New Program Combats Racism

The office of Race Relations and Minority Affairs is instituting a new program to combat racism and highlight racial awareness in the houses, Assistant Dean of Race Relations and Minority Affairs Hilda Hernandez-Gravelle said in a meeting Wednesday.

According to Hernandez-Gravelle, the program--which will be called the Student Race Relations Resource Program--was originally conceived of last year after Bridget L. Kerrigan '91 hung a Confederate flag from her Kirkland House window, sparking a series of discussions and protests.

Hernandez-Gravelle said that her office will select student representatives to work with the designated race relations tutors in each of the houses. She said that the students will help formulate programs tailored specifically to the needs of each house. The program has been given a preliminary trialin North House, said Hernandez-Gravelle.Activities there have included race relationstables, study breaks and an anonymous responseboard for people to express their views on issuesof race.

Hernandez-Gravelle said that the program wasdesigned to promote awareness of race-relatedissues on a regular basis, not just when conflictoccurred.

"We do have race relations problems," she said."Unless we are honest with ourselves we will notbe equipped to address them."

"Students are always very caring about what'shappening on campus...but especially in the caseof race relations, one of the ways of ensuringthat nothing happens is to leave no one incharge," said Hernandez-Gravelle.

She said this program will put students incharge, since they will be "the eyes and ears ineach of the houses."

North House Race Relations Tutor Lory Dancesaid that the experiment has worked well so far.

"Each house has a slightly differentchemistry," she said at the meeting. "This way youcan cater the program to best serve yourcommunity."

North House resident Stephen C. Chang '94, whoalso spoke at the meeting, said, "It is importantto the success of this kind of program thatstudents and tutors work hand in hand.

Hernandez-Gravelle said that the program wasdesigned to promote awareness of race-relatedissues on a regular basis, not just when conflictoccurred.

"We do have race relations problems," she said."Unless we are honest with ourselves we will notbe equipped to address them."

"Students are always very caring about what'shappening on campus...but especially in the caseof race relations, one of the ways of ensuringthat nothing happens is to leave no one incharge," said Hernandez-Gravelle.

She said this program will put students incharge, since they will be "the eyes and ears ineach of the houses."

North House Race Relations Tutor Lory Dancesaid that the experiment has worked well so far.

"Each house has a slightly differentchemistry," she said at the meeting. "This way youcan cater the program to best serve yourcommunity."

North House resident Stephen C. Chang '94, whoalso spoke at the meeting, said, "It is importantto the success of this kind of program thatstudents and tutors work hand in hand.