Under1Roof needs renovation

Correction appended

With the semester winding to a close, those in the class of 2013 should have adjusted to the bustle of Columbia and New York City life, while the early decision responses for the class of 2014 are about to be sent out. At this midpoint between the introductions of the classes of 2013 and 2014, it is worthwhile to look back at how first-years are welcomed to Columbia. One first-year program, Under1Roof, deserves some scrutiny.

A New Student Orientation Program event launched in 2006, Under1Roof seeks to introduce first-years to the diversity of their peers and to motivate them to think about questions of identity at Columbia. First-years are randomly placed in small groups and required to attend one of several Under1Roof seminars held at different points during the NSOP week. Although the curriculum of each seminar is the same, the discussion-based nature of the program is meant to provoke group-specific conversations on questions of diversity at Columbia. Program coordinators prompt students to speak about various attributes that identify them, such as gender, ethnicity or race, religious affiliation, and sexual orientation, with the intention of exposing them to different perspectives on campus and encouraging them to think more deeply about how various groups mix and interact at Columbia.

Under1Roof is just one of countless diversity programs offered at Columbia, including Perspectives on Diversity, designed for prospective students, and identity-specific graduation ceremonies. Like the aims of these events, the goals of Under1Roof are laudable.

But many students also raise concerns about how Under1Roof is carried out. Requiring students to attend a seminar in which they are asked to list their religion, ethnicity, and sexual orientation can cause some to feel uncomfortable, even if they have the option of not offering that information. Many find that the task of breaking down the concept of identity into the sum of various identifying categories is limiting and does not allow a holistic approach to who a person is. And while the event seeks to create a sense of common Columbian culture on our diverse campus, emphasizing differences may lead to the impression that students at Columbia share less in common than they actually do—a concern not specific to Under1Roof, and something to consider throughout the year in all events.

True, many students may find Under1Roof to be a valuable experience. In fact, according to statistics from the Office of Multicultural Affairs, 96 percent of respondents to an Under1Roof survey claimed that the event was useful and 90 percent would recommend it to others. But significant small talk in the elevators and hallways of first-year dormitories suggests that there may be a disjunction between the average student’s perception of the program and the responses to the survey. It is for this reason that we hope the Office of Multicultural Affairs, under its new leadership as of last month, considers re-evaluating Under1Roof for the class of 2014, just as the newest Columbians have developed new collegiate identities over the course of the semester.

An earlier version of this editorial incorrectly claimed that Perspectives on Diversity is a program offered by the Office of Multicultural Affairs. The program is in fact coordinated by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. We regret the error.