Tuesday, September 13, 2011

W.D.S.: When the 'Trivial' Becomes Profound

Haley Scholar Reading Groups

By Cindy Lyles

In his essay “True Colors,” Malcolm Gladwell discusses how hair-dye related to a variety of ideas and processes concerning cultural perspectives, psychology, feminism, and identity. Gladwell notes, at one point, that quite a few things were “bound up together, the profound and the trivial.” So, he makes a case for including issues associated with hair and coloring when writing the history of women in the postwar era.

The notion that seemingly “trivial” issues might in fact be integral to major historical and cultural shifts is fascinating, even if it runs somewhat counter to popular conceptions of significant events.

Let’s consider these issues locally.

When and if we write an educational history at SIUE and more specifically, an educational history of “underrepresented” students at SIUE, what ‘profound and trivial’ issues might we be inclined to discuss at the same time? Why?

21 comments:

Ke'Asha jones said...

If we were to write about the underrepresented in SIUe we would probably write about the transgendered because we have many of them that do stand up for thier beliefs but so many times their events are looked upon as being stigmized with being homosexual or transgendered just because you support them. Because they come with a stigma many people who want to support them do not support them and they do not get all the support the need due to people being afriad of having that stigma that society has associated with them. Because they can not get the support and things that many other peole get thier voices are not promineint or arent heard as much or paid attention to as other people voices because people sort of put them on the back burner.Although this issue may be considered trivial to some people to others it may be bigger because regardless of which way you look at it or which side you are on every one is affeected by everything in society and therefore everyone in society whether society accepts it or not should be heard and should be well represented regardless of others feelings towards it.

Jonathan P. said...

A profound and trivial issue that we might be inclined to discuss if we write an educational history at SIUE would have to be the amount of underrepresented students at SIUE has evolved in numbers throughout the years. Although this might not seem to be important at first, an understanding of this allows us to see how these numbers have changed over the years and see trends that would help SIUE attract more underrepresented students. Another issue that people can discuss could be how underrepresented students affected SIUE over the years. This would be important because it shows that even though there might not be as many underrepresented students as other students, they can still have an impact at the school and make a difference.

LaToya Bond said...

I am part of an underrepresented population at SIUE. I am one of the 9 african american nursing students in the senior nursing class. When and if we were to write an educational history I hope we would be able to discuss the cultural shift in minority retention rates in the nursing program at SIUe. The trivial issue of more diversity in the nursing program would benefit so many people. It would help students that do not get to interact with people from a different ethnic background adapt to diverse situations. You would then be able to apply this to the clinical setting and in everyday life. Instead thinking it is going to be a communication barrier between someone of a diverse background and yourself you will be able to adapt to the situation and establish therapeutic communication and care for the patient more effectively.

Denita Campbell said...

An underrepresented group that would be included in SIUE history it would be students with disabilities. Alot of times they are just overlooked and not paid much attention to because people feel as if they won't contribute to our society. This is especially relevant int he college level there are not many students with disabilities that attend college because it is not really adaptive to their learning styles and they are considered social outcasts most times. Although we are trying to improve the involvement of the school with learning and understanding the lifestyles of a student with a disability b adding awareness weeks and activities.

Kimberly K. said...

If SIUE were to write an educational history about underrepresented students, I think that the amount of females participating in the Engineering program should be included. I am actually a double, underrepresented student by being a female and a minority in the mechanical engineering program. There are about ten times more males than females pursuing mechanical engineering and about four times more whites than minorities. However, it should be included that although I am in a class with a majority of white males, I do not feel out of place. Everyone is treated the same, and everyone is willing to help one another out. Women and minorities should know they are just as welcome as any white male.

Robyn R said...

To further comment on what La Toya said. I am also part of the Nursing Program here at SIUE and it's sad to say that there are very few minorties in the program. I agree programs here at SIUE should be more diverse to increase knowledge about the different cultures we may encounter in our journey after SIUE. I think this is a very important issue not only for the Nursing program but for the entire university because we as a community are un aware of the profound cultural differences that exist. Being educated or at least knowledgeable about the many different colors or cultures that our society is filled with is a great quality to have especially as a future nurse. Also, I think learning about a specific culture from an individual who is part of that culture is much beneficial then reading about it in a book or magazine.

Kelly Q. said...

If we were to write a history of underrepresented individuals at SIUe, I hope we would address how the number of minority groups have progress over the years. Currently I am a first year pharmacy student, and I am one of four individuals that come from an asian background in my class. Probably less than ten percent of my class is made up of minorities, which is an improvement compared to previous years. Due to the increasing numbers of minorities in the around the nation, it is important for SIUe to become more diverse so that we as students can learn to relate to people from all backgrounds and use these skills to become better members of society.

