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Uncontested Ticket issues...
In 2006, there were good an bad trends that affected Student Government. Because Cookie dropped out of the race, most of her ticket migrated to Impact. As a result there was only ONE "money ticket" in the race. A group of students who disliked the money-ticket system gathered a ticket called "Enough", essentially because they've had enough of SG not serving their interests. Issue was, they were more grassroots, whereas SG is a mainstream governing body. They gained "enough" support to get 1 (or maybe 2, i forget) people elected to office... this was good because it proved the ticket system promoted competition and it increased the total vote count. However, since 06 the number of total votes to SG has dropped and tickets have ran (more or less) uncontested... if you voted in this year's (2009) election, you noticed the only names allowed to be grouped are the Pres and VP... we can talk about what that means on a later blog (but to summarize, it means less diverse SG because underrepresented identities/students aren't guaranteed campaign resources anymore... it's called MAJORITY TYRANNY).
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Fufu... history
I haven't talked about Fufu (For US, From US Scholarship BBQ) yet, and some would ask why... I'll just be honest... It isn't what it used to be... and that's not from me, that's what all the upperclassmen told me at my FUFU when I won... (This years Fufu was a great one tho... props to the current students for doing their part... upperclassmen need to support it tho, where were they/us? being trash/absent...)
Fufu has seen a few events that have given to/taken away from its purpose, which is to have fun while eating BBQ and recognizing outstanding freshmen. My year, I wasn't there, I was busy getting ready for my probate that evening, so I dont really know how it turned out. No other Greeks had a reason to not be there tho cuz they didn't have events to plan (it was Hope Week) and they were all probated (we were the last probate, usually are). So if they were absent... they were just demonstrating "involvement fatigue".
Fufu has seen a surprise probate happen (my boy X), so that should be reason for people to come and see what might happen... the problem nobody wants to be surprised is because of another occurrence... similar to the Kappaween incident, folks might like to see a good fight, but when you're embarrassed by it, you usually tend to avoid being around them. One year, there was a huge fight between 2 competing sororities... dare I say which ones, it ought be obvious because it's the most touted Greek beef in America... of course Deltas and AKAs. From what I heard the AKAs took an L, but not as big of one as the community... that event will never be what it once was... something that EVERYBODY attended. I don't understand how it is people forgot about our (Greek's) service component and started taking things personally... shows insecurity to me honestly.
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Facebook on FULL TILT
As the summer started it wasn't uncommon to see a hoard of brand new names occupying the Texas network on the book of face. Facebook had become the primary venue for first interactions between students. People made friends, flirted, planned dates, and late night rendezvous via facebook... and with the addition of applications such as HONESTY BOX it only got "better" from there. Face to face interaction was becoming more obsolete, and as a result so were traditional publicity methods... Faceboook set trends and became the new tradition. Now people had a larger platform to post all their business for others to see, or blast others in public, or show the world how much they really AREN'T mature enough for college (most ignored the fact that Facebook wasn't closed to colleges anymore, and employers could check profiles). A whole world of messiness was open now...
The freshmen of Summer 06 caught on quickly... I don't know if it was common in the past for freshmen to hit up the summer parties, but they were deep my neo year. In fact, it was a particular clique of females that I'll have to reference as a "control group" for the rest of the blogs... and not for bad reason. If you are a current/recent student at UT you know these girls I'm talking about... they are still cool to this day, and most people with a social life within the community know them. I don't have to refer to them by name, I'll simply refer to them. They help illustrate so many examples of concepts that will be discussed in the next few blogs.
In a nutshell I started to realize changes in the community as a whole... to put it bluntly, maturity just wasn't common anymore. Speaking with one of my friends (whom is Greek) we ascertained that the way things happen at UT changed, but not drastically enough for us to be where we're at. It was the people. When I got to UT, people seemed like grown folks, on their own, actually independent and about their business. Now it seems like a huge high school without adult supervision. Everybody's too busy adjusting to their new found adulthood and "independence" that they don't do anything with it. People wonder why I feel so old... it's cuz everybody else seems so young.
