Rhodes and Memphis' (Dysfunctional) Relationship

During the student presentation last week, a question was raised that I found to be particularly interesting, which was, "what does a college owe to its city and what does its city owe to it?" I think this question is particularly vital for a Rhodes student to consider, since the relationship between Rhodes and Memphis is certainly an interesting one.

Since I came to Rhodes in 2010, I feel that I have been taught by the college, even since I visited as a high schooler, that Rhodes believes it is the obligation of the students to give back to the community, because Memphis has given so much to Rhodes. In its culture, service opportunities, and welcoming nature regarding job opportunities and more, Memphis has given quite a bit to the students at Rhodes College over the years. Rhodes also is very proud of its national recognition of generally being extremely service oriented and dedicated to volunteer work as a whole.

With that being said, the history of Rhodes and its strained relationship with Memphis cannot be ignored. Even as recent as my freshman year in 2010 (and still today), I have heard comments about the campus being a "bubble," and being protected by remaining "within the gates."

The metal fence that borders the property of our campus seems to be a hot topic of discussion regarding Rhodes' relationship with Memphis. Questions like this are frequently brought up: Is the fence really necessary? Is it really just a security measure, or does it represent something more? Does it point to exclusivity and create an environment that suggests we must remain separate from the rest of the city? No matter how much service work Rhodes students may do, we still always come home to the safety of our little bubble within the fence each night, continually isolated from the realities of the city we call "home."

This year particularly, I have felt very much like I have personally been spending a lot more time in the city rather than on campus and have been immersing myself in the Memphis culture. After last week's discussion though, I realized that my small amount of exposure to the city, and pride in volunteer and service work, may in fact, be just another bubble I have been putting myself in. Iris' insight to the incidents of blatant racism that still happen on this campus that we don't hear about very often really hit home, and made me wonder how far this campus has actually come regarding diversity and tolerance.

Overall, I think Rhodes has come a long way since the Southwestern at Memphis days, when the school was notorious for staying separate, and frankly, staying white. At the same time though, I do still see much room for improvement at our school to continue integrating with the city, and at the same time, looking within the gates as well, for how we can continue promoting respect and tolerance between the many different cultures, religions, and races, that make up our student population today.