Student Groups Look to Improve Minority Participation

Leaders of various student groups convened last night to discuss minority participation in campus politics and to pledge continued cooperation between groups to improve minority representation in political issues.

The discussion, co-sponsored by the Harvard College Democrats and a number of ethnic and gender groups, was the first of its kind in recent years and drew around 100 people.

“This event we hope is the beginning of a discussion that will last a while and bring substantive changes to how campus politics function,” said Magdey A. Abdallah ’07, outreach director of the Dems, who spearheaded the town-hall discussion.

S. Allen Counter, director of the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations, opened last night’s discussion by describing the increased diversity and minority participation he has observed in his 35-year involvement with the University.

“I’ve watched our student body go from virtually no participation to now full participation,” he said.

The conversation between students highlighted dilemmas faced by both minority students and minority organizations in becoming involved in campus politics.

Leaders relayed their difficulties in balancing political agendas with social functions, making the observation that many ethnic groups end up focusing extensively on social or cultural aspects.

Students also remarked that a wide variety of opinions exist within individual ethnic organizations, making unilateral political action difficult.

Because of such diversity of opinion, ethnic organizations are often reluctant to align themselves with partisan organizations such as the Dems or Harvard College Republicans, said Sarah L. Paiji ’06, co-president of the Harvard-Radcliffe Asian American Association.

Individual participation of minority students is also a concern for political organizations such as the Dems, students said, pointing out that they tend to be predominantly white and male.

Abdallah said before the meeting that this lack of diversity was a continuing concern for the Dems.

“Are we recruiting [minority students] because they’re individuals? Or because they’re a member of a community?” Abdallah asked the student leaders.

Students also discussed the participation of women in campus politics.

The Radcliffe Union of Students decided to participate in the forum “because we’re concerned with the amount of organizations on campus that are run by men,” said Tatiana H. Chaterji ’08, the group’s women’s center coordinator.

Brittani Head ’06, communications director for the Dems, said she felt in her involvement with the Dems that assertive and aggressive attitudes were demanded of women involved in campus politics, which left many women out.

The unprecedented dialogue between various student groups drew positive reactions and ended the meeting on an enthusiastic note.

“A lot of these questions have been asked before and the discussions have happened before, but they generally happened within one community,” said Gregory M. Schmidt ’06, president of the Dems.

Presenting as a model last year’s joint campaign for marriage equality between the Dems and the Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Transgender, and Supporters Alliance, Schmidt urged student groups to work together on issues of overlapping political interests.

“I do hope you will get involved in the political scene. Make this an active campus,” Counter said.