Editor,
I have some concerns regarding the Raza Graduation ceremony.
In my humble opinion, any group that has specific ethnic requirements is no better than the Ku Klux Klan or the Nazis. Such groups, instead of bringing people together, segregate and isolate them. I, for one, do not want our University to continue to be a place of segregation. For example, El Centro de la Raza holds a separate graduation ceremony for Hispanics called Raza Graduation.
According to El Centro's Web page, "It is by no means an alternative to UNM's general commencement exercises and/or any departmental exercises, but rather a personalized and cultural celebration." Sounds rather paradoxical to me - especially if I am not part of that specific culture and the majority of my classmates are. Of course, the Web page also states that all graduating UNM students are welcome to participate, but I am suspicious of those feeble attempts to disguise the truth.
For no other reason than name, Raza Graduation segregates and isolates people. Has the campus equal opportunity office even looked into this?
I feel any group that calls itself "the center for the race" is racist by nature and by the very definition of the word. None of us would allow white students to organize, never mind calling their organization "The White Race" and having a "White Graduation." So when did egalitarianism fail?
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Do not misread me. I support the good things these groups do. Nevertheless, I pose the following questions: As Americans and as educated people, why do we select ethnicity as a factor for our social and educational groups? In this millennium and at this level of achievement, isn't the name Raza Graduation antiquated and even offensive to the people who are graduating?
Peter Lynch
UNM student
