Discrimination and Inclusion: Are minority students truly welcomed at UNC?

Autumn Houston grew up in a Black and Mexican neighborhood in Texas. All her friends were either Black or Mexican.

“I was always around minorities and then I come here and I’m not,” said Houston, who is a junior at the University of Northern Colorado.

The student population at the University of Northern Colorado is 63.8% White, 22.6% Hispanic or Latino, 4.12% two or more races, 3.98% Black or African American, 2.22% Asian, 0.33% American Indian or Alaska Native and 0.139% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders. Although UNC is now labeled as a Hispanic-serving institution, does this only benefit the Hispanic and Latin minorities? What about the rest of the minorities on campus?

A HSI opens opportunities for funding and assistance for all minority student populations. It is not only for Latin undergraduates but also for other historically marginalized groups such as African Americans, Asian Americans, all Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders and Native American students.

Houston is a theatre education major. She auditioned for other schools, but UNC was the first school that called her. Houston said that whenever she attended an interview with a university, she constantly asked questions about diversity and inclusion on campus.

“What they had said to me sounded like a nice environment and space to be in … so that’s why I went that route to here,” Houston said.

Yoselin Melendez, a double major in criminal justice and Mexican American studies at UNC, chose UNC because it was the only campus that offered a tour guide who was bilingual and spoke Spanish.

“My parents automatically felt comfortable and they were able to actually know how the school worked so it was really helpful,” Melendez said.

Both Houston and Melendez have experienced exclusion and inclusion as minorities in their respective programs at UNC.

Houston shared some of the things she learned growing up in theatre competitions as a Black girl.  She said that judges would constantly criticize how they pronounced certain words or claim that they did not fit the audition’s character. Houston also mentioned that judges are often biased, showing a sweet and soft submissive side to a white person before a Black person.

“That is 100% genuinely true. They do that in overall theatre, but I feel like it happens here at UNC too,” Houston said.

She shared that often one Black person gets selected to be in a production, but it is rare. Houston said that she does not expect a full Black cast because there are not many Black students in the theatre department, but she would love to see more than one Black student get the chance to be on stage.

“There are really good actors on this campus who are Black who don’t get the chance to act,” Houston said.

Many Black students struggle with not feeling represented at UNC. Houston said that she has only seen Black students represented in sports.

“We are more than a sport. That’s not our only representation. We have Black students in STEM and Black students in theatre,” Houston said.

Oftentimes, Houston said she feels like everyone overshadows them because they do not get noticed or talked about.

Racism and discrimination go beyond the theatre department and into classrooms and university halls. Houston said that there are certain halls Black students tell other Black students not to go to, and Wiebking happens to be one of them. According to Houston, the safe halls for Black students on campus are Arlington Apartments and Harrison Hall.

Houston has also been a witness to certain discriminative comments made in classrooms.

“My professors have said harmful things,” Houston said.

She remembered that one of her biology teachers talked about interbreeding and how everyone would look physically better if ethnicities had never mixed. Houston said she was in shock and left her a nasty student evaluation.

“Professors need DEI training,” Houston said.

DEI training stands for diversity, equity, and inclusion. All cultural centers require their employees to get DEI training at the beginning and middle of the semester. Houston said that she believes that if minorities are receiving this type of training, then people outside should be getting the same training to be aware and inclusive.

“These trainings will open their lens to a wider perspective,” Melendez said. 

According to the Department of Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the DEI training is not mandatory for all staff. Martin Trujillo, a graduate student who works at the center and with DEI training, said that five years ago, students started an initiative to make DEI mandatory for all departments in the school. This initiative was never implemented as it continues to be an optional thing for all departments.

Will there be a day when minorities stop facing discrimination and racism? Will there be a time when Black students feel supported by UNC?

Houston said that the university lacks resources for Black students. Melendez also said she would like to see UNC be more open to helping students.

“Ultimately, we are the minorities here on campus. It’s sometimes really hard to have access to some resources,” Melendez said.

There are places on campus, such as the Marcus Garvey Cultural Center, Cesar Chavez Cultural Center, and Kohl House, where minorities are welcome. The mission of these places guarantees minorities a safe space where they are heard and supported in every way. Students said they are grateful for these spaces but they believe there is still work to be done for future generations to feel included at UNC.

“The only way for UNC to be better is by educating and taking action when they say they will take action,” Houston said.