Quinnipiac University’s Arnold Bernhard Library. A recent string of incidents on a Quinnipiac tour has raised questions about issues of diversity at the school. Photo by Bryan Proctor.
At a university diversity and inclusion meeting last week, students and staff raised concerns about the university’s ability to accommodate people of different backgrounds. A sociology professor said his son, who is Latino, took a tour and felt it was unwelcoming for minorities.
Jim Buccini, a sociology professor and the chairperson of the College of Arts and Sciences Committee for Diversity and Inclusion, is the one who spoke up. He said his son was not interested in going to Quinnipiac after the tour.
According to Buccini, three separate incidents were problematic during the tour. One problem was the only student organization the tour guide talked about was Greek life. The second issue was how the guide described some study abroad programs as “mission trips to third-world-countries.”
The third incident is what stuck out to the Buccinis.
“… When we walked passed the multicultural suite, and I think that was the biggest flub, (the guide) was talking about how that was a place where black and Muslim students hang out,” Buccini said.
This was when something was evident to Buccini, who wished to speak for him and his son.
The multicultural suite located in the Carl Hansen Student Center at Quinnipiac. The incident that stuck out the most to the Buccinis during their tour was when the guide implied the multicultural suite was the place black and Muslim students hang out. Photo by Bryan Proctor.
“They were all microaggressions, right?” he said. “It was nothing intentional. It was nothing to overtly say, no students of different backgrounds, experiences aren’t welcome here.”
Buccini said while the microaggressions weren’t intentional, they are the sorts of things that can easily roll off your tongue when one culture is pervasive.
In an email, Katie Strong, Associate Director of Undergraduate Admission, said diversity is something it works to include in their efforts.
Strong continued in the email:
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“The Office of Undergraduate Admissions’ tours provide information on the offerings of the university and student experience with input from departments, offices, colleges and schools to ensure that a well-versed perspective is given to tour groups. Student Ambassadors are provided with on-going training with guest speakers from the university community and Admissions Staff members attend trainings, including a microaggressions training this upcoming Spring. Our office continues to work with the Center for Cultural and Global Engagement to ensure that we are inclusive to all students in accordance with university standards. ”
The most prominent ethnicity at Quinnipiac is white. According to College Factual the student body is 76% white and the faculty is 79% white.
To avoid microaggressions Buccini said people can think about what they’re saying and choose their words carefully. He also said diversity training and mindfulness of other people’s experiences are important steps in being sensitive.
“We can become mindful of the experiences of those who are different than us, of the students who are not represented, the cultures that are not represented or underrepresented on this campus,” he said. “We can become aware, we can train ourselves, or at least attempt to train ourselves, on how to avoid the microaggressions.”
One student, Sheariah Stevens, a sophomore political science major who was tabling for the African Caribbean Student Union, believed the university is working to better diversity on campus.
Sheariah Stevens was tabling for the African Caribbean Student Union in the student center when she mentioned diversity and inclusion efforts are a constant work in progress. Photo by Bryan Proctor.
Stevens was at the diversity and inclusion meeting last week and she says in her three semesters at the school she doesn’t think she’s seen an event that has elicited much change. She said the university’s issues are emblematic of a larger picture.
“I don’t necessarily think it’s a Quinnipiac thing, it’s more our climate it general,” she said. “As people are more understanding and open to other people, then in a few years, Quinnipiac can get more diverse and in touch with other people’s thoughts, ideas and needs.”
One thing Stevens highlighted is the complex nature of diversity issues.
“It’s always important to know that even the people at the top don’t know exactly how to solve everything, so I think it’s a work in progress for everyone and for everyone to be willing to put in the work and hold each other accountable to see that through,” she said.
Students and faculty gathered in the Mount Carmel Auditorium last week for an open discussion on inclusivity and diversity at Quinnipiac. This is where Buccini spoke up about him and his son’s experience. Photo by Taylor Sniffen.
As Quinnipiac works to improve its diversity challenges, Buccini,the sociology professor suggested that students and staff be cautious about how they treat underrepresented groups of people.
“One thing that I think that we need to be careful of, as a predominantly white university with a predominantly white faculty and student body, is we need to be very careful about tokenizing anyone,” Buccini said.