[585] in Discussion of MIT-community interests
Re: "diversity" and GIRs
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Aisha D Stroman)
Wed May 9 11:36:58 2001
Message-Id: <200105091536.LAA11224@m12-182-4.mit.edu>
To: Laura G Dean <lgdean@MIT.EDU>
cc: Aisha D Stroman <adstrom@MIT.EDU>, asarahm <asarahm@MIT.EDU>,
mit-talk@MIT.EDU, adstrom@MIT.EDU
In-Reply-To: Your message of "Tue, 08 May 2001 22:17:52 EDT."
<200105090217.WAA06950@contents-vnder-pressvre.mit.edu>
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Date: Wed, 09 May 2001 11:36:19 -0400
From: Aisha D Stroman <adstrom@MIT.EDU>
Laura Dean wrote:
>> I'd feel funny visiting any place where I don't know someone.
>>
>> I'd be intimidated sitting around at Next House, or an unfamiliar
>> floor at EC, too. New people are always scary.
>>
>> That said, I imagine culture also has something to do with it.
The thing is, if you live in NH, I can almost guarantee that you have met
someone from a house different from where you live (b/c I don't want to make
it seem like CC and NH2 are the only houses with the problem, it's just that
it's where I live). So you can't say you are visiting a place you don't know
someone. Either way, sometimes you have to leave your comfort zone to meet
new people and experience *all* of MIT. Keep in mind, you'll only be
intimidated until you meet someone, and then they are no longer new.
>> My perception: it might be technically available to me, but it isn't
>> *meant* for me. (The course 6 tutoring program, by contrast, is
>> clearly meant for anyone having difficulty in a course 6 class.)
>>
Well, we need to fix that. The TSR is *meant* for everyone, sponsored by the
OME .
>>
>> I'd like to point out that GaMIT's Fierce Forever drag show has had a
>> pretty reasonable number of straight people there, the times I've
>> gone. (I mean, you can't tell by looking at individuals, but you can
>> guess by looking at couples, and you already know about people you
>> already know (in many cases).) Dances, though, are less likely to
>> have that property (certainly a much lower proportion.) It may be
>> that people are more comfortable with a certain group, but it also has
>> to do with how entertaining they expect the event to be.
>
I know Fierce Forever has a lot of straight people, but a lot of groups throw
events that are not dances, but are still meant to help educate, like seminars
and discussions. Or people can participate in community service events hosted
by these cultural groups.
>> No, but students can make other students feel unwelcome, both on
>> purpose and by accident.
But you won't know until you go at least once? I have put myself in the
situation, and no one has ever made me feel uncomfortable. Why do people
assume that they will be made to feel unwelcome?
Aisha Stroman
MIT
Computer Science and Engineering
------------------------------------
It's not our responsibility to prove to people who we are.
Our job and responsibility is to "be."
What you do is proof of who you are; manifestation is realization.
People have a right to think whatever they choose to think.
Just because they think it does not make it right.
--Iyanla Vanzant
