Standing Up For Change
by Cecilia Chan
Robert
Neighbours grew up in a predominantly white middle-class area
of Riverside, Calif., but in his mind neighborhood demographics
weren't much of an issue. In high school, his best friend
was Persian-American, and he hung around with kids who were
Latino, Korean and black. To him, color and ethnicity were
no big deal.
When he came to USD, the 20-year-old junior at first had a tough time finding a similar network of different cultures, faces and viewpoints. He craved the kind of interaction that in high school helped shape his political and social perspective, as well as his love of music, art and movies.
Although he's white, Neighbours joined the Asian Students Association and the Filipino Ugnayan Student Organization, simply to feed his desire for knowledge of cultures he knew little or nothing about. He didn't see anything strange about joining these groups, in fact he considered it a normal part of a well-rounded college experience.
"Not only have I learned a lot about other people and their perspectives, (but joining these clubs) helped me create and learn about my own world view," Neighbours says. "I now have a fuller picture of where I stand in the world."
Neighbours says the most important group he joined was United Front, an alliance of nine student groups that represent a wide swath of cultures and ethnicities, and that work to fill in the knowledge gaps many college students have about cultural, racial and ethnic differences.
In this organization, Neighbours truly found what he had been looking for.
"I think it's important to not only be tolerant of other people, but to learn about and celebrate differences, particularly in response to the racism, sexism and classism that are pervasive in our society," says Neighbours, a sociology major with a double minor in Spanish and ethnic studies. "I feel I can be more effective insolving problems in our society by notjust using one, limited perspective, but by gaining multiple perspectives."
Since discovering United Front, Neighbours has become a campus leader, helping his fellow students better understand each other and educating the USD community about how cultural diversity enriches their education — and their lives. Last year, he was elected vice president of multicultural relations for Associated Students, the university's student government. And he's been solidly behind the student body's successful effort to lobby for an academic major in ethnic studies, which was approved this spring and will launch in Fall 2003.
The energy, optimism and activism Neighbours brought to USD is typical of students who belong to United Front. Since banding together in 1993, members have earnestly worked to build and strengthen relations within their diverse coalition, and between member groups and the rest of the campus. Their efforts at times have been frustrating and painstaking, and they've faced setbacks, but United Front students say that no matter what the difficulties, their overarching purpose — to allow the different cultures at USD to thrive while helping others learn about them - is much too important to give up.
"Our goal is to help fulfill the mission of the university," says Guadalupe Corona, director of the United Front office, "which is to provide students with a learning experience that includes awareness of other cultures and other perspectives."
When students walk into the Hahn University Center offices of United Front — officially dubbed the Multicultural Center — they leave race, religion and gender at the door. There are no barriers as they mingle and share experiences. On a typical day, as many as 30 students get together to eat, study and relax in the center's lounge.
The center provides resources on scholarships, internships and job opportunities, as well as a headquarters for United Front and each of its nine member groups (see box). The groups frequently sponsor notable speakers, such as civil rights activist Angela Davis, who came to USD for Black History Month in February, as well as seminars, workshops and cultural events like the annual Gospel Jam.
But that's just what the association does. What's more important is what it is. United Front is a haven for students who may have experienced discrimination in their lives. And it is a driving force for inclusion and understanding at Alcalá Park, which historically has attracted a predominately white student body, and where administrators have struggled at times to increase diversity.