By Leah Bjornson
Photos by carnivalsensations

Where is the line drawn between camaraderie and exclusion?

Unlike our melting pot neighbours to the south, Canada prides itself on being a mosaic — on celebrating a myriad of cultures from around the world. Our country’s diversity is well reflected in SFU’s student body, and by its various ethnic-based clubs. However, organization based on ethnicity walks a fine line between camaraderie and exclusion.

At SFU, students are given a wide variety of ethnic-based clubs to choose from. Perhaps the Korean Storm (K.STORM), a not-for-profit student group aiming to promote the Korean culture to all students from all nations, is the right fit. Maybe it’s the Pakistan Students Association, which promotes Pakistani culture, cuisine, and way of life while advocating multi-culturalism at SFU. Or it could be the Canadianized Asian Club, where Canadians of Asian heritage aim to promote Asian-cultural awareness to all students on campus.

Such clubs are important for students for multiple reasons. First of all, it can be difficult to engage SFU when you’re not interested in things such as cheerleading, writing, or gaming. Ethnic clubs provide students with the opportunity to join a network of students and gain support and friendship without having to latch onto a particular interest.

Second, being with people from similar ethnic backgrounds can help international students who may feel overwhelmed in a new country. Having a break from English by speaking your mother tongue, or just being with friends who have similar beliefs and who face likewise challenges, can be extremely valuable.

Finally, by sharing their heritage with other SFU students, ethnic-based clubs can create a spirit of multiculturalism and acceptance on campus.

However, this kind of club can do the exact opposite if it doesn’t act as a bridge to the rest of the community. Instead of sharing its culture, it becomes a social club — a group of people hanging out because they’re ethnically similar, not because they necessarily have shared interests.

There is definitely a place at SFU for ethnic-based clubs. In an increasingly homogenized world, diversity is becoming even more sacred, and should be celebrated. But an ethnic-based club loses its purpose if it fails to do just that: celebrate its heritage.

When a club appeals to members of a certain ethnicity or race, its intention should stem from this. For example, the purpose of a Canadianized Asian Club, members of which are mainly second or third generation Canadians, should be (at least in part) to look back to the values of their old culture and explore their past. It should not simply be about throwing events, however charitable or noble they may be.

While the merits of a club supporting friendship and engagement are admirable, labelling it as an ethnic club is unnecessarily isolating. Therefore, a choice must be made: Does a club remain ethnic-based and try to promote and share its heritage with the SFU community, or does it transform into a social club, removing ethnic labels from its title that might — even unintentionally — exclude other students?

There is only so much you can learn and experience by hanging out with people from a similar background. Sure, it’s a safe zone, but university is all about exploration and discovery. This being said, it is not solely the responsibility of ethnic-based clubs to reach out. SFU students have to respond to and engage with these clubs themselves.

It can be easy, especially for the cultural majority, to dismiss the importance of belonging when surrounded by people of similar heritage. Taking the initiative to cross the floor and engage these groups is the next logical step in the evolution of ethnic clubs and culture at SFU.