Kamrey McNutt said...

If we were to write an educational history at SIUE of “underrepresented” students at SIUE, we would be inclined to discuss the issue of the very limited number of African American males participating in professional programs such as Pharmacy, Nursing, and Dentistry. There are so very few, if any at all African American men participating in professional programs here at SIUE. In the School of Pharmacy class of 2015 there is not one African American male. The professional programs here at SIUE seem to be having a difficult time capturing the interest and motivating this class of males to aim for the higher degrees. There should be more campus organizations that help to motivate and encourage these young men. We need more organizations that will allow our African American males to see and understand that it is okay to go above and beyond their stereotypes, that it is okay to be different and do things that society has stamped as not “cool”, and that it is okay and essential to take on challenges and go the extra mile instead of just settling for what is thought to be easy and expected of them.

Courtney Johnson said...

Many African Americans and other minority races are underrepresented. Most people think of ALL blacks as being dumb, lazy, or poor; yet there are a multitude of African Americans pushing for a higher education and not just looking for handouts. Many blacks are willing and ready to work and study hard for a better life. On the other hand, there are some African Americans who fufill the stereotypical characteristics listed above because they are afraid of falling and do not want to work harder to get back up. Some people do not realize that if you never fall, then you cannot get stronger. When I look around in my Physics 131 and other sciences, there are only a handful of blacks but once there is a party, everyone is out and about. I do not have anything against having fun, parties, or enjoying your time with friends, I just feel that more blacks should gain some courage and fight what they can achieve in life physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. There are plenty of African Americans and other minorities on this campus that are striving for excellency on this campus and I salute them!

Jerraco Johnson said...

If we were to write about the underrepresented at SIUe, the first thing that would come to my mind would be the lack of minorities that are enrolled in the exercise science program. Although there is a handful within the program, most of them are athletes. The medical field is continuing to rise and there are lots of jobs available with a degree in exercise science because the degree has such a broad range. I think we should encourage minorities to join this field!

Brayton R. said...

One of the most underrepresented groups of people on our campus are the Hispanics. In 2009, only 2% of our student body were of Hispanic heritage. Over the last decade, the Hispanic population in the US has almost doubled, yet SIUE has seen a very small amount of this growth. If this were to be mentioned in the educational history, something that should coincide with it is the Hispanic population in Illinois compared to that of other states. In the US, 9 states consist of over three-quarters of the Hispanic population, Illinois being one of them. In 2010, 15.8% of Illinois population was of Hispanic or Latino descent. That being said, why isn’t SIUE seeing this growth? Every university should strive to have a diverse population in order to mold well-rounded individuals.

Sara K. said...

A profound and trivial issue that might be included in a educational history of underrepresented students at SIUE might be the number of minority transfer students who chose to go to school here after completing courses at community colleges. While there are a lot of non-minority transfer students who choose to attend SIUE, and while there is a sizable number of minority students who start out at SIUE as freshmen, from my own observations and experiences while here there don't seem to be many minority students who choose to transfer to SIUE. Most minority students from community colleges tend to transfer to other Illinois colleges, like SIU-Carbondale or the U of I, and it might be interesting to study why minority students see these colleges as a better transfer choice than SIUE.

Kevin O. said...

If I were to write about underrepresented students at siue, I would write about the minorities in the enigeering field. In my enigeering classes, there are only a few minorities and only a couple of women. We should encourage more people of these people to join, since it would be a great field to be in.

Tyann S said...

When discussing an educational history of underrepresented students at SIUE, it would be a mistake to overlook males in the educational profession--specifically Early Childhood Education. Since white males are not the minority in any other sense or situation, it is interesting to see how stereotypes have kept men out of this field that is yearning for male figures.
This paradox is "profound yet trivial" because of how it affects future male students who may not choose Early Childhood Education. These males have never been part of the minority, and may understand the trials that other minorities face in every aspect of their lives. The status quo that society is permitting may be keeping intelligent and able individuals out of a field that is in need for such professionals.

Mercedes Pineda said...

I think a profound yet trivial thing to reflect on is the food offered on campus. I realized if an SIUE alumni from 1990 looked at the menu, they would not only realize more options but the diversity on campus. As SIUE has grown and accepted more students from different backgrounds, the different types of food has changed. The Center Court serves vegetarian options and Entrees features food from different countries like India. I really think it is neat to look at the food and see underrepresented students like vegetarians being accomodated. It has been a challenge for the menu to change, but is a slow working process.

