Author: John Eaton
Currently, the plan for next year is to make the Multicultural Hall a first-year hall with spaces available for only 20 non-first-years. I feel that in order to fully realize the goals of multiculturalism, we must have a dedicated space that welcomes a diverse group of people of all class years who have a strong commitment to maintaining a safe space and a flourishing community. To specifically limit the hall to only 20 upperclassmen would create an imbalance such that the hall wouldn’t feel as much like the Multicultural Hall composed of students from a variety of backgrounds and class years. Instead, it would feel like any other first-year hall that is unable to house a variety of students at different stages in their college careers. In order to keep a space focused on multiculturalism alive at Oxy, we need to have student involvement from people who want to see more discourse and learning as a unified community.
The summer after my senior year of high school, I saw an e-mail about applying to the Multicultural Hall, and though I had no idea what Pauley really was, it sounded interesting and in line with the experience I was looking for at Oxy. When I was first looking at schools, I was drawn to the fact that Oxy advertised itself as being a diverse community. The Multicultural Hall seemed to symbolize this diversity, and embody the factors that made Oxy different from so many other small liberal arts schools.
Upon being accepted into Pauley and arriving at the start of my first year, I immediately felt welcomed by my hallmates. During first-year orientation, my time in the Multicultural Hall was a mixture of preparing for classes, attending the dances and events put on by the school, sitting in new friends’ rooms in Pauley discussing our backgrounds and ideas on issues of race, gender, and class and of course, holding the dopest extemporaneous dance parties you’ve ever seen in a residence hall common room.
I immediately felt excited about college: learning new things in subjects I really wanted to study, engaging with others who were passionate about gaining and sharing knowledge and learning important things about Oxy from others who had already been through their own first-year experience.
Most importantly, at Oxy, I felt more comfortable with my identity than ever before. I felt that I didn’t need to try to fit in with “the guys” at school, I didn’t need to pretend I wasn’t “white” or try to be white, and I didn’t need to pretend to be goofier or dumber than I was because it was okay to do research in what I was passionate about, whether it be Yoruba rhythms in Afro-Peruvian music, hypermasculinity in James Bond or the neuropharmacology of anxiety disorders.
The Multicultural Hall was an integral part of my experience and it still is today. However, with the lack of an application process the last two years, it appears that only half the residents of Pauley are truly experiencing what the Multicultural Hall has to offer. The other half does not express a specific commitment to keeping Pauley a safe haven, a place where students can share their diverse ideologies. Without this commitment, Pauley is not currently all that it was meant to be.
The Multicultural Hall is a necessity on campus. Oxy prides itself on having a diverse student body, but that is not enough. The school must maintain a hall that is in line with the cornerstones of Oxy’s mission statement, where there is a focus on building a home for all students. This is crucial for those who are looking for a welcoming and diverse family away from home.
The Multicultural Hall should be open to at least 50 upperclassmen as well as first-years, all of whom must apply and be accepted to live there. This would ensure that first-year students feel welcome in the transition to their new home, and would provide a space for returning students to connect with others of diverse backgrounds.
At the same time, as a student body, we must show our dedication to diversity by keeping Pauley alive. Many of you already appreciate multiculturalism, but some of you haven’t yet experienced Pauley. If you are looking for the opportunity to be a part of a hall community that builds a space where all students are encouraged to speak their minds and are welcomed to express their cultures, personalities, beliefs and identities, please support a safe space on campus and consider living in the Multicultural Hall next year.
John Eaton is a junior Psychobiology major. He can be reached at jeaton@oxy.edu.
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