At a time when concerns about diversity are causing heated debate at UW-Madison, a luncheon held Tuesday to solicit input on the Multicultural Learning Community planned for Witte Residence Hall next year was deemed a success by those in charge of the project.
The College of Letters and Science, the School of Education and University Housing student housing plan are all sponsors of the MLC, in which 50 to 100 spaces will be set aside for any students who want to live in a more diverse environment.
The 25 to 30 people who attended the luncheon came in \support for the [MLC] program,"" according to Kevin Helmkamp, Assistant Resident Life Coordinator for the Southeast Residence Halls.
Carl Grant, a professor and faculty adviser of the program, said while there were ""many, many"" questions raised by attendees, the ""nature of the questions were ones of support.""
""This was a time for people interested in the Multicultural Learning Community to come together ... and raise questions, comments and suggestions,"" Grant said.
According to Grant, organizers have ""a skeleton, ideas,"" but they want students' input in conceptualizing the program ""from the ground up.""
He said students can help by creating dialog in small group sessions. Other volunteers are needed to give lectures and seminars to residents of the program and to take them on field trips.
Although the luncheon attendees favored the Multicultural Residence Community, some opposition exists.
Katie Givens, former Student Program Adviser and housefellow in Chadbourne Residential College, said this project was in the works when she was a UW-Madison student but had taken over two years to materialize because ""it's a major decison"" and ""takes a lot of thought."" She said some people viewed the MLC community negatively because there is a big need for students of color to be an integrated part of campus. The idea of ""clumping students of color together in their own community"" goes against that goal.
Givens also said her Chadbourne Residential College residents who were students of color had told her they were uncomfortable living in a predominantly Caucasian dorm.
""Students of color deal with issues every single day,"" she said. ""And I have a lot of admiration for them.""
Grant said he did not see the program as a way of segregating students, but rather as an opportunity to ""show the appreciation, respect and celebration of diversity.""
UW-Madison senior Maya Ross, who helped create the MLC idea, echoed this view, saying that ""stuff that's really taboo could be talked about"" because all participation would be voluntary. She also said while the housing plan is segregated, it is also important that students of color feel comfortable in their living environment.
""It's not reflective of the world,"" she said. ""But a college experience in its entirety, including classes and maybe jobs, will teach students how to work with others who may not share similar views.\
