Freshmen Minorities Warned To Expect to Face Stereotypes

Freshmen can expect to face stereotypes about minority issues and a period of adjustment to campus attitudes, according to a six-person panel discussion yesterday, called "Where do you come from?"

Part of the organized Freshman Week activities, the panel touched on issues such as coping with racial insensitivity, finding a niche at Harvard as a minority student, avoiding isolation of minority students from the community as a whole, and dealing with resentment on campus and alienation from old friends.

"Where do I come from means a lot more than Kansas, New York, Michigan or whatever," said Hilda Hernandez-Gravelle, assistant dean for minority affairs, urging the group of about 75 students to question themselves and find a way to make Harvard a comfortable "home."