Example 1: if everybody starts drinking when they get to UT, why are they still so busy tryna step up their drunkenness... and it's not even the kind of "tolerable" public alcoholism that makes things fun or social. It's never tight to have to designate drivers AND babysitters.
Example 2: people are so gung-ho about being their own people, and ignoring their "haters" (as if they had them)... yet they are always talking about it on facebook. Grow up ya'll. If you are really that tight, then you shouldn't pay the others any attention... but the reason people do is because they want MORE attention. The level of narcissism is ridiculous. People have 2000 facebook friends and want to be in touch at all times, that's cool... but don't let them all know your whole life story. Can't say I haven't been guilty too, but go check facebook statuses RIGHT NOW, and see how many postings are just TMI (too much info). You'll get my drift.
I'll give more examples of this on later blogs... but for now...
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I'd like to start a Socratic Dialogue... essentially we start off as if we know nothing, and build from there. How do we do this? Simply ask questions... and when we reach an answer, we ask more. This is how I'd like to conduct my blog from here on out... which means... I NEED YA'LL TO POST COMMENTS FOR ME, I don't want this to be a one-sided account, I want us to move forward through fruitful discussion.
The first question I'll ask is Why do we need a separate community?
The answer isn't simple, it's for a lot of different reasons. The reason why we needed one in the first place was for security, comfort, and protection. Students at UT weren't even allowed to live on (or for that matter close to) campus when we were first admitted... AND it took a Supreme Court decision against our law school (Sweatt v. Painter) coupled with another (Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, KS) to force our entry. We weren't wanted (in some ways, we're still not wanted). That's the reason why we stuck together and took care of our own.
Haven't we grown past the need to be Afrocentric?
Yes and no... in some aspects we can be considered equals with our fellow classmates, but in non-academic and non-tangible areas of comfort (i.e.: being the only black student in a class, not knowing how to relate to other cultures, not knowing other cultures, etc.) the first place people want to look to is somebody who looks like themselves... this is no different for people who aren't black, whether they be white, latino, etc... it just is what it is. There's a book called "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?" by Marcia Wang (you can find a summary here) . The book explains the differences between ethnic identity formation across cultures and how it affects our socialization skills.
So if it's our nature and not our necessity, that must mean we're trying to fulfill some purpose... what would that be?
I think people who plan their approaches to socialization (meaning they actively get involved by will as opposed to circumstance) are looking to fulfill one of two things: Significance and Substance. Let us define:
Significance (n.) - the quality of being important in effect or meaning
People want to be important; they want to mean something. Essentially this is a self-esteem issue, but at some point, everybody wants to feel that they matter to somebody. This is actually human nature... as we grow older and raise our own families, we should want to be significant to them because it facilitates actions of responsibility. The things people do in their lifetimes (including college) should eventually add up to a summation of worth that could be unquestioned, however significance is a matter of opinion and thus is only a temporary quality. Those who strive to be significant will be fighting the good fight until they die... and possibly die attempting to please others and have their approval.
What this means for the black community is that individuals looking for significance within believe that the people of the community are of inherent significance to them. Some people are hardwired to love their culture the point that their first priority is to make an impression upon it themselves. Others feel a detachment from this connection, and not because they are "not black" but because they don't value the esteem of the black community over the esteem of others. For that matter the same can be said for women who don't care about other women's opinions... they are not who they want to be significant to. Appeals for significance usually have a target... your family, your friends, your "significant" other... Appeals for significance (things you do in order to feel important to someone else) are inherently egocentric as well... they serve a self interest primarily and a selfless interest secondly. This is different from appealing for...
