Rebecca Gilman’s “Spinning Into Butter” is a play that deals with the issue of institutionalized racism in a fictional New England college. The play invites the audience to examine their conscience on the topic of racial discrimination that they may find in their own society. Racism on college campuses is not new news, but according to many Loyola students, racism within our own campus seems to be little if not nonexistent.

“I feel that Loyola embraces the diversity of student body, and I think a diverse student body is so important because not only does it enrich the university but it also enriches yourself,” freshman political science major, Kristen Lee, said of her first impression on the Loyola student population.

Loyola prides itself in celebrating and uniting different cultures, races and ethnicities. According to the enrollment statistics for the 2007-2008 academic year, ethnic minorities represent 36 percent of the student body and international students (from 41 different countries) represent three percent of the student population.

When asked on issues of campus racism at Loyola, Lee said, “I have not personally experienced racism, but I refuse to believe that it couldn’t exist.”

Black Student Union member-at-large and music industries junior Samuel A. Phillips said, “Yes and no. When it comes to racism I guess you can go either way. We all have our opinionated ideas of blacks or whites, Muslim or Asian; therefore we can’t constrict racism to just one race.”
However, the recent movement of the Center for Intercultural Understanding office from the first floor has caused some tension within the Loyola campus. Mass communication professor and director of the CIU Lisa Martin said, “The Center for International Understanding is here to make sure people from diverse backgrounds get the respect it deserve.”

“I feel that the CIU was a direct slap in the face … I believe that the CIU was perfect.,” vice president of BSU and political science major sophomore Tanya Hamilton said.

In 2003 a racial incident occurred outside the BSU office, as an unidentified person wrote the word “n—–” on fliers hanging outside the BSU office. Some students have expressed that racism is an issue that exists more internally than externally. With feelings of disbelief Hamilton said, “It’s one thing to say, ‘let’s be diverse,’ and it’s another to be diverse.”
On the other hand students such as biochemistry senior Hussain Badani said, “I have seen a lot of people meeting and mixing, I haven’t seen anything like that (racism).”

Angie Hernandez can be reached at [email protected].