The Bowdoin Orient

December 1, 2000
Volume CXXXII, Number 10

Yellow is not off-white

by HEATHER PARK '01 - CONTRIBUTOR

When dealing with the issue of diversity at Bowdoin, it seems to be very much a black/white issue. I don't want to be misunderstood as saying that diversity at Bowdoin pertains solely to one minority group. I would merely like to point out that this college's commitment to ethnic cultivation and diversity is not evenly distributed. Although there is a significant Asian constituency in the student body, the Administration does not heed the economic, academic, and psychological needs of its Asian students. Perhaps Asians do not provide the "diversity" to raise Bowdoin's standings in the U.S. News & World Report.
  As a Korean-American student and a senior, it has become an undeniable reality that the Administration does not feel the need to cater to Asians as a minority group. The primary focus of the College is to publicly extend opportunities to the African-American population and, to a lesser extent, the Latino population. Any such attempts for Asian students, however, are meekly pursued and are, at best, temporary. There is a severe shortage of Asian professors and mentors on campus, in addition to extremely limited funding for the development of the Asian Studies department, an increasingly popular major and demand. Also, the Administration does not provide an admissions scholarship for Asian prospectives.
  There is not a clear-cut reason for this phenomenon. One can always point blame to the Administration, the executor of academic and financial decisions. But in all reality, it is much more complex. It is not the fault of the Administration, because the Administration gets funding from the Trustees. But there are no Asians sitting on the Board of Trustees, so it is difficult to have a source of influence. Is this our own fault for graduating from this institution and not contributing back to it? Or is it the fault of the institution for failing to provide the nurturing environment that would encourage its Asian students to give back?
  There is no simple answer, for issues are never "black & white." I do not write to present an answer, but simply to raise some eyebrows and awareness. If the College is truly committed to diversity, it should focus on celebrating it, not merely attaining it in numbers and statistics.