Correction Appended
Sigma Chi will regain their house this fall after a two-year hiatus, and they are already involved in pioneering a new group on campus. The brothers have worked with Kappa Alpha Psi, a black fraternity, and the Association of Black Students to create an organization called “The Solution.”
The groups started the organization last semester with the following mission statement:
“The Solution exists to provide an outlet to cross racial boundaries by creating different constructive environments – such as parties, community service and forums – to foster these relationships.”
Sophomore Joseph Brown, a member of Sigma Chi, came up with the idea to start the organization. He attended a diverse high school and is upset at the absence of interaction among races at Washington University. After being one of the only white students at many Association of Black Students (ABS) parties, Brown was inspired to create settings that will foster intermingling between races on campus.
“We want to help people extend themselves and get outside their comfort zone,” said Brown. “We will start social settings so that people feel more comfortable with other races and will continue that trend throughout other social settings so that more people will go to events like ABS parties.”
Raumesh Akbari, president of ABS, agrees that students need to embrace events with people outside of their usual crowd.
“This is an issue that we feel has always been a problem at Wash. U.,” said Akbari. “When people get in their comfort zones, they create their own bubble within the Wash. U. bubble. We want to break this bubble, and the Solution is a great way for people to get out of their comfort zones and make a difference.”
The Solution will host its first big event this Friday in Center Court, a dance party with the theme of “Black Lights and White Tees.” Students will receive white shirts and a highlighter upon entering. Attendees can then write on each other’s shirts with the highlighters, and see their messages illuminated under the black lights.
“This party will create a setting where the races are a lot closer so people don’t feel out of their comfort zone,” said Brown. “The highlighters will take that theme one step further by having something that is supposed to initiate conversation.”
A $5 admission fee will go toward a scholarship for a University City High School student’s college tuition. The goal is to raise $1500 for a student who has incorporated diversity into his or her life. Donations will also be made to City Faces, an organization that teaches visual arts to teenagers and young adults living in public housing in hopes of offering them a brighter future.
The party on Friday is only the beginning of many more social events as well as community service endeavors that the Solution plans to host.
“The actual Solution group is not just about the party, it’s to foster relationships between the multicultural groups in general,” said junior Brandon Tadesse, a representative from Kappa Alpha Psi. “We want to have a big retreat maybe somewhere in the Ozarks for everybody in the three respective groups, as well as other students, to come together for a weekend. We also want to have community service events to get Wash. U. people together. Maybe a huge Habitat for Humanity event or a Red Cross event, something where we can all get together for a good cause.”
Tadesse hopes that students of different races will also socialize outside of the Solution’s events.
“When we have parties, we hope for it not to be all black people just because we are a black organization,” said Tadesse. “We could have everybody at Wash. U. coming out to a party, not just people from the race of the actual fraternity. We hope to spark interest for all of us to have better relationships.”
Center Court can hold a maximum of 1,000 people, and Brown says they are definitely hoping to fill it to capacity.
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Correction (3/29/06):
Due to an editing error, a factual inaccuracy made it to print in Wednesday’s story, “‘Black Lights White Tees’ party organizers seek to create interracial remix on campus.” Students will wear white T-shirts at the Black Lights White Tees party, but they will not be provided.