Staff Editorial: Demands are unrealistic

Sigma Chi's "Viva Mexico" party was an example of poor judgment and cultural insensitivity. And, warranted or not, members of the community are using the event as platform to draw attention to a comphrensive minority agenda presented Wednesday to the administration in the form of a list of 12 "demands." A select few of these demands are realistic, but the majority have either already been implemented by the University or lie outside the scope of practicality and relevancy.

Of the 12 demands, four deserve immediate consideration by campus officials. First, the call for monthly meetings between top University administrators--which will be open to the public--is a valid method for promoting dialogue and improving transparency and accountability where cultural issues are concerned. The unfortunate circumstances that led to the Sigma Chi fiasco could have been avoided if students more regularly engaged in discussion about the cultural dynamics on campus. Second, the authors push for the establishment of cultural centers for Latino, Asian American and Native American students, similar to the existing Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture. While a separate center for each racial group is not feasible, a new larger and better funded multicultural center should be incorporated into the plans for the new Student Village. Third, the authors ask for an increased emphasis on advising and support for minority students. Pre-major, major, career and social counselling are all areas which need improvement. Funding for minority-specific support should be considered as well.

Several of the remaining demands are reasonable and necessary, but have already been explored by the University, or are currently in motion. Foremost, the authors demand the rapid implementation of minority faculty searches, and a greater emphasis on the recruitment and matriculation of minority students. Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences William Chafe has already committed to increasing the number of scholars whose ethnic groups are underepresented on the faculty. Further, it is common knowledge that Duke strives to recruit a large number of minority applicants for each incoming class. The University has also been exploring the possibility of adding an Asian American Studies program to the curriculum for some time now, and their efforts have already resulted in the addition of several Asian American-focused courses and the addition of selected faculty members.

The aforementioned non-withstanding, several components of the list were unreasonable and altogether beyond the scope of students to demand. The authors of the list demand the creation of scholarships for Asian American, Latino and Native American students similar to the Reginald Howard scholarship for African Americans. However, those scholarships were created as the result of private donations. If the concerned students can find a donor, they can make use of the scholarships. The authors also demand the creation of a task force to oversee fraternity party themes. No group has the right to directly censor the themes of fraternity events, and the selection of themes is not a matter for judicial oversight or punishment, as Larry Moneta himself has pointed out. Further, party themes will undoubtedly come under greater scrutiny when they are registered in the future anyway. The demand that a Native American studies program be created is also not realistic. Native American students make up less than one-fourth of one percent of the student body. The University is already under a financial crunch, cutting general faculty hires and considering eliminating existing departments. Finally, the Sigma Chi party was not a "hate crime," and the suggestion that the University policy on hate crimes be published in popular publications is unwarranted.