Diversity on Campus

CHRIS BULFINCH ’18

NEWS EDITOR

The last weeks at Trinity have seen a marked rise in discussions of diversity and inclusivity on campus. On Nov. 20, the Asian American Student Alliance (AASA) and the fraternity Kappa Sigma jointly held an event that continued the conversation begun by the “Solidarity on the Field” and “Wake Up World” events of weeks past. The event, titled simply “Diversity on Campus,” took place at 65 Vernon Street, AASA’s house, on Friday, Nov. 20 at 5 p.m. As its name implies, the discussion centered around issues of diversity and multiculturalism on Trinity’s campus.

The partnership between AASA and Kappa Sigma has its origins in the burgeoning discussions of diversity that have been sweeping across campus. Kappa Sigma, having only been an officially recognized fraternity since 2012, has partnered with a variety of campus organizations to put on a variety of events, such as the “Party with Consent” event earlier this year, for which they partnered with the Women and Gender Resource Action Center (WGRAC).

The “Diversity on Campus” event, beyond addressing issues of race and identity on college campuses, dealt specifically with the Asian American experience in higher education, specifically at Trinity. Kappa Sigma brothers Ollie Chen ’17 and Sun Ho ’16 spoke of their experiences in college, highlighting the role that their fraternity played in their college lives and the benefits of camaraderie and brotherhood that it afforded them. The event further considered how the social divisions that seem so salient on Trinity’s campus have impacted the experiences of Asian American people, in addition to their impact on Trinity’s social culture overall.

“Diversity on Campus” underscored the shifting social fabric at Trinity. Kappa Sigma, a new addition to Trinity’s Greek community, has taken the lead on considering issues of diversity and social culture. The stories and perspective shared at the event contribute to an atmosphere of transparency and inclusivity that has hitherto not been seen to any great extent around Trinity’s campus. The interplay between Greek Life and cultural organizations is interesting to see, and may well herald in a fundamentally different and new kind of social discourse around campus. ​