"[Lehigh] does not appreciate progress or change. A university
should be forward thinking, and this is precisely why Lehigh will never be a
world-class university."
—AdInfinitum22's response to "Why
People Transfer Out of Lehigh"[i]
Dear
Lehigh University,
Sometimes
I wonder why I came here in the first place. I am an Asian-American, and for my
entire life I've been repeatedly denied the first half of my existence by the
white middle-class suburbs I grew up in. When I came here for Diversity Life
Weekend, I thought that, maybe for once, I would be accepted somewhere. You
know, since Lehigh is supposedly one of the world's "leading institutions" that believes a "community deeply committed to
harmonious cultural diversity" is an "essential element of the learning environment."[ii]
But
apparently not.
I sit next to you
in class.
So did Russhon Phillips and the three other black football players who were
villainized by The Express-Times and
other media outlets. But this isn't about the fight—it’s just the last straw.
There have been multiple stories about the specifics, confirmed or unconfirmed
usage of the word nigger that sparked
the fight, etc. circulating back and forth, so it's pointless arguing about the
details.[iii]
The point is,
this incident and its reaction are a microcosm of the larger issues on campus. If you are not a white,
middle/upper-class, heterosexual, Christian/Jewish, able-bodied male, then you
are a minority and most likely made to feel like one: minor. Your minority
status, rather than being celebrated like it briefly is during “Diversity”
Achievers Program and “Diversity” Life Weekend, is held against you and a
stranger's actions will be used to define you:
"Often when I walk on this campus, people
in cars drive by and yell, 'Look at this nigga!' then drive away
laughing."[iv]
"I am lesbian and I don't feel safe
here."[v]
"#86 I'm in the same boat as #12 and
#63. I was raped for the second time in my life here and I feel like nobody
would believe me because he's in a ‘good’ house and I'm nobody."[vi][vii]
But these
incidents are not limited to the past four years. Digging through Lehigh's
archives reveals a history of marginalization ever since Lehigh first opened
its doors to minorities. In response to students' protests, the administration
has held brown bag discussions and town hall meetings and enacted some
changes—but nothing has changed. Alumni from the 80’s and 90’s visit, only to
hear incidents recurring and the campus culture the same.[viii]
For an
education that we’ve earned as well, we feel our voices are suppressed and
we’re made to feel unsafe in a place that is our second home for four years. This
is unacceptable, and we demand change.
We are FBR—From
Beneath the Rug—a united coalition of all marginalized groups that is calling
attention to all the issues that Lehigh pushes “beneath the rug.” You've probably heard of us—Tuesday’s
and Thursday's fliers, Friday's chalkings, Friday's silent protest—but are
unsure of what we are fighting for, given our decline to a Brown and White interview. Maybe it seems incongruous for
marginalized groups to isolate themselves even further by not speaking to the
largest voice on campus, but for once, we wanted to use our authentic voice and
speak on our own terms, not anybody else’s:
To the
leadership of Lehigh University, we have given you a list of our demands. All
of this is repeated history, and as stated in your mission statement and the
Principles of Our Equitable Community:[ix] to change
the world's future, you need to change your own future. When ignoring our
voices this way—what, then, does a Lehigh degree mean?
How can
you expect to raise international leaders with "effective communication as their habit," "live by a set
of mature cultural and personal values," and "respect human dignity" when you cannot even listen to
our voices? How is it possible that "all
members of the Lehigh community...develop as effective and enlightened
citizens" when you ignore us and deny others the opportunity of
learning with us? You do so much to "recruit diversity" yet do so
little to "embrace diversity." We are not numbers to fill a quota,
and we will no longer be used as tokens—we are members of the Lehigh community,
and we
are here.
It is
time for Lehigh to become the "leading
institution" it has always claimed to be.
Sincerely,
Sunny Huang
FBR
For more information about FBR and what we are about, feel free to
send questions to fbrlehigh@gmail.com or tweet us at
#FBR. We welcome commentary as well; productive dialogue can achieve mutual
understanding, which is essential to change the Lehigh culture.
[i]http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/thebrownandwhiteopinion/index.ssf/2013/09/edit_desk_why_people_transfer.html#comments
[iii] We would, however, like to clarify
that in no way are we condoning the violence. Violence is never an acceptable
answer to any situation, and what happened that night is unfortunate.
[vi] Lehigh Confessions at
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=429133830508614&id=423093227779341
[vii] Just because you haven’t observed or had any
negative experiences individually does
not mean it hasn’t happened to many more. These are systemic issues, not “one or
two person” issues. If you do not know this, you are either lucky enough to
not be part of a marginalized group, or you are unaware of it. For more
personal stories, contact us at the email address listed.
[viii] There are too many incidents of insensitivity in
Lehigh's history to list here. For examples, contact us at the email address
listed.
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