Fahma Mohammed lived in Happy Valley, Oregon, where she was one of only 20 black students and five Muslim students at a high school of over 3,000. Her first term at the University of Oregon was a culture shock, but not for the reason one would expect.
During her time at UO, she joined the Black Student Union, African Student Association and the Muslim Student Association — opportunities she never had before.
“I wanted to be part of a student group where I’m not a minority anymore,” Mohammed said.
However, not every black student’s experience has been like Mohammed’s.
Black students have a rougher time adjusting to college than their white peers, according to a survey by the Jed Foundation and the Steve Fund. Forty-one percent of black students consider transferring during their first term, as opposed to only 23 percent of white students — almost twice as many.
At the UO, 1.9 percent of students identify as black. Black faculty only comprise 1.4 percent of all tenured faculty, which lags behind the nationwide average of 4.6 percent, according to the US Department of Education.
Black students and faculty often feel alienated and unsupported.
Illustration by Mary Vertulfo.
For Shaniece Curry, external director of the Black Women of Achievement and member of the Black Student Task Force, walking into a lecture hall where nearly all of the students are white is “ostracizing and discouraging.”
“It sends a message … that black students are less deserving and less qualified to receive higher education. That, in itself, can take a psychological toll on someone,” Curry said.
Charise Cheney, associate professor of ethnic studies, says the main problem today is that people are taught the idea of color blindness, that they should not see color and that everyone is the same. Although color blindness may seem to fit the idea of equality, it becomes easy to ignore the struggles people have because of their ethnicity.
Cheney says that black students and faculty constantly confront stereotypes. People picture them coming from ghettos, being uneducated, aggressive and part of a culture heavily influenced by hip-hop and rap.
“[Black] students on campus have to constantly deal with feeling underestimated — that they are less intelligent than others, or that they’re only here because of affirmative action or because they’re athletes,” Cheney said.
Cheney says that in her ethnic studies 101 class, white students are visibly uncomfortable when the topic of institutional racism comes up. They roll their eyes, and sometimes argue that racism is no longer a problem today.
“When we talk about racism, [students] feel like the faculty is pointing a finger at [them],” Cheney said.
Illustration by Mary Vertulfo.
Yvette Alex-Assensoh, vice president for equity and inclusion, says it is a fallacy to believe that people can stop seeing race because it has always been a central issue in the United States since the arrival of the pilgrims to today.
Alex-Assensoh argues that people should celebrate their differences instead. Acknowledging differences can help some understand what others experience due to their race.
“Our differences add to our strengths. They make us stronger. They help us to become better people,” Alex-Assensoh said.
Despite pushing to recruit more faculty of color, the UO struggles to keep them. In the past seven years, the UO has had the lowest percentage of faculty of color in the nation’s top 62 research universities, and ranked the lowest among the 34 public schools in the group between 2005 and 2012.
Cheney says that working in a school lacking diversity can feel unwelcoming and hostile.
Cheney’s experience at the university has been overwhelmingly positive since she started in 2009, because the ethnic studies department is more diverse compared to other departments on campus.
However, Cheney says her experience would be different if she were in any other department.
“For some people, it’s a challenging place to be. I know for a fact if I had to be in a different department, my self-satisfaction on the job would not be as high,” Cheney said.
Jaleel Reed, a third-year graduate student and member of the BSTF, says the faculty at the school “has demonstrated a lack of cultural competency” — an understanding of cultural differences.
“[Faculty and administrators] fail to mediate conversations that stem from racial injustice from the classroom or conversations … specifically about racial injustice,” Reed said.
Reed says increasing black faculty is essential to supporting black students. Black faculty provide mentorship for students who feel like they are misunderstood and have experiences that are relatable to those of black students.
Students from the Black Student Union, the Black Student Task Force and Black Women of Achievement showed their respect for the legacy and advocacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Jan. 18 in Eugene. Photo by Amanda Shigeoka.
At Monday’s Martin Luther King Day March, Senior Vice President Scott Coltrane said the administration has created several committees to address the list of demands presented by the BSTF in November. In addition to the committees, the Division of Equity and Inclusion is also scheduling more campus conversations, similar to the one held in November, “to learn about different cultures.”
“We hope to not only create a healthier campus community, but also contribute to a Eugene where everyone feels safe and supported,” Coltrane said.
Curry, a leading member of the BSTF, urged students, faculty and administrators to take action and do more than just talk about the issues.
“Are you going to march with us, or are you going to write these eloquent speeches? I just ask that your words become action,” Curry said.
Patrice Bishop-Fisher, a law student who has felt alienated in the school’s MBA program, argues that the administration does not understand what students are experiencing. She feels like the administration is tackling nonessential issues first, like the renaming of Deady Hall, and says recent campus talks will not lead to substantial progress.
“I wish these discussions made me feel like things are going to change,” Bishop-Fisher said. “It doesn’t matter if they rename Deady Hall. It won’t change my experience in the MBA program.”
In order to solve the racial issues on campus and color blindness, Bishop-Fisher says that it is necessary for people to self-reflect and notice what they say and do.
“It’s hard to face the prejudices that you have. Nobody wants to be the villain of the story,” Bishop-Fisher said.
Fahma Mohammed, a black student quoted in this story, worked for the Emerald for one term in spring 2014 as a news reporter.
