Today: Mar 29, 2024

Southern’s inclusivity evident in comparison to Sacred Heart

Essence BoydCopy Editor

If you were to ask Southern’s ethnic students if they felt the campus was diverse enough, a majority of them would say no, and prior to stepping foot on the campus of Sacred Heart University, I would have been one of them.

Do not get me wrong, Southern does provide a wide variety of clubs that cater to minority students on campus. Clubs such as Black Student Union, Caribbean Student Association and Muslim Student Association make them feel more at home.

However, when looking at it on the greater scale of things these clubs are still very outnumbered compared to others and so are the students. But after spending one night on Sacred Heart’s campus, I learned it could be a lot worse.

On Friday March 29, 2019, I attended Sacred Heart’s spring concert, and if there was ever an event in life that should have come with an escape plan, that was it.

Prior to entering the campus, I was nonplussed by miles of unified white students, each of which were in similar clothing as if a part of a cult.

According to Forbes list of America’s Top Colleges, less than 25% of Sacred Heart’s residents are minorities in comparison to SCSU’s 35%.

However, after crossing over into the twilight zone that is Sacred Heart, I would attest even that 25% is a fictional number.

Upon my arrival at the concert, all students in attendance were subjected to a mandatory security search. However, my experience was a little different than those surrounding me. Compared to others, you would have thought I was a prime suspect in a campus robbery the way I was thoroughly searched. Having attended SCSU’s spring concert last year, which contained little to no security measures, I was very startled to say the least.

Being a Social Justice university, Southern strives to ensure that all members of the community are treated with dignity, respect, kindness, compassion and civility. Having this underlining respect for all cultures is why I believe Southern strives to be an all-inclusive university. However, four hours on Sacred Heart’s campus was enough to make me appreciate not only how diverse Southern is, but how accepting.

After being searched, I proceeded into a larger crowd of white students, where I was so vastly outnumbered. I could pin point the exact location, and number of the other minority attendees. Like at most concerts, the DJ played music to warm up the crowd, and for a moment, I thought the night been salvaged-until the word was said. I am sure you are already aware of what word I am referring to and if you’re not, think a little harder. As the chorus of Chance the Rapper’s “No Problem” came to an end the entire crowd screamed n***a from the top of their lungs as if reciting a military cadence. Seeing as how more than 90% of the audience was white, I’m sure you see the problem.

Out of all of the emotions I have felt on Southern’s campus, racially attacked has never been one of them, and prior to that night I was proud to say I had never experienced or been involved in a situation where I was made to feel inferior due to the color of my skin.

I truly believe the students and faculty of Sacred Heart need to spend a day off from campus.

The entire concert was a one huge chauvinistic and politically incorrect stew of people who have been deprived of real life events to know what is and what is not appropriate in the world we live in.

Say what you will about Southern. One thing our university would never do is allow an auditorium full of students to insult one another.

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