Substance (n.) - Essential nature; essence
To have substance is essentially to be what you are. Appeals for substance tend to fulfill people's since of being as opposed to their since of mattering. With substance, people tend to enjoy whatever life gives them, and they make the most of it, because as long as they're alive, it's all gravy. In essence, however the quality of their "being" isn't based on simply existing, it's based on DOING. Those in search of substance aren't looking for the praise at the end of the day, they're just looking to GET IT DONE.
Essentially appealing for substance means doing things that matter to you, and appealing for significance means doing things to make you matter to others. The bad part about this is that it's all objective... there's not guarantee that somebody's standard of significance or substance matches somebody else's... Where these two concepts collide is when somebody's Substance consists of DOING/APPEALING to being significant... Some people actually live so that they can matter to others... it's a sad existence to live (I actually know... :-/).... OR when what somebody considers to be Substance (doing what matters) is a completely selfish task (i.e. being a player, making other peoples' life hell, or fulfilling self prophecies of their own standard of "success/achievement"). I guess the point of either appeal is to execute plans that are fruitful... but everybody has a different taste i fruit.
"Think about it... are you sure you're really living?" - Cee-Lo Green the Soul Machine
In the next part of the mini-series I'll begin to discuss the community's perception of significance/substance and of course the lack thereof - futility.
Fun in Fall 06 for Pt. 6...
Posts
9 comments:
I'm really enjoying reading this. It's filling in a lot of holes about events that occured that I had heard about but had only gotten partial accounts of. It'll be interesting to hear what you have to say from this point on.
I understand the point you making on needing a separate community, but there comes a point to where you find yourself in this box where you end up leaving after four years and realize that you never left Jester. And I feel like those who do branch out or explore other communities are immediately chastised and have their "blackness" challenged. For me personally I know that whether or not I'm hanging with my White or Latino friends that I'm black. I don't feel the need to hang around with all black people to reaffirm that. However I do understand what you're saying. But at the same time, when you're community gets to be more of a headache and drama-filled then necessary, where do you draw the line.
****FYI: this is a collaborative response to the Pt. 5 blog, by both Kristin T. and Trenton P.**** (we just so happened to be reading this together and sharing laughs along the way) HERE it goes...
DEEP blog. the Substance Vs. Significance bit was verrrry true and thoroughly thought provoking. It's funny how so many people come to mind when the word SIGNIFICANCE is brought up, and so few when SUBSTANCE is mentioned.
Why do we need a separate community??
We feel as though our reasons for needing a separate community (b.k.a. Self Segregation) have not changed since the introduction of the black student at UT. As a minority group on a PWI a sense of common solidarity is much needed by Black Students, not only to affirm our SIGNIFICANCE to other racial groups on campus, but also through this connection to our community we ATTEMPT to illustrate the true SUBSTANCE of black culture.
Our need to be Afrocentric is essential. By maintaining this strong connection to our culture we ensure that we never lose a sense of our racial identity. In no way are we suggesting that blacks limit their interaction to ONLY those in the Afrikan American community, but having a strong sense of oneness with your culture and history guarantees that it will never be lost regardless of the company you choose.
To reply to the previous question of “where do you draw the line”- by tava, we would say, that “the line” must NOT be drawn, but ERASED. Members of the community should choose to rectify issues and discrepancies within the community, rather than abandoning these situations and isolating themselves from the community in which they most readily identify with.
Kristin and Trenton (KaT)
This comment is directed to the following statement..."Members of the community should choose to rectify issues and discrepancies within the community, rather than abandoning these situations and isolating themselves from the community in which they most readily identify with."
Lets be for real. This will not happen in the Black community at UT for several reasons.
1)People are too sensitive and wear their hearts on their sleeves. Constructive critism is a good thing!
2)There are so many issues with in the community that a committee would be needed to make a list of them all.(ie. Greeks vs other Greeks, Greeks vs non-Greeks, non-Greek orgs vs non-Greek orgs rigged awards banquets, thieft of programs, and I could go on and on)
3) Also the issues that are in the Black community are not only caused by the students.
