Multicultural Council forum addresses campus racial issues
by Erin McCarty
news editor
Several students met in the Reed Lecture
Hall Monday to participate in a forum
concerning the Multicultural Council. The
purpose of the meeting was to share opinions
on the usefulness and effectiveness of the MCC
and the Multicultural Resource Center, where
the organization is housed.
“We want to accomplish something tonight,”
announced Kim Moses as she introduced the
evening. Before the discussion began, Victoria
Anderson shared her poetic musings on the
history of oppression and prejudice in the
world. This was followed by a slide show
depicting images of slavery, the civil rights
movement, and Sept. 11. Next, the positive and
negative statements about the MCC that
brought about the fopum were read. The forum
commenced with the three panelists, Abby
Atkinson, Jackie Jackson, and Marvin Telp,
sharing their views on the MCC.
“The Multi-Cultural Center is magical,” said
Atkinson. “It’s one area for all kinds of different
people to get together and be cool.” She saw
the club as a definite asset but felt that
misrepresentation of what the MCC is about
causes many students to have a negative
impression of it.
“In an ideal world,” said Jackson, “we would
not need the MCC.” She described the center
as a place where people could come to
PHOTO BY JEFF HANKEY / BEHREND BEACON
Victoria Anderson reads her poetic rendi
tion of the plight of Africans throughout
history. Her reading and a slide show pre
ceded the multicultural forum.
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experience true multiculturalism and said that
in order for the MCC to be truly effective, the
rest of the campus must be willing to cooperate.
“No one is ready to break the comfort zone,”
said Telp, discussing the difficulty of drawing
students into the MCC. In order to change,
students must be willing to make themselves
uncomfortable.
After the issue was opened up for discussion,
most of the students gathered agreed that the
MCC is necessary because it provides a place
where students from all walks of life can feel
comfortable and exchange ideas. However,
others argued that many students view the
MCC predominantly as a club for African-
American students, thus discouraging them
from participating if they do not share that
heritage.
Several students also pointed out that people
walking by the center, located in Reed, often
hear loud bickering from either the students
thfimselves or the television, which frequently
is tuned in to “Jerry Springer.” This presents
a negative picture of the club’s purpose and
the students who participate.
“We can’t help it if someone walks by at an
inopportune time and doesn’t get the
connection we’re feeling,” said Jackson.
Several others agreed that the important thing
about the center is that it is a place for a free
exchange of ideas, even if that sometimes leads
to heated discussion. However, they also felt
that it should be a place where students can
peruse materials, such as books or computer
programs, to help them learn more about other
cultures.
As the forum drew to a close, few definitive
conclusions had been reached, but there was a
general agreement that everyone on campus,
including faculty and staff, has to be willing to
work with the MCC in order for its goals to be
fully realized.
After nearly an hour and a half of discussion,
Elder Hayes Moses stepped up to give some
closing remarks. An Erie native and brother of
Kim Moses, he now lives in Detroit but spends
much of his time traveling to spread the
message of unity.
“I’m from Erie,” Moses said, “and I’m
accustomed to being in the minority.” That,
he noted, could be an uncomfortable situation
to be in. He recalled wondering as a youth
whether white people were even aware of his
himself so that he can take the tinai
quiet the mind; empty his mind of
thoughts and distractions, and open hi^i
NEWS
Friday, February 8, 2002
PHOTO BY JEFF HANKEY / BEHREND BEACON
Kim Moses introduced the Multicultural Council forum on Monday and added several
comments throughout the evening. Her brother, Elder Hayes Moses, concluded the
forum with a speech.
existence and pointed out that even today
African-Americans are under-represented in
television.
“We have to seize the day,” he said. “We’re
in the best season of our lives.” He encouraged
everyone in attendance to work now towards
effecting a positive change. It occurred to him
this past month that he is the same age Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was when he led the
bus boycott, and that led him to evaluate
whether he was making effective use of his time.
“Don’t waste your time getting caught up in
negative energy,” he advised. He maintained
that the worst thing a person could do was to
waste time. One way to waste time is to fume
about the bad actions of others.
“The only person I have control over is
myself,” he said. Worrying too much about
possibly offending someone should not prevent
anyone from taking action. Moses noted that
even respected poet Maya Angelou faces
opposition at the college where she teaches in
the form of a student movement focused on
CABARI
said Atkinson. “If you are really in
love, you can have enough respect
with each other to want to protect each
other from anything that can happen.
“Pulling out is never safe sex. And
safe sex is more than just knowing
your partner because there could be
something your partner does not
know. It is a matter of respecting
yourself.”
Students seemed to enjoy the down
to-earth and fun approach to sex
education
“It’s cool that they are so open,” said
Troy Shafer, junior. “It makes it easier
to talk about.”
Having an open mind is an
important aspect of the event for the
organizers
“The event is not boring,” said
Atkinson. “It’s not like sitting in health
class again. It is put on by students so
no one is preaching at you. We don’t
make it taboo or pass value
judgments.”
The evening ended with students
parading in revealing outfits for a sexy
fashion show. Safer-sex kits were
passed out that contained condoms,
lubrication, candles, and body glitter.
Atkinson summed up the evening
“Tonight we said something, touched
something, but no one contracted
anything.”
Students weigh
the odds of get
ting an STD
during the Safer
Sex Cabaret.
Now in its fifth
year, the event
is designed to
encourage
Behrend stu
dents to be re
sponsible with
their sexuality.
forcing her to leave. He followed this
observation with a quote from the Bible: “Don’t
throw your gift before the swine.”
“You’ve gotta stay positive and stay
focused,” Moses said. Upon request, students
listed several positive changes they have seen
at Behrend, the strongest of which was the
increased unity among members of Behrend’s
African-American population. This observation
led Moses to ruminate about the trials and
triumphs of living in a city like Erie where he
was so much in the minority. “I figure, as long
as I’m here, there’s something good in the city,”
he quipped.
Moses proceeded to share his memories of
growing up in Erie. He concluded the evening
by belting out soulful versions of “Put On a
Happy Face” and Mr. Rogers’ “It’s a Beautiful
Day in the Neighborhood,” much to the delight
of the audience. The students departed at 9 p.m.
with two hours’ worth of fresh insights into
multiculturalism at Behrend and a little
entertainment, to boot.
PHOTO BY BEN KUNDMAN /
BEHREND BEACON
A transvestite models for the audience at
the Safer Sex Cabaret. This annual pre-
Valentine’s Day event took place in the
Reed Commons Thursday.
PHOTO BY BEN KUNDMAN / BEHREND BEACON
The Behrend Beacon
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