groups and faculty members declined to share their personalopinions about the Cultural Education Center. Reva Narula ’10, chairof the Student Assembly Diversity and Disabilities Committee, explainsthat the Student Assembly (SA) hopes that whatever the <strong>Hamilton</strong>community decides regarding the Cultural Education Center, thesolution “celebrates commonalities rather than differences and that wecan find a way to address whatever differences there are on campus.”Some members of SA, such as Greg Ray ’08, who was the SAFacilities Committee chair for three years and is currently involvedwith the Strategic Planning Committee, wants the SJI to work directlywith the SA in order to flesh out the details of the proposal and receivethe backing of the SA. Ray points out that the SA, which representsthe entire student body to the administration, has been involved inother major campus construction projects and was instrumental in theearly discussions about the ELS renovations. While Ray is the first toagree that the student government system can be confusing and not allstudents feel represented by the SA, he reminds students that they alwayshave the opportunity to become involved in student governance. Mostimportantly, the SA publishes the minutes of their weekly meetings,providing an open discourse with students, something that is currentlylacking about discussions regarding the Cultural Education Center.<strong>The</strong>re are several other issues, regarding the actual Cultural EducationCenter proposal that are necessary to explore. First, the multiculturaland minority groups will be housed in the Cultural Education Center,but the rest of the student organizations will be in the new ELSStudent Union. It is unlikely that this marginalization of minoritygroups will create an inclusive atmosphere on campus, a specific goalof the SJI’s proposal. One Rainbow Alliance member notes that theCultural Education Center “would give students the opportunityto hide from whatever problems they might have with the larger14 the continental | spring 2008“We have at <strong>Hamilton</strong> apattern of trying to solveproblems by putting up orrenovating buildings.”-Professor Daniel Chamblisscommunity if they so choose, and this is a luxury [that students] willnot have in the real world. <strong>The</strong> center could be isolating, regardless ofits location, if students perpetually use it as a retreat.”On the other hand, Margaret Scott Bundy Professor ofComparative Literature Nancy Rabinowitz believes that the CulturalEducation Center, while not inclusive of all student groups, “mightencourage dialogue across groups that are now rather separate.” <strong>The</strong>same Rainbow Alliance member quoted earlier, torn on the subject,agrees with Rabinowitz’s views, stating that “the headquarters of thevarious multicultural organizations are currently scattered and poorlyorganized, and sharing a single building would help manifest theircommon plight.” This conflict of sympathies demonstrates the campus’difficulties in making a decision.<strong>The</strong> second issue that arises regarding the Cultural Education Centeris how a new building will improve the cultural climate on campusand help recruit and retain multicultural students. Eugene M. TobinDistinguished Professor of Sociology Daniel Chambliss fears that “wehave at <strong>Hamilton</strong> a pattern of trying to solve problems by putting up orrenovating buildings” and it would be better to first figure out throughinclusive campus-wide discussions if the Cultural Education Center isthe best solution before jumping to a multi-million dollar constructionproject. Furthermore, Ray points out some of the logistical issues thatthe proposal does not address. For example, the location is important.Two solutions propose using either the current location of the Afro-Latin Cultural Center or the 3 rd floor of Bristol. However, neither ofthese are highly trafficked areas on campus and perhaps will not givethe Cultural Education Center the prominence it deserves.Furthermore, many students and professors have noted that a newor renovated building will not be enough to welcome multiculturalstudents on campus; there has to be a budget behind the building thatwill support programming on multiculturalism for the entire <strong>Hamilton</strong>campus. Amy Tannenbaum ’10, a member of the Womyn’s Center,hopes that multicultural organizations will be able to pool their financialresources in order to promote multiculturalism and provide relevantprogramming for the entire <strong>Hamilton</strong> community. Ray suggests itmay be more successful to spend money on diversity initiatives such asrecruiting and retaining multicultural students and faculty rather, thanan expensive building.Without a doubt, the Student Justice Initiative is correct that studentsof minority groups need to feel more welcomed and included on campus.We can also be thankful to the SJI for repeatedly bringing diversity issueson campus to a forefront, most recently with their proposal for theCultural Education Center. However, there are more issues regardingboth the cultural climate on campus and the SJI proposal than can becovered in one article, so before any decision can be made regardingthe Cultural Education Center, we need to have an open and inclusivecampus wide discussion with students, faculty, and administrators to seeif such a center is the best solution for all <strong>Hamilton</strong> students.-laurel symonds ’11
alternative spring breakhamilton students makeuse of their spring breaksto reach out to helpothers in needfor some <strong>Hamilton</strong> students, spring break is notjust a break from upstate New York snow, butalso an opportunity to help those in need. Thisyear, sixty-six students volunteered to spend aday or two in a jitney and travel down Southto help with various causes. And, at only $125per trip, ASB is also a great opportunity to seeanother part of the country. Any participantwill tell you it was worth every dollar and everymile. This year, four groups traveled during thefirst week of break, and another two groups went during thesecond week.I led a group of eight students along with co-leaderCuffie Winkler ’10 on an environmental service trip inTennessee. <strong>The</strong> group worked at Cumberland Trails tohelp with the development and maintenance of trails in thepark. Emily Johnston ’10 and Meghan Herman ’09 led anoutreach trip with eight other girls to Wilmington, NorthCarolina, where they tutored children at a local elementaryschool. <strong>The</strong>re were also two construction-based trips thefirst week. Kat Kenney ’08 and Mikhail Bell ’08 led a groupthe continental | spring 2008 15
Change language