Navigating representation and belonging

Clubs and organizations are a huge part of what make up the CSB+SJU campus culture. They seek to educate, entertain and provide a means of engagement for the entire student body. Some of them have been around for a long period of time, while others have just been created or rebranded within the past five years.

They exist to cater to the broad variety of interests and identities that students develop during their tenure at this institution. The idea is that through clubs and organizations, students might find a sense of belonging and community on campus.

However, this is not always the case. Oftentimes, minority students feel excluded from the CSB+SJU community because of under/misrepresentation, an unwelcoming environment and a lack of change in a systemic problem that our campuses face.

Representation matters. This is a simple fact that sadly seems harder to achieve in practice than it is in theory. Clubs and organizations on campus seem to have mixed views on the type of representation they wish to achieve. For example, the Institute for Women’s Leadership’s mission is to “empower women to become local and global leaders by engaging in inclusive dialogue, reflective thinking and values-based leadership that celebrates and recognizes women as shapers of our world.” Historically, however, they have not had proper representation for Black or queer student voices, either on their board or through their programming. These two communities are key parts of the Bennie voices on campus. Representation means that your voice, and voices both similar and different to yours, are being heard and advocated for. True representation means that you are able to look around your community and feel as if you belong.

Personally, my sense of belonging has come into question on more than one occasion—specifically during my current term on the St. John’s Senate (SJS). Acclimating to the culture of the SJS felt incriminating in a way. On the one hand, I wished to rise through the ranks and prove my abilities to serve on the Executive Council. On the other, it felt as if I had to fit a particular mold that I was not comfortable with. When it was decided that I didn’t fit that mold, I was told I was ‘better suited for [my current position] anyway.’ Similar sentiments have been expressed by members of the St. Ben’s Senate (SBS), as both Senates seem to foster a culture of elitism that minority students don’t fit into, thus making an unwelcoming environment that outside students feel afraid to approach. Make no mistake, this isn’t a problem only exclusive to this year’s senators, but rather dates back years as a systemic problem. The current systems that are in place do not support or uplift minority students. The framework of some clubs and organizations actually hinders minority students from even joining, forcing us to find other ways to get the same support and resources that come so easily to our privileged peers. This framework includes hiring processes, constitutional structures and historical precedents that allowed for concentrated leadership, especially within executive boards with previously established friend groups, to occur. It is therefore more difficult for students to form new connections. That is not community. That is not belonging. That is segregation. Left unchecked, it can blossom into something worse than we already are facing.

Yet, there is hope for our progress. The institution recently hired a senior diversity officer to integrate Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice (DEIJ) initiatives more seamlessly into our campus life. SBS Sen. Jazmin Acuna Diaz and I are working on updating the institutions’ Call to Action, which is a document endorsed by both Senates asking for the CSB+SJU community “to educate, listen and act to end the injustices.”

We should seek to hold everyone to a standard, including ourselves. Let us do so by ensuring that our minority students are seen, heard and recognized during their time at CSB+SJU.