Racial Segregation is Back
Sunday, June 17th, 2007 -- J. DoeIn UCLA different groups graduate at different times.
The university (UCLA) now has so many separate identity-group graduations that scheduling them not to conflict with one another is a challenge.
The women’s studies graduation and the Chicana/Chicano studies graduation are both set for 10 AM Saturday.
The broader Hispanic graduation, “Raza,” is in near-conflict with the black graduation, which starts just an hour later.Planning was easier before a new crop of ethnic groups pushed for inclusion.
Students of Asian heritage were once content with the Asian–Pacific Islanders ceremony.
But now there are separate Filipino and Vietnamese commencements, and some talk of a Cambodian one in the future.
Years ago, UCLA sponsored an Iranian graduation, but the school’s commencement office couldn’t tell me if the event was still around.
The entire Middle East may yet be a fertile source for UCLA commencements.
In the words of the 1990s LA Riot Victim Rodney King, “Why can’t we all just get along?” (or at least graduate together.)
When I was in college there was one commencement ceremony.
Just one. It worked very well.
Hispanics sat next to Asians and Blacks and Whites.
Nobody felt intimidated to be graduating with another ethnic group.
We all listened intently for our names and once called went on stage excitedly to get our diplomas.
Some fraternity groups taped the letters of their fraternities to their caps, but other than that everyone wore the same graduation gown, except for magna cum laude and other people graduating with honors (based on educational merits-not race) No purple sashes for Vietnamese members or pink triangles for Lesbian and Gay people as Adolph Hitler would have them do.
Now, graduates (at UCLA) usually wear identity-group markers—a Filipino stole or a Vietnamese sash, for instance, or a rainbow tassel at the Lavender event.
Promoters of ethnic and racial graduations often talk about the strong sense of community that they favor.
But it is a sense of community based on blood, a dubious and historically dangerous organizing principle.
Now how are we supposed to exist in a country if everyone runs to their own groups to graduate from college of all things ?
College educated people should be able to live with diversity-no run from it.
One can identify strongly with a racial or ethnic group and still graduate in the mainstream graduation.
When I graduated with the mainstream population at my college my ethnicity didn’t change.
Neither did that of any Black, Asian, or Hispanic.
Gays did not become straight, Heterosexuals did not become homosexual, everyone was just happy to graduate.
I think this segregated graduation is a bad idea, something that would make all the civil rights leaders from the 1960s turn in their graves, but unfortunately many don’t think so.
If you read the article, the tragedy according to UCLA officials is not that separate graduations exist, but that they cant schedule them all.
That is so ridiculous. I’ve heard of universities so large that they need to have more than one commencement ceremony because there’s no venue big enough for everyone and their guests, but it’s usually done by academic program, which while isn’t an ideal solution is understandable. But this is just foolish. Commencement is about the conferral of an academic degree, not about self-identification with a particular group. Things like this make me glad I left academe when I did.
That’s exactly how I feel. It’s ridiculous.
Academia is full of nutty ideas,but this racially segregated commencement is just plain stupid.
Sure, lots of schools have so many graduating undergraduates that it is impossible to have only one ceremony. In that case the students have separate ceremonies according to their academic discipline (such as business, science and engineering, humanities, etc.) and the graduate students have their own ceremony (the “hooding”). This kind of subdivision is imperfect, but it’s fine really since everybody wants to walk the stage and heard their names called out, and if this can’t happen in one mass ceremony, then go ahead and have several smaller ones so everybody gets his/her moment of fame; all my schools did this.
But the racial element as determining factor? Idiotic. And more retrograde and perniciously harmful than I can imagine.
Here’s an idea and a prediction: sooner or later, say, Tibetan students will demand their own ceremony. Or Hong Kong students. Or Taiwanese students will also. Then Beijing will enter the picture and howl that this kind of behavior is unacceptable because theree should only be one ceremony for “China.”
Does nobody realize the dangers of constantly prioritizing our differences over our commonalities? This kind of sectarian outlook has repeatedly produced not cooperation and bridge-building, but animosity, grievance, and the most extreme result, racial and ethnic violence.
Ridiculous. When I think of UCLA, I guess I can recall something specific..Is it home to hard-leftists?
Hi, Stefania, the UC university network does have some hard-leftists. UC-Berkeley is the most famous for this, but UCLA also.
I thought “university” meant “unity in diversity.” Guess the university doesn’t see the point in that anymore.
UC Santa Cruz is pretty nutty, and UC San Diego when I was a grad student there back in the 80’s had a fair amount of hard leftists too.
The only graduation I ever attended was high school. All the rest I had’em mail the diplomas to me ;->
Hey you guys. Just stopping in to say Hi. wondering how you’re doing in the great US of A. and when that baby of yours might be due.
take care.
Deborah King
Un saluto
So said it happens.
They should stop it.
This is incredible - and not in a good way! I thought the days of racial separation were ended when jim Crows laws were dissolved. And there’s me thinking this type of thing didn’t happen any more.
It makes me think of a quote by a particular black woman: “I did not get on the bus to get arrested; I got on the bus to go home”.
i went to visit the UC and it was beautiful, i love how the UC is on top of hollywood looking down, the beach is right there and all the shopping on melrose! But its really good school with great facilities and faculty.
Words fail me. I am astounded, dumbfounded.
i enjoy visiting UCs. all california colleges have their own little uniqueness about themselves. San diego and Santa Barbara has the beach, Santa Cruz has the boardwalk and redwoods. UC Berkely has the bay and san francisco and finally Sacramento State has a lovely El Dorado Hills and Cameron Park.
totally agree california schools are beautiful thats why theyre so expensive not just for the education the experience!
racial segregation is still rampant in US society. I dont see how Obama will make “change” like most african americans say he will. Just because a black president is in office doesnt mean other blacks can slack on work or should expect more benfits. They think its like affirmative action by presidential election default.