Two student-made films on diversity shown Tuesday

By Gina Belmonte

About one year after more than 250 university community members marched in silence to protest racism after the south of the border theme party, 14 students gathered to discuss the unresolved diversity challenges on campus.

"Our biggest struggle is that we don't talk about diversity and we need programs that address this issue -- programs where students identify with their culture," said freshman Associated Students Senator Chris Freeburg at the Tuesday night event, held in the Resource Room on Market Street.

Before the discussion began, participants watched two student-made films about diversity.

The purpose of showing the films was not to rehash and scratch at the wounds after the theme party, said Jessica Gagnon, office manager of the women's and gender studies department. Rather, Gagnon said, it was an opportunity to continue the conversations provoked by the theme party last year.

"We want to take that flawed moment and turn it into something positive and productive," she said.

The first film, "Speaking Out," vocalized the difficulties students of color experience on campus and the pressure they feel to represent an entire culture. Last year, Aldo Chaidez, '07, interviewed students for the film with the help of Mary Ho, program director of the Office for Multicultural Learning, which funded the project's production.

The second film, "Better Than That," was produced during the weeks following the theme party by professor Jennifer Trainor's Bridge English class, a part of the Lead Scholars Program, which is a support program for first-generation college students and students of color. Students created the film to convey their feelings after the party, said sophomore Jose Arreola, the main producer of the film.

Most students who showed up on Tuesday agreed that diversity is not being addressed sufficiently on campus. Some blamed the administration for failing to address diversity, while others said students don't talk about it enough because it can be such a sensitive issue.

Senior Jessica Graham brought attention to the concentration of students of color in the Unity Residential Learning Community, as compared to other campus RLCs.

"Unity is great," said Arreola, a member of the Unity RLC. "But why do we need a place like Unity? What does it say about the climate?"

Havens for the underrepresented are hard to qualify as completely helpful, as they can be hurtful, said freshman Ariana Lujan. Lujan was invited to join the Lead Scholars Program, but declined in order to avoid the risk of being separated from other students.

The Multicultural Center has a separating effect as well, said Jackie Reynoza, student coordinator of the discussion.

"When I walk in, I see the Asian students doing their thing, the Latinos over here, and there's just groups of ethnicities huddled and segregated. Having people under the same roof doesn't necessarily unite them," she said.

Also, white students who may want to embrace other cultures may not feel comfortable walking into the MCC, said Arreola.

Arreola and freshman Diana Bustos suggested the university work to increase the integration of students of color in other RLCs and facilitate campus-wide events to bring students together, as well as hire more faculty of color and recruit more students of color.

Students also suggested circulating the short films more widely. The ethnic studies department and OML have a copy in their archives, and are making an effort to store copies with Media Services and promote usage in classrooms.

In another film project, communication professor Yahia Mahamdi has been working with seven students to produce a feature-length documentary inspired by the theme party. The film, which Mahamdi hopes to finish by this summer, will explore the issues that cause racial tension and identify attempts to improve diversity on campus.

Contact Gina Belmonte at (408) 554-4546 or gbelmonte@scu.edu.