As an university that prides itself on diversity and inclusion, how do we hold ourselves accountable to this image? In an attempt to diversify our campus we recruit students from all backgrounds without having the necessary support systems to help students succeed. My first experience with DePauw was as a prospective student eager to challenge the statistics of Latinas in higher education. As the trip wound down, the last part of my agenda was to visit the financial aid office. The ensuing conversation I had while visiting the office raised my awareness to the ills of systemic oppression at DePauw.
The representative referred to my mother’s legal status and my previous homeless experience as a “special situation.” Explain to me what is so special about that? A statistic from the Future in Humanity website states that “2.3 million people experienced homelessness at some time during an average year." Our financial advisors should be prepared to discuss these situations, as homelessness is a prominent issue in our society.
In addition, she continued to use racial stereotypes to assume my mother’s employment. She would ask whether my mom “babysat, cleaned, cooked or did agricultural work,” and she advised that DePauw wasn’t the appropriate place for me due to my “special situation.”
I left the office crying and reported the treatment to my high school counselor. To listen to someone diminish my mother’s worth and identity hurt me mentally and emotionally. I wouldn’t let the sacrifices my mother made for me to get a higher education go to waste or be trivialized. Her resilience led me to go against my counselor’s suggestion and choose DePauw as the place I would spend my next four years.
I wanted to prove the financial representative wrong, but found it more difficult than the “will” or “personal drive” people equate as the determinants to success. As a junior, I’m still having the same problems whenever FAFSA comes around. This representative no longer works at financial aid, but it wasn’t due to my situation. The representative continued to work at financial aid and attempted to handle my case even when I asked for a different representative.
Upon receiving an “apology” from the office, I was told that it wasn’t the representative’s first time being reported for racist remarks and ill treatment. It turns out several international students dealt with a similar experience. It is not a secret that DePauw lacks the proper support to deal with people from all backgrounds. As a Latina woman with undocumented parents I am expected to navigate DePauw academically and socially along with my white peers who may not be faced with such unique circumstances. I have to magically endure hostile environments that were not set up to welcome me in the first place. When I speak to representatives about my home status and parental documentation, the conversation is often in the form of condescenion upon my upbringing. Not to mention the constant appointments and difficulties that come with filing financial paperwork.
In attempt to change the culture of DePauw, I placed myself in leadership positions where my voice is recognized. However, the fact that I had to place myself in the bureaucracy of our institution is problematic itself. My opinion as a student should simply be treated with legitimacy. Observing the institutional structure has been a draining experience. Preventative measures aren’t always going to be plausible but there are ways our institution can create changes for a genuinely inclusive campus. Unacceptable is the excuse that the institution doesn’t know how to create forms to make the campus inclusive.
Sixteen years after the M requirement was initially proposed we are barely starting to see the university implement the proposal into the curriculum and academic policy. Students have documented incidents of marginalization and isolation along with suggestions on improving these situations since the late 1990s. These documents created by different student organizations can be used to help facilitate attainable changes to our institution. Although there have been some changes, this doesn’t take away the fact that it’s taking way longer than necessary.
The university tends to wait for a publicly recognized incident of racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, ableism, etc. to occur in order to solidify change or policies. Students of marginalized groups have worked too hard to not receive the adequate support needed to succeed on DePauw’s campus. We are dealing with the futures of all students and no one is trying to wait another 16 years for change.
-Viviescas is a religious studies major from Chicago, Illinois.