A Week in the Life of a Coalition

In the early morning hours one week ago, about 20 minority student group leaders gathered around a table in North House to organize a protest and force the campus to examine and address the concerns of their newly formed minority coalition.

Spurned by the lack of minority representation on last Friday's Junior Parents' Weekend panel at the Science Center, the coalition protested outside and enumerated five demands in a flyer, titled "The Peculiar Institution."

Now, after just one week, the coalition has thrust itself to the forefront of campus debate, and--with nine minority student groups already enlisted and more smaller organizations soon to join--its momentum is growing.

The coalition's members tout strength in numbers as the impetus behind their effort, but administrators have yet to issue a direct response to the group's catalog of complaints, which include, the dearth of minority faculty members; the lack of ethnic studies courses; and the allegedly racist comments made by Thompson Professor of Government Harvey C. Mansfield.

Assistant Dean of Students Ellen H. Towne was the first administrator to respond to the students' concerns, agreeing to meet with leaders of the Asian-American Association and any other groups about amending the selection process for the Junior Parents' Weekend standing committee to ensure racial diversity.

And since the protest, the coalition's organizer, Black Students Association President Zaheer R. Ali '94, received a long-awaited response from Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles regarding Mansfield's controversial comments on grade inflation.

In his letter to Ali, however, Knowles addressed only Mansfield's comments and not any of the other complaints the coalition put forth.

He said he disagreed with Mansfield's remarks linking grade inflation at the University to the increase in the number of Black students.

Ali called the response "insufficient" and said he will request a meeting with Knowles to discuss the coalition's demands. The coalition has yet to get the results it wants, despite the members' new political leverage.

President Neil L. Rudenstine did not issue a formal response to the coalition's demand, but he said this week that he and other administrators are taking the coalition's concerns "very seriously."

"I don't know what the answer are, but I think when ever you have a curricular issue of genuine substance in any field it requires a lot of thought," he said. "I think that there will be thought and I can imagine there will be action. I think it would be a big mistake to say this is not taken seriously."

Though the coalition has not sent the administration scurrying to issue an immediate, official response to its concerns, coalition members still say they are satisfied with the increased influence their individual organizations have been able to exert, adding that they are optimistic that by remaining united, demands will be met.

"I think that the fact the faculty is responding is a good sign and we will continue to push until the demands are met," said Haneen M. Rabie '95, president of the Society of Arab Students.

Rabie, like other members, said she thinks the coalition has the potential of being a formidable political force on campus.

She said she hopes the coalition will become the "vehicle for Arab students to voice their complaints" and added that SAS will be more politically vocal now that it has the support of the coalition.

For the Asian American Association, involvement in the coalition marks a pivotal point for AAA" and the start of its political activism on campus, according to Co-president Haewon Hwang, 95.

She said she hopes the coalition will be a permanent organization on campus and that the "energy level won't die after the demands are met."

Ali and coalition members say they want to continue mobilizing as a coalition even if they do resolve their concerns with the "Peculiar Institution."

However, the resolution they are seeking--direct solutions to the problems they enumerate does not seem to be coming soon.

The coalitions has been a loudspeaker for minority student concerns, but it has not yet been a vehicle for change.

Responding to what action the coalition plans to take if demands are not met. Ali said last week, "I hope we do not get to that point. We have established clearly what our demands are and we'll expect a response."

We don't want to be threatening to the University, but we are determined to see them through," said Ali.

'We have established clearly what our demands are and we'll expect a response...We don't want to be threatening to the University, but we are determined to see them through.'

Zaheer R. Ali '94, Black Students Association President