The personal take of “˜Student Speak Out’ effectively addresses antagonism

In what has been dubbed as “Student Speak Out,” law students from UCLA assembled in the hallway of the Law School to inform their peers of discrimination and antagonism of minorities behind the scenes.

The event follows a presentation on a survey titled “Survey on Law School Diversity and Classroom Climate” which used information gathered by the Diversity Action Committee. Jonathan Feingold and Douglas Souza, both third-year law students, presented their findings to about 150 students, and Tuesday’s event was meant to expand beyond this original limited audience in order to engage the rest of the UCLA law community.

The data showed a trend wherein minorities felt marginalized and disadvantaged as a result of their race, sexual orientation or sex, while those who were not minorities felt the atmosphere of the law school is sensitive to minorities and that discrimination does not occur.

Even if instances of intolerance are simply a result of ignorance, this is no excuse. For students to perform well academically, a healthy social environment must be encouraged in which all students may feel welcomed and comfortable.

Representatives from various student groups such as Students Helping Assure Racial Equity, Justice and Diversity, as well as students with their own stories of discrimination, engaged passersby in conversation on the issue on Tuesday in the Law School.

The format of “Student Speak Out” is one that we should all take a cue from. It was not a protest, a boycott, nor was it a diatribe against any particular person. It took what could have easily initiated an “us versus them” mentality and approached the subject from a personal perspective in order to make their statement more accessible and effective.

Onlookers were also encouraged to sign a petition that would create a clear process for those who felt discriminated against to go to the administration and turn the occurrence into a learning experience.

The statistics were empirical enough, but were only used as a jumping-off point to show context of the law school environment, and students’ anecdotes further enriched the information. First-year law students Sara Liss and Maya Garza relayed their personal experiences.

Liss, who walks with a cane, said she was made fun of from day one at law school. She was given the name “Citizen Kane,” which she said would be funny if it weren’t so immature. Her friend, Maya Garza, who is half Mexican and half Jamaican, who said she felt marginalized herself on the basis of her race, went to her professors to report the derogatory remarks. She recalls being confused as to how to deal with the issue, and said the administration did not handle it as she had hoped, choosing to opt for the angle that students should not make fun of others because it may put a black mark on their records and prevent them from being hired by the firm of their choice.

Both Garza and Liss said they thought this was the wrong approach and said they hoped the event would change that. The attitude that Liss and Garza describe exposes a motivation that may be deeply ingrained in all of us. The fear of being punished can often prevent us from committing certain wrongs, but it should not be our main motivation. Our main motivation should be to create an environment of tolerance. Chancellor Gene Block spoke to this effect in an email and video sent to the UCLA community on March 9, following the defacement of a student’s Westwood apartment, where derogatory words were etched into her door.

What is admirable about how the law students handled the issue was their ability to be specific about goals while being non-divisive in its rhetoric. Souza said the emphasis of the event was on conversation, and that all the students at the law school deserved compassion.

This includes those who are ignorant of their behavior and may not realize they are hurting others with their actions or remarks. As the survey suggested, non-minorities may be oblivious to the hostilities towards their peers. This does not mean they should be punished, but it is essential that the culprits, whether minorities or non-minorities, aware of the circumstances or unaware, learn that discriminatory actions are unacceptable. Liss pointed out that she would like to be focusing on the difficulties of law school, rather than having to navigate through dealing with the negativity towards her.

In essence, this is what we all want for ourselves at UCLA. We wish to learn and to better ourselves through education. And education does not only come in the form of a lecture, it can come in the form of a conversation with a fellow student.

Email Kass at [email protected]. Send general comments to [email protected] or tweet us @DBOpinion.