Communication is a field dominated by white men. Even within our own Editorial Board, nearly every member is white. A lack of opportunities for students of color (defined as any non-white person) in communication-related industries keeps the racial differences in the newsroom high, which stems from society's subconscious sense of white privilege. This is a disparity a new Loyola student group, the School of Communication Students of Color (SOC2) is working to alleviate.
The only way to reverse this cultural discrimination is to actively work toward equality and to address these issues head-on, which is what SOC2 does: It is addressing the disparity and creating opportunities for students of color within the communication industry. Although the binary nature of the group's name might lead some to believe that this group is exclusively for students of color, that is not the case. Students of all races are welcome to join the group. "SOC2 exists to support students of color, not exclude white people," assistant professor of communication at Loyola Aaron Greer said in an interview with the Phoenix [Feb. 11 "SOC supports students of color"].
SOC2 aims to bring local professionals to work with students, discuss issues facing persons of color and create networking opportunities for students - connections that could eventually lead to jobs. As people discuss issues of discrimination and more persons of color secure jobs in the newsroom, the disparity will decrease, leading to an eventual breakdown of the centuries-old white privilege embedded in society.
As online comments on last week's Phoenix story covering this new group show, not everyone supports the group.
Some people think the creation of a group particularly for students of color constitutes a type of reverse racism. As someone who identified him- or herself as "M" asked online, "Would it be OK if there was a group named 'White Students in the School of Communication'? I think not." This view ignores the fact that the School of Communication is predominantly white students. While Loyola doesn't offer statistics on race broken down by major, one only has to look around in class to see the ethnic disparity. This means that the School of Communication is, in effect, a group composed mainly of white students. It is therefore warranted to have a group that gives credence to the minority voice.
Another criticism of SOC2 is its exclusion of white students. The group offers special networking opportunities for students, and some argue that white students feel excluded from those opportunities. In actuality, the group's focus is students of color and issues pertaining specifically to those students, but the group welcomes white students as well, so no opportunities within SOC2 are racially discriminatory.
The group exists mainly to give students of color the opportunity to "socialize with, network and have mentors," according to journalism major and SOC2 member, senior Cierra Thurman, but the inclusion of white students will help open a discourse both within the School of Communication and on campus. This increased understanding of racial issues affecting communication students and professionals works toward a university community that better understands obstacles in the way of students of color, which is an environment that could potentially appeal to prospective students.
After considering the opportunities SOC2 will create for students and the ways groups such as this will eventually affect the communication industry and society as a whole, the Editorial Board sees nothing and no one this group could threaten except the status quo, a society that places obstacles in the way of people simply because of the color of their skin.
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