Merger decision lacked transparency, student input

This week, the financial crisis hit close to home. I discovered that my home away from home and my current employer, the Center for Multicultural Affairs, will be merged with the International House this January, and that two of my mentors at the center will be let go. No one at the center received word of this merger until after the decision has been made. None of the student leaders, whose groups depend on the center for guidance and support, were consulted.

I understand that the University is in dire financial trouble, but it is precisely this type of non-transparent political process that landed the country in this mess. The fact that Duke made this decision behind closed doors casts severe doubts in my mind on the University’s commitment to fulfill the needs of its minority students. The lack of input from students and faculty also leads me to doubt the wisdom of such a merger.

I also take umbrage with the concept of the Global Cultures Center. Ethnic minorities on campus are not just another exotic group to enrich the cultural experience of other Duke students. Racial minorities outside of the black-white binary already struggle against the so-called perpetual foreigner complex. Ask an Asian-American friend if they have ever been made uncomfortable because someone said or implied that they didn’t “look American,” I’m sure they have plenty of stories. In merging the Multicultural Center with the International House, Duke contributes to the alienation of non-white and non-black racial minorities.   

The Multicultural Center is not a showcase of minority cultures, it is a space where minority students can explore and celebrate their unique identity. Please remember that the center is not just a delivery mechanism for programs and services, it is a community. While this merger may reduce costs, it does nothing to improve programs and services. In fact it does a great disservice to a university that claims to care about diversity.

Jack Zhang

Trinity ’11