According to Waynesburg University’s website, statistics from Fall 2015 reported Caucasian students totaled 91.2 percent of the student body, meaning less than nine percent of the student body are minorities.
In response to these statistics, as well as a general feeling of exclusion on campus, several students have recently revamped Black Student Union.
Senior sociology major Kaylib Young-Argyle had no problems making friends and connecting with people on campus as a member of the soccer team and a Bonner Scholar, but as a person of color, he did notice a problem even though he said it didn’t bother him too much.
“I thought it was a warm community and it was a lot of friendly faces on campus,” said Argyle “The diversity was basically the same [as my hometown]. So, I never really went into it thinking I need to have whatever student [body], but I do know it’s important so I did think about that.”
According to Lynsey Griffon, a pre-law major and president of BSU, many people of color experience similar problems when coming to
Waynesburg.
“I am not speaking for all people of color on campus, but the majority of people of color I have spoken to, their visitation day or their first day coming here, they’re questioning where the other students who are black are,” said Griffon. “It wasn’t just them — it was their parents, too.”
Griffon wants BSU to be a place where minorities can feel included.
“Black Student Union is going to be great,” said Griffon. “It’s going to have a place for us to be us, to bond, to relate, to come together, to tell our stories and not keep it to ourselves and be alone in this, but it was a place for us to build a black community and also for us teach Waynesburg University the culture of being a person of color and what goes into it.”
Griffon is from New York City, but her family moved to the Lancaster area and she was in a mostly white community, which she was used to, but then in Waynesburg she was even more shocked with the racial disparately.
Even though she has had some challenges at Waynesburg, Griffon doesn’t view the school as racist.
“I don’t think Waynesburg is a racist school,” said Griffon. “I really don’t. I believe they are ignorant; they don’t know what can affect others with their comments. I find it uncomfortable [and] very surprising because I am so used to so much culture.”
For the time being, BSU’s focus will be creating a place for students of color to come relate and connect with one another.
Long-term, Griffon said the group might want to see more places for students of color and see more students of color come on to campus.
The group meets every Friday at 2:30 p.m. on the third floor of Stover.