I can continue if need be...Hey Tava
Are things really that bad? Are we sure nostalgia isn't playing a role here? I ask because things always seem worse than they really are, and just because things may be different, doesn't mean they're bad. Things can just be different.
I've only been gone a year, but it seems like a decade. Crazy.
to josephedgreen: things are bad! I came in as a freshman in the Fall of 2008, knowing nothing about the social history of the Black Community at UT, I still labeled it as BAD. I had certain expectations (which I would say weren't unrealistically high) of campus life, student involvement, and academic achievement, none of which were met in the slightest.
to Veronica: I'm genuinely curious to see who else it to blame for the issues within the Black community. (seriously)
While I don't agree with self-segregation, especially at a predominantly white university, having an environment where one's culture can be fully expressed/appreciated is an invaluable part of the college experience. It doesn't have to be in a formal setting (i.e. gatherings/session at "the spot") but those moments are some of my favorite parts of college.
Why self-segregation is ultimately a setback: When you step into Corporate America, there is no AACC, no BSA or ASA. There's you and "the man". Knowing how to function in such cold, unfriendly environments is a key to being successful in America. Period. You can't live in a box forever---but there will be other black people at your firm, office, studio, etc. And that's where you'll be able to share in that culture. Balancing those two seemingly differently worlds with class and character is what makes successful black people tick. Realizing the struggles of double consciousness and addressing them with your head held high is crucial. And leaning on social interactions in Jester ALONE will not prepare you for these challenges. They are crippling, just like the Facebook mess and Greek drama.
This has become a rant.
But I ask this question:
Besides the history behind these organizations, what is keeping us from branching out to organizations that are related to our majors/career/long-term interests?
Is it a fear of stepping out of our comfort zone? Do we join these orgs to get a "break" from white people? Or are these organzations simply a means to an end (probate)?
"Some people actually live so that they can matter to others... it's a sad existence to live (I actually know... :-/)...."
I know the feeling all too well...
That said, combining comments on the blog and commentary... Tava raises a very good point with regards to people who branch out or get involved in "non-Black things" as being chastised. We can't "claim" we're a community when we don't make people feel welcome... especially our own people. I continually forget who sets the standard for "what is Black and what is Black ENOUGH" at UT...
@Kristin & Trenton P: now you see why I refer to you all as the Takeover Class. Very well said... but now you get to bear the burden (not alone). To answer your serious question, Black faculty sometimes play a role in the Black community's problems; notice Veronica said 'caused by students'. There's too many of the same Black faculty doing too much of the work in too many places (sound familiar). The ones doing the most work in the most visible fashion have recently been removed from immediate student access.
To a degree, I feel self-segregation is necessary on a PWI campus. It's not our "fault" per se, it's just like the King said: when you're amongst those who don't look like you, you'll naturally want to gravitate towards people who do for "safe haven". (Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum wrote "Why are All the Black Kids" by the way... sorry, it's the English major in me). You kind of need to be around your people to keep your sanity.
That said, you don't (necessarily) need to be around them all the time. Veronica listed many good reasons as to why. UT's Black community is just too much of everything for its own good and, yes, criticism comes out and is either branded as hatred or is literally just finger-pointing. We stick around to affirm our Blackness and because there is no other place whereby we loved and appreciated (yet also frustrated) so much for being ourselves, plain and simple.
I'm sorry for the short essay.
I see your comment with the definitions of substance and significance. I agree with the significance explanation but I deviate from the definition of substance. IMO, substance is essential VALUE. Just because you are being yourself does not mean you have substance. What matters is that it meets a need and is valuable to those in existence whether they appreciate and acknowledge it or not but simply because it is your nature. How it differs from significance is on the basis of priorities. Do you want to make a difference and subsequentially impact lives (substance) or do you want to impact lives and subsequently (or possibly ---its a toss up) meet a need (significance).
This is merely my take. Disagree if you like.
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