Does the MRC Exist in Name Only?

To the Editors:

With the re-instatement of the Multicultural Resource Center (MRC) interns last semester, there was a sense of victory for the students over the administration. Though this may be true, it is so only to a miniscule extent. The MRC is still struggling to keep its head above water, without any help from the College.
To say that the MRC is understaffed and overworked or that the interns are under-paid is a huge understatement. The MRC sponsors/co-sponsors approximately 25 events each year. The time and energy that is invested into organizing these events is tremendous. Even with four community coordinators, the workload is immense. But with two intern positions vacant, just how is the MRC expected to cope? The interns don’t have a fixed work schedule – they work as many hours as the job at hand demands and that means working late into the night and on weekends, when required. And all this for a measly salary?! The interns may be doing the job “for the love of it”, but exactly how far are they expected to go?
The MRC interns form a support group for PoC and LGBT communities on campus. Whether as friends or guides or mediators, they’re the ones that help us move along. With the Latino/a and Africana community coordinators missing, who do these communities turn to? The MRC, especially its director, Rachel Beverly, do a wonderful job of creating a space for these communities on campus. But without more commitment from the college, multiculturalism’s future at Oberlin is bleak.
The College is currently in the process of creating a task force to define diversity on campus. This has taken all semester and there’s not much to show for it. Let alone, neither students nor MRC staff have been updated on the progress made. With only two weeks left, it’s apparent that nothing will be achieved this semester. Thus, for an entire semester, the position of the MRC on this campus has been in limbo. Just how much will be accomplished next semester is anybody’s guess.
And while people are busy “defining diversity”, when will the actual concerns of the MRC be addressed? The College says it is looking into the re-structuring of the MRC, but nothing can be done until a report is obtained from the task force, whenever that will be.
The College has been trying to hire people to fill the intern vacancies. But it hasn’t had much success so far. This comes as no surprise, considering the meager compensation for ridiculously long working hours coupled with lack of job security. The College is looking into the pay-scale of the interns. Until then, the MRC is expected to function with just two community coordinators.
So does the college really want the MRC to exist in fact, or in name alone? Does it really care about diversity on this campus and the concerns of the multi-cultural communities, or is it just putting up appearances to shut us up? It is obvious to everyone concerned, except the administration, that it is time to cut the empty rhetoric and to actually get the job done. Unfortunately, no constructive action will be taken unless the students get after the College. It is, therefore, time for us to stop banging our heads against a wall and start knocking on the administration’s door instead.
The fight to save the MRC is far from over. In fact, from the looks of it, it’s going to be a long, hard one.

–Rashné Limki
College sophomore