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By JOANNE CORDON
Staff Writer
rouldn't it be nice to have a
class in a dorm lounge where
J w the professors sit on the
floor among the students who deter
mine their own course syllabus, study
topics important to them and have
two papers as a course requirement?
UNITAS students are not only
enrolled in such a class, but they also
participate in a 24-hour living and;
learning experience.
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Discussions in the UNITAS lounge
With the promotion of multi
cultural understanding as their goal.
UNC student government developed
the UNITAS living experience in a
wing of , suites in Carmichael Resi
dence HalL The program is similar to
the health-science, French-Spanish
and German programs; but UNITAS
students do not share a common
language or have similar career
interests.
Instead they represent several
ethnic religious and cultural back-
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attract Jay DeSilva and Leah Kim
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grounds. The 47 UNITAS students
include 24 female and 23 male
participants who are of an ethnic
heritage, foreign descent or have an
interest in cultural awareness.
Although the group is predominantly
white, the program includes students
of black. Indian. Vietnamese and Sri
Lankan descent committee chairwo
man Eileen Carlton said.
"It is a multi-cultural program
designed to promote cultural under
standing among various ethnic
groups on campus." Carlton said. "It
is a new experience. There's not been
a program close to UNITAS focusing
on minority relations."
, The UNITAS idea orginated in 1984
under student body president Paul
Parker who established a committee
to explore the idea of an inter-racial
living experience. The committee
originally focused on blackwhite
racial relations.
The name "UNITAS" was chosen
for the program under the Parker
administration because it was
thought to mean "equality" in Latin.
But UNITAS does not have a Latin
etymology and is actually the name
of a Wesley Foundation Preacher.
The original purpose of UNITAS
was to ease tension in blackwhite
relations, but as the program evolved,
the committee recognized that
prejudices exist inter-culturally. "The
focus is not just on racism but on
cultural understanding. To reduce
racism is the objective of the pro
gram, but not the only one.
Carlton said. "As the committee
planned, minority cultures became
the focus with racism in the agenda.
If we hit on cultural understanding,
we focused on racism as well."
Each person in the program acts
as an ambassador from his or her
culture or country. Dr. Trudier Harris,
professor of English studies and
academic sponsor, said. Students can
reduce their prejudices by learning .
about other cultures and sharing.
Students will carry what they learn
within UNITAS outside the program
and will duplicate their actions in
other groups to reduce prejudice,
Harris said.
"If I am a black and I share with
Indians, next time I am in a group,
1 will not have the pre-conceptions
about Indians I might have had,"
Harris explained.
At the Monday UNITAS class, the
topic was race relations. UNITAS
students agree that in order to reduce
prejudice on a campus-wide scale that
prejudice must be resolved within
themselves.
"We have to abandon the goal to
be free from prejudice we have
to admit that we have prejudice."
Professor Craig Calhoun said to the
UNITAS students. "We need to
develop skills and continue to work
through life reducing our prejudice
work to confront it in ourselves."
Calhoun compared prejudice to the
Biblical parable about sin nobody
is without sin, nobody is without
prejudice.
Calhoun, along with Harris, spon
sor the program academically. They
play dual roles as counseling faculty
and as professors for the course.
Carlton said: "We want the relation
ship between faculty members and
students to be less professional than
in most classes. They (the professors)
do feel close to the students and they
fit in."
As faculty. Harris and Calhoun are
responsible for selecting the reading ;
materials suggested by students,
working with students with the
research papers, grading the papers,
giving journal and reading assign
ments and leading the commentary.
Harris said.
Participants read and discuss
novels, keep a journal and write two
major papers. Students receive 3
hour passfail credit for the class.
UNITAS classes are informal,
relaxed and comfortable. Students
meet in the fifth, floor Carmichael
lounge to discuss multi-cultural
topics on Monday afternoons from
3:00 to 5:30 p.m. Unlike the typical
classroom situation of nearly 50
students, Calhoun and Harris know
students names and encourage par
ticipation. "We want student invol
vement It is not a lecture course,"
Harris said.
Occasionally, the faculty will invite
guest lecturers or have panel discus
sions. After presentations, which will
last 40 to 50 minutes, UNITAS
students have discussions to com
ment or answer any questions.
Harris encourages participation
outside the class room on Tuesday
afternoon she continued Monday's
discussion with students over pizza. .
In preparation for the course.
Calhoun and Harris planned a tenta
tive syllabus over the summer. But
after last weekend's retreat and
Monday's class, the students changed
the syllabus to include topics in which
they are interested. In general, the
topics . include -religion,, prejudice,
economic-cultural differences, migra
tion, the struggles with migration,
sexism, indigenous peoples and the
"hyphenated American" people.
Students will also study multi
cultural relations in places such as
Latin America, Asia. Africa. United
States. Middle East and Europe. . .
Although the class may not fit in
with graduation requirements and
involves 24-hour participation in the
program; students are eager to
particpate. Carlton said students are
enthusiastic open-minded, ready to
learn and to experience.
Participants are enthusiastic about
the class and the social events. At
the weekend retreat they elected
student co-coordinators Barbara Ross
and Sedric Brown to plan social events
to do as an UNITAS group.
.Although the coordinators have
not met together to plan any events.
Ross and Brown have suggested
ideas. Brown wants the students to
attend various events such as speak
ers, step shows and Indian festival
events. Ross suggests weekly pres
entations by UNITAS participants
including cooking food and showing
slides.
But social activities are not always
planned. According to the partici
pants; they have experienced many
"late-night" talks. "I really enjoy the
program. The students are nice, open
and willing to talk." Julie Edwards,
a junior business administration
major, said. "I've already had late
night conversations."
Why did students become involved
in the program? What do they think
of it so far?
"I think it's great I would like to
see this program work. I am very
interested in learning about people
from countries-labeled third world."
Fitzgerald Edwards, one of the two
freshmen particpants, said.
Laurie Winkler, a sophomore from
New Jersey, joined UNITAS for two
reasons because she is Catholic and
is interested in multi-cultural rela
tions. "It bothered me the way the
campus is segregated while people
say Chapel Hill is so liberated." she
said.
Junior psychology major Terry
McCall from Marion. N.C. is interested
in the program to deal with prejudice.
"There is a lot of prejudice in my
hometown, and I grew up with it
I want to leam about other cultures
and talk to others about what I have
learned in order to change percep
tions." he said.
UNC student government commit
tee which includes Carlton, senior
Robin Kimmelman. sophomore
Tonya Blanks, junior Kim Chen, junior
Laurie Martin and junior Theresa
Sebik, are planning next year's
UNITAS program working on public
ity and campaigning, Carlton said.
Carlton said the program is suc
ceeding. "I see UNITAS as becoming
an essential part of campus a new
Carolina tradition.".she said.
Photos by
Julie Stovall
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