2003 Student Panel – Fishbowl

Title: “What Are You? The MIXed Race/Ethnic Experience”

Date: April 2, 2003

Time: 8-9:30pm

Place: Hogan Campus Center Suites B/C

Co-Sponsored by MIX and Dept. of Sociology and Anthropology

In the spring of 2003 MIX held their first "Fishbowl". Sitting in a semi-circle on stage, a panel of students and professors were posed questions in front of an audience. The panel had a live, spontaneous discussion.

The Moderator:
Professor Ericka Fisher (Education Department)

The Panel:
Professor Oneka LaBennet (Sociology/Anthropology Department)
James Bryant ( Sociology/Anthropology Department)
Melissa Sousa '05
Tim Hattori '03
Matt Pieraldi '04
Alpha Gingrich '03

The Questions:

1st Umbrella Question: Racial Categorization
*Can you choose which racial group to choose from?
*Do teachers treat ALANA students differently than everyone else?
*Have you ever been mistaken for another type of ethnicity and been upset?
*Do you feel as though you fit here at HC?
*Are you overwhelmed by placelessness with your identity?
*Is "white" multiethnic?
-If so, do "white" people understand that they are ethnic?
- If they do[not], do they feel excluded or included?
*At what percentage do you belong to a race?
*Do you feel as though there aren't any resources for multiethnic people?

2nd Umbrella Question: Social Scene here at HC
*Is there racial dating here on campus?
*Would you date/marry someone outside of your race?
- If have, what were the challenges/struggles you had to face?
- If not, what do you think the struggles/challenges would be?
*Is there a fear of difference on the HC campus?
*Do people act/treat you differently because of the way you look?
*Do people expect you to act a certain way because of your ethnic backgrounds?
*Do you struggle between which identity to follow?
*Does your family make you feel as though you must choose a side?
*If attending a cultural event, do you ever get teased/ridiculed/harrased about not looking like everyone else at the function?