This past week, the Admissions Office held its Students Exploring and Embracing Diversity program, or SEED. From Nov. 1-3, several dozen high school students (term of endearment: SEEDs) were brought to campus and stayed in the dorms of volunteer student hosts. They attended a slew of programs, from sample classes to seminars about student life to a fireside chat with the Dean of Admissions Jennifer Walker that showcased the diversity and inclusivity of Brandeis.
According to the Admissions website, the purpose of SEED is to “celebrate multiculturalism and social justice at our dynamic university.” Preference to becoming a SEED is given to first-generation, low-income and minority high school students. Scholarships were given for transportation costs to those who needed them, and all SEEDs received meal vouchers for the dining halls so they didn’t have to pay for any meals.
SEED is one of the most beneficial programs run by Admissions. They hold several “Fall For Brandeis” days throughout October and November for high school students, but SEED is the only program in which prospective students’ transportation to campus is provided for. This gives many students an opportunity to visit campus that they wouldn’t otherwise have. For prospective students who live far away, it is difficult to visit campuses before applying, which makes an already-stressful college application process even harder. All SEEDs also attended Admissions workshops and interviews with senior interviewers, helpful opportunities to bolster their applications.
SEED accounts for the many backgrounds that the prospective students identify with. They visited the Gender and Sexuality Center, where they could pick up a pin with their preferred gender pronouns. Monday evening also featured a “Black is…” discussion in the Intercultural Center. Hosted by the Brandeis Black Student Organization (BBSO), the discussion was an inclusive environment in which the SEEDs were encouraged to share their opinions in a safe space. Questions such as “Who is black?” and “Where is blackness found?” were written on large posters around the room, and students were able to walk to each poster and write their answer, after which BBSO members led a discussion about some of the answers.
But despite the benefits of SEED programming, some current Brandeis students feel that SEED does not accurately portray campus life. According to an anonymous former SEED, now a first-year student, SEED is a “false reality.”
“SEED gives an ideal, not that Brandeis is something that it’s not, but that the diversity is different,” she said to The Brandeis Hoot. “It tries too hard to make the high school students feel like they’ll fit in without taking into consideration that once they come here, the events they’re doing during these three days [of SEED] aren’t typical for every day.”
More specifically, “When we came, there were so many more black people—or so it seemed,” she says. This problem arises because SEED is centered around promoting diversity, so all its programming is geared towards “diverse” aspects of campus. Last week, this included the Gender and Sexuality Center and BBSO. But this misrepresents the reality of day-to-day life at Brandeis, which is not nearly as focused on diversity programming.
The concerns highlighted by this student represent a broader truth throughout campus. Even though Brandeis prides itself on being diverse, and its student body comes from myriad ethnic and cultural backgrounds, white students hold the plurality. According to Fall 2014 enrollment statistics, 48 percent of undergraduate students are white, while only 6 percent are Hispanic and 5 percent are black. This is not counting the 2 percent of students who are “multi-ethnic” or the 6 percent whose race or ethnicity is unknown. I calculated these percentages; on the Brandeis website, only raw numbers are given to make the statistics seem better.
Despite its flaws, SEED is still an immensely beneficial program. It has well-meaning intentions and provides a unique opportunity to many prospective students, but its execution could be improved. This is not to say that SEEDs should be bombarded with Brandeis’ enrollment demographics upon arriving, but that a more accurate representation of daily campus life should be given. It is not coincidental that SEED fell at the beginning of “Black is” Week.
Every system has its flaws. It is important to recognize the valuable opportunities of SEED, while also acknowledging both SEED’s shortcomings and the true reality of diversity on campus.
