1. “I Don’t Mess With The Pugh:” Racially Integrating Colby College
Marnay Avant *English 115A—Professor Sheriff
Why Do Most White Students Avoid The Pugh Center?
What’s Going On?
Although the Pugh Center opened in 1996 with the goal of providing an inclusive “safe space” to spread multicultural awareness to the Colby community, it has been a space that primarily students of color inhabit.
Why Is It Problematic?
Creates a racially divided campus
Creates tension around the idea of “space”
Serves as a gateway to cultivating a racist environment
Sustains racial stereotypes, which inhibits social interaction
Lack of unity; some students feel unwanted
Racially Integrating Colby: What Can We Do?
Part One—Institutional Changes
Required Multicultural Literacy Course:
All Colby students should be required to take a multicultural literacy course that explores race, social class, gender, sexuality, and other parts of students’ identities. While this class will raise awareness about domestic and global issues, it will also serve as an ally training workshop.
“I took Multicultural Literacy with Professor Diamond. I believe that it should be required, because students would learn a lot about their identities and the identities of other people.” –Amy Furusho 18’
Required Diversity Training For All Professors:
Diversity training for professors is essential to racially integrating Colby. Students are not the only ones who do not enter the Pugh Center or have prejudice sentiments towards people who come from different backgrounds. This training could help professors meet the needs of all students, and it can help create a more unified community between students and professors.
“A professor told a student, ‘Your English is really good. Does your mom speak English?’ Diversity training is necessary for avoiding similar micro-aggressions.” –Jefferson Nicdao 18’
Part Two—Cultural Changes
Academic Incentives:
Professors can create academic incentives, such as extra credit, as a way to get more students to attend Pugh Center events. By getting more white students in the Pugh Center, some social barriers could be broken down as students see that the space isn’t as intimidating as they once believed it was.
Incoming Freshmen Tours:
The racially divided culture at Colby can evolve by changing the cultural for the incoming class Instead of tour guides talking outside of the Pugh Center, they should allow incoming freshman to interact with students inside the Pugh Center. Hopefully, incoming freshmen will develop their own opinions about the Pugh.
Will This Actually Work?
While these solutions may not completely solve the problem, they may help alleviate it by bringing more social interaction between different racial groups. Hopefully, more students will become more comfortable with interacting with the Pugh Center.
Two Essential Characteristics Needed:
Patience:
A cultural change does not happen overnight. It will take years to actually solve this issue, but the Colby community shouldn’t give up.
Motivation:
Don’t let the time frame of solving this issue discourage. The community should remain motivated in order to actually see progress.
Works Cited
Furusho, Amy. “How Can Colby Become More Racially Integrated?” Personal Interview. April 2015
Nicdao, Jefferson. “How Can Colby Become More Racially Integrated?” Personal Interview. April 2015.
“On Common Ground.” Colby Magazine Online. 1 Nov Web. 21 April <<
Smith, Earl H. Mayflower Hill: A History of Colby College. Hanover; Waterville, Me.: Colby College, 2006.
Figure 1: A picture that embraces the ideas of diversity and integration.
Brief History of the Pugh Center
1994— Students of Color Organized For Change protested against lack of racial diversity. They demanded separate residential housing.
A Commission Board denied the request for separate housing after they researched similar colleges created and decided that separate housing would sustain segregation.
1996—The Pugh center opened with a mission to provide a safe space promoting multiculturalism for the entire Colby community.
The First Three Steps
Get the Colby students, administration, and professors to see that this is a serious problem.
Some people in the Colby community do not think that this is an issue, so it’s crucial for everyone to see how this negatively effects the entire Colby community. Acknowledging the problem is the first step to creating a more inclusive environment.
Meet with President Greene to talk about solution options.
President Greene can help make institutional changes, such as a multicultural literacy requirement, that promote unity, diversity, and inclusion.
Research how other liberal arts colleges are dealing with similar issues.
Colby can observe how other liberal arts colleges handle embracing diversity.
Copyright Colin Purrington (
Acknowledgments
Thank you to everyone who helped me put this together. By dedicating your time, you all have contributed to making Colby a better community.