Did you ever notice how when people walk into the classroom on the first day they usually sit with people that look like them? Not even just because they’re friends, but if they don’t know anybody in the class they usually sit near people that look like them. I’ve noticed this in my own classes and it’s kind of baffling when you actually see this happening in front of you. I wish the reasoning of this phenomenon was unrelated to race, but it is. At Temple, people try their best not to bring up race, but it’s hard to ignore something that society keeps shoving down your throat everywhere you look. Race has been engraved in our society for a long time, but simply ignoring the definitions that society has for each race will not help us move forward, Temple Made or not.
I’ve taken a few race and diversity courses at Temple that have definitely opened my eyes to what’s really happening on campus: segregation. Segregation here at Temple is kind of like a show on T.V—you see all the good when you’re watching from the comfort of your own home, but behind the scenes anything could be happening.
In case you forgot, segregation means “the enforced separation of different racial groups in a country, community, or establishment.” So, on the outside we may all wear our cherry and white, but on the inside we may feel that we are alienated and isolated from everyone around us on campus because we have not learned how to celebrate our differences for making us the unique individuals that we are. You may think that segregation is impossible at a school like Temple University because it’s known as “Diversity University”, but I’ll share with you some facts.
Temple University has over 30,000 students enrolled at all their campuses (Fall 2012 Student Profile). Of these students (excluding the Japan campus), 57% of students are White, non-Hispanic, 12% are African American, 10.4% are Asian, 4.6% are Hispanic, and 14% are unknown. With more than half of the students identified as White, non-Hispanic the majority is clear. Unfortunately for those of us that don’t fall into this category, we may find ourselves struggling to find those that look like us in our classes. Even in my own classes, I have seen 2-3 African American students, out of 30 students in the entire class. To me, this means that Temple isn’t living up to its reputation. The façade of a diverse university is hiding the issues that plague our campus and community: underrepresentation of minority populations.
One would assume that a university in the heart of North Philadelphia would have a greater diversity of students, but as we know, the politics of education dictate the access that minorities truly have to education. As we look around to the North Philadelphia community that surrounds us, it is one that is heavily represented by minorities. I believe that Temple’s ultimate success (inside and out) will come from the support of the community. Therefore, an interdependent relationship needs to be developed between the two to push both sides of this relationship forward. In essence, the overall future of the city relies on this relationship, and as a university Temple should make more leaps and bounds to ensure the success of this underrepresented group within their own back yard and classes.