Cynthiana Desir, Class of 2023

Editorial Team — Thu, 14 Apr 2022 04:11:19 +0000

This is just my own experience as it might not relate to everyone who goes to a PWI, but the biggest thing I’ve noticed is that people won’t talk to me, or even interact with me at all. Being the only black woman in my classes, I’ve noticed that other students would rather climb across to the one empty seat in the middle of a row, rather than sit remotely close to me on the edge of an aisle, with plenty of open seats around me. And being a dark-skinned woman, it hurts even more that on the off-chance we’re approached by another student, they will immediately direct their attention towards my black friends with lighter complexions, and will not even acknowledge me in any way. I chose this school because of my faith, and because of the cheap cost of tuition compared to other universities. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and I thought I would be welcomed because of our shared beliefs. But after being here for only two semesters, it has proved to be the complete opposite of what I was expecting. I feel so alone in a place that I thought would bring me comfort. I would not choose this school again, even if it could save me money in the long run. From my point of view, it is segregated, but not intentionally. Many of my friends and other students of color on campus have felt similar feelings to what I feel, so we have found–or created–spaces where we take action to make ourselves feel comfortable: our safe spaces. There is no intention to segregate, but because we do not feel welcome by the majority, we stick together with others of our same race and/or ethnicity and find joy within our minority. As a woman, the only support that I’ve seen are booths advertising the resources for those who have been sexually assaulted. Other than that, I myself have not seen any support for women. Additionally, I am not a member of the LGBTQ+ community, but I can say that the school has done close to nothing for those a part of the community. The only support demonstrated was between the students towards each other. There are no resources that I know or have heard of specifically for black students. There are offices such as the Multicultural Student Services Center which provides both financial and general aid for students of color, and the newly-opened Office of Belonging. Choosing whether or not to attend a PWI is ultimately up to you and what college you can see helping forge your career path. Going to a PWI has its benefits: you get the chance to disrupt white spaces and reshape them into simply being spaces, claiming and creating the future our Civil Rights leaders wanted us to have. I know for me, it has been taxing on my mental health, but I have been able to make connections and have opportunities that I’ve never had before. But on the other hand, you know if you are ready to handle disruptions to your peace if any were to arise. However, take what I say with a grain of salt because all PWI’s are different and contain different experiences, and some may come with more positives than negatives. This is just my perspective stemming from my PWI experience so far.

Church of Latter-Day Saints

Cynthiana Desir, Class of 2023