The Tripod

On Wednesday, Sept. 26, with the theater almost filled to capacity, Some Place I Call Home, a film by Alfonso Bui '07, premiered. Students and faculty alike were impressed with the film as a whole, despite several concerns that it was one-sided.

Chronicling the racially driven events that spanned the previous academic year of 2006-2007, the documentary conveyed a clear message that called for change in the way different races interact. The reaction, though, was varied. Bui, who is majoring in sociology, introduced the project by saying that it began in August 2006 as an Independent Study project for a social movements class.

Despite conveying a consistent message throughout, reactions to and impressions of the film varied. Most were quick to praise Bui's work. Patricia Cipicchio '10 said she was, "really impressed with the quality of the film and can definitely appreciate all the effort he seems to have put into it." Furthering that sentiment Dean of Students Frederick Alford commended the film's honesty and hopefulness, two qualities that he finds to be "an irresistible combination." Zee Santiago '09, a student whose views were explicitly present in interviews throughout the documentary, thought that Bui "did a great job of capturing the issues that pervade the Trinity community and invoking more discourse surrounding the campus climate issues of race/class relations." There appeared to be a consensus among those who viewed the film in terms of the importance of its message and role in improving the climate on campus.

That's not to say, however, that viewers' opinions were exclusively positive. Referred to by Bui as "a piece that still needs a lot of touch up", Some Place I Call Home incited some criticism. As one student said, "it is a necessary film, but I found it to be frustrating." Several students added to that, saying that they felt as though an excessive amount of blame was placed upon the Greek organizations' role in Trinity's controversial climate. One student, who wished to remain anonymous interpreted it as being "very harsh towards fraternity life and Vernon Street in general."

Furthering that point, the student questioned how many people of color actually show up to rush. He wondered how complaints could be made about the lack of diversity in the Greek system if, in practice, few people of color actually attempt to become members of fraternities and sororities.

On another point, Santiago felt as though the interviews could have been more diverse; he said, "Alfonso and I spoke and I felt that he could have interviewed a more diverse array of students to get different perspectives."

Dean Alford is quick to point out that students who criticized Trinity in the film did so with some reverence. "In the end," he said, "it was clear that those who are on the front lines trying to address the mean-spirited or the ignorant acts that hurt and demean others do so with great hope and affection for the College."

Furthermore, it is clear that Bui has an avid admirer in President James F. Jones. Calling the documentary "poignant," President Jones stated that he has already viewed and taken notes on his personal copy several times in the past week. Complimenting the piece even further, President Jones said that he "would wager that any president of any school in the nation would be proud to have had a student do such fine work." Praise and compliments aside, a recurring theme of the documentary was the perceived failures of the administration to address and help alleviate race issues at Trinity.

In response to this, President Jones said that the Campus Climate Charter Committee, headed by Trustee Phil Khoury and Professor of History Cheryl Greenberg, is expected to make their recommendations to the Board of Trustees in December.

As the topic of race is a sensitive one -- one that Jones believes to be "the single greatest issue facing America today" -- the role of this committee will be fundamental in proposing solutions. On this, Professor Greenberg stated, "We see our goal as finding ways to create a stronger sense of community among Trinity students, staff, faculty, and administrators, and also between Trinity and the larger community. That means fostering a sense of personal responsibility, a sense of being part of a vision that is larger than any of us, of feeling responsible to [and for] each other and to the legacy we leave here. It's how to do that -- and how to pay for it -- that prove the real challenge."

As the film suggests, and responses verify, there is no one easy solution. It is harder still to agree on where the change must come from. Cipicchio offers some insight on this, saying "I guess what I thought about most was that it's a societal issue, not just a Trinity one, so administrative changes to me don't seem as relevant in a situation where true progress can only occur when everyone takes the personal responsibility to make internal changes." As President Jones stated, "if we fail to do everything we can in a tiny part of the universe like our campus, then I for one do not know where in your adult lives you are going to find any environment free of prejudice and bigotry."

Associate Dean of Students Ann Reuman acknowledged the slow process that change must go through, but says that she already sees a difference. "As I look over my ten years here," she said, "I really do see so more and more students, in particular, taking the lead to claim this place and pull their campus together to create more dialogue and effect many solid changes in this school's culture.

"Ten years ago, this many students would not have spoken out, a student wouldn't have made and shared a fine film about it, so many wouldn't have come to support the film, there wouldn't have been so many conversations about these troubling issues carried on by a wide range of people, and we didn't have so many trying to break down the simple, reductive 'us' and 'them' dichotomies.

"The more students realize how much power they actually have -- and the more they try to really speak up, listen, and collaborate -- which as we all know can be very challenging at times -- the more we'll see this 'new Trinity' take shape," Reuman added.

The film starts with network news clips of then-current racially charged incidents that were taking place at colleges and universities across the United States. Narrowing in scope, the focus then turned to Trinity.

Alternating between interviews with various students and film clips from the academic year, Bui advanced chronologically, touching on all of the major events that took place in relation to what he cited as the "social tensions and administrative problems" concerning the racial climate at Trinity. The film begins with the vandalism of students' doors with racial slurs to the symbolic Mather protest.

It then transitions to the Halloween incident involving a controversial costume, the campus-wide student forum on Campus Climate, and various organized events, such as the Temple of Hip Hop concert at the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity in the fall and the Inter-Social Council meeting in the spring. Filled with student voices, the film is a genuine reflection of real opinions, true emotions, and stern demands for action.

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