Cristina Salabao said...

so. it took me a while to understand this question and i'm still not sure if i'm getting it right, but here's my go at it:
a subject that is both trivial and profound in the siue underrepresented community is the whole concept of speech. i am not african-american. i talk like the average white person. however, i am a minority student and i feel that language differences are something that i am familiar with with my own family, so i feel more comfortable writing about it here. in the black community there is definitely a style of speaking different from how white people speak to each other. call it ebonics, or slang, or what have you, but this language difference exists. while day to day this seems trivial, the impact of this to the world outside of college is huge. most of us are here to make the world a better place and therefore reach those who may or may not have the opportunity to do what we do, go to college. however, in order to be relateable to those people, we have to speak to them as equals (as exemplified by the copywriters in the book, showing that the average woman can be transformed with one five dollar box of hair color). in the same way, language does this as well. the ability to speak to both black and white audiences at each of their equal but different levels is indeed profound-- and mostly only applicable to black people. if you take a white person and have them speak to a group of stakeholders in a predominantly black community talking like they are from "the hood", they won't be taken seriously. interestingly, the opposite if the scenario is switched around; the risk of being dismissed as a poseur is much less (which may or may not be speaking to the abject fear that white people have of things that are not familiar to them, but that is a diff't conversation) in an average white community in our area. i admire my coworkers who can speak to an 80 year old white woman and command respect from her by sounding "normal" to her, but also command the same type of respect from a young black man-- simply by using different styles of speech. the same person is saying the same things, but in different ways that make the "consumer" want to listen to what they are saying.
again, i think i might be a little off topic here, but to be honest it is very late and i am extremely tired.

Christine V said...

I agree with Jonathan P, SiuE has the most diverse students on campus, and it is because of this that we see a combination of all cultures, and this has allowed us to break down barriers and stereotypes. This may not be an extrovertant topic, but our ability to accept each other begins with E.

Jonathan W. said...

A ‘profound and trivial’ issue that we might we be inclined to discuss would be about the number of underrepresented Hispanics who are involved in pre-professional programs. I'm a Hispanic student who is pursing a professional degree, and it is interesting to me to see how few hispanics that are involved in such programs. I see more African-Americans, Arabs, and Asians involved in pre-professional programs than hispanics. It is interesting because the number of Hispanics in the state of Illinois is about 15%, greatly outnumbering the population of Arabs and Asians, yet there are more Arabs and Asians involved in pre-professional programs.

Abagail Thompson said...

If we were to write an educational history at SIUE of “underrepresented” students at SIUE, I believe that African American students would take the forefront. True, Hispanics, Asians, and other minorities make up a very small percentage of the population at SIUE, but I believe that African Americans have had to face the biggest hardship. Southern Illinois used to be a very racist area. Elijah Parish Lovejoy, whom our library is named after, was an abolitionist that was murdered in Alton, IL, (only fifteen minutes from campus), on November 7, 1837, for speaking out against the malicious treatment of African Americans. This area was not friendly towards African Americans or their “sympathizers” at all. Looking at the African American population at SIUE, and the adversity that was faced to even attend SIUE is astonishing. Growing the black population from 0% to 17% is astounding! Yes, African Americans may not be the smallest minority at SIUE, but they are the least represented, and overlooked for their accomplishments academically, and socially.

Janssen Shaw said...

If there was some history to be written about the underrepresented population at SIUE a few things would need to be mentioned. One is the fact that this school's campus is filled with many different ethnicities and cultures. This is made evident when various awareness/social events are held in the goshen lounge during the day. As an example, when they have asian foods or african foods along with that culture's music playing in the background. Another aspect of history I feel that would need to be mentioned would be the growth of the African American population as a whole. Since I came in here 2008, it seems like the black population on campus has steadily increased year after year. Our culture has a huge impact on the campus. Whether it be from organizations like OMBUS, BSU, One Mic Poetry, or even the NPHC, all of these predominantly black groups do a lot of positive things for the campus.

Jaron Wright said...

If one were to write about an underrepresented group here at SIUE, I believe its topic should include how most people overlook the talents of our Vocal and Instrumental participates here on campus. Everyone loves the music they hear on the radio but usually does not appreciate the classical or concert genre of music. There are various elements that our Vocal and Instrumental majors bring to the table when it comes to their performances. There are such beautiful moments that happen within a concert band and choir that would amaze many listeners if they would give it a chance. It is obvious that sports will probably always get more attention but it would be nice to give the musically inclined group a little more recognition for all the their hard work.