College Government reinstates, organizes Culture Shock

Culture Shock, an event that sought to test students preconceived notions about race, sexuality and privilege was held in the Campus Center this past week. College Government organized the symposium, now in its second year.

Each night, students from different backgrounds and perspectives shared their personal struggles of being part of a minority or stigmatized group. As part of a  panel style discussion, individual student stories were combined to highlight the shared struggles students face when dealing with factors out of their control. As the issues brought up were often extremely hard to talk about and emotional, CG President Perry Hodgkins reminded the audience not to attack others for different opinions and to be be respectful.

"At Culture Shock, people can get uncomfortable and not be afraid to get upset and take ownership of their ideas and opinions," Multicultural Affairs Coordinator Diamond Sharp '11 said.

According to Hodgkins, Culture Shock began in 2007 after a student realized that issues of race, sexual orientation and socio-economic class needed to be brought into a public forum and talked about. At the time, Wellesley students often discussed race and sexuality on Community (an online open forum) but realized the limitations of confining controversial issues to the Internet and the importance of face-to-face discussion.  

Sara Finkelstein '14 attended Culture Shock because she was interested in learning more about students from different backgrounds. She felt particularly moved by the discussion about privilege.

"I had always lived in a mostly rich, white community and it was interesting to hear different sides of the spectrum," Finkelstein said. "Hearing what people said enlightened me and changed the way I think."

The final panel on privilege encouraged audience members to understand what privilege means and the various forms it can embody. Director of Multicultural Programs Karen Shih commented on the difficulties of discussing privilege.

"People who have privilege can't always see it but the whole system is set up for them. They feel uncomfortable, defensive or guilty as discussion about privilege evokes a strong emotional response," Shih said.  

Many students at the event acknowledged how unlike race or sex, privilege cannot always be seen or identified and can take many forms. From privilege, in terms of socio-economic class to nationality and sexual orientation, Wellesley students discussed a range of ways someone can be privileged and noted that a Wellesley student is privileged in some ways and not so privileged in others.  

Students noted that when entering Wellesley, those who had come from lower-economic situations and less advanced schools have a huge hurdle to cross in terms of transitioning to Wellesley's intense academic workload. One student said how she often felt stupid when compared to other students in her classes who had more preparation in high school and had already learned material that she had not due to her lack of socio-economic privilege. Although Wellesley Plus, a program for students from struggling high schools with less academic preparation, attempts to combat this gap in resources, many panelists and members of the audience acknowledged that Wellesley does not go far enough.

In addition, the discussion of privilege in terms of mental health also played a part in the discussion. One student who suffered from bipolar disorder expressed a plea that more students be supportive and understanding to what it means to have a mental illness.

Hodgkins explained that the goal of Culture Shock is to have a proactive, not reactive effect as an accusatory standpoint would make people not want to listen.

Hannah Webber '14 said that she was moved by the discussions and found that the people at the panel spoke about problems that are not normally talked about. However, she believes it is important to realize that the group of people who came to the event and learned about different perspectives on a range of social issues only represented a small percentage of the Wellesley community.

"People who were there were people interested and engaged and wanted to talk about these issues. It is important to bridge the gap between those who went to Culture Shock and the larger Wellesley community," Webber said.

Samantha Sass '11 expressed how those who are not stigmatized are responsible to speak up for those who are. She believes that those who are homophobic or racist are much more likely to listen to those of the majority and it is important to reach out and be wary that an accusatory standpoint makes people not want to listen.

Many participants and panelists agreed that the community at Culture Shock was not representative of the real world or even of Wellesley, but still believed that the event was a significant step in talking about issues such as mental illness, socio-economic background, or culture differences. By reaching out to friends and continuing to have such discussions, they believe ignorance can be combated, one conversation at a time.