Cornell defends BIPOC-only rock-climbing class after online uproar
Instructor Matthew Gavieta, a junior, explained that the BIPOC course was meant to help alleviate what he called “an issue of inaccessibility for minorities in this white-centric sport.”
Another instructor, senior Michelle Croen, alleged that “it’s difficult to be a minority and feel welcomed in the outdoors,” citing issues including “cost of entry and accessibility [and] smaller microaggressions like the names of some outdoor climbing routes.”
“Just under the surface, the climbing world especially is affected by racism, sexism and size-ism,” claimed Croen, who added that, “by creating a community of traditionally underrepresented people, we allow students to explore climbing and what it means to them on their own terms, in a comfortable, safe space.”
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 36% of Cornell’s 15,000-plus undergraduate students in the fall of 2019 were white. The second-largest racial group was Asians (20%), followed by Hispanic/Latino students (14%). Black or African-American students made up 7% of Cornell’s undergraduate population, behind “Race/ethnicity unknown” (8%) and “Non-resident alien” (11%).
Instructor Matthew Gavieta, a junior, explained that the BIPOC course was meant to help alleviate what he called “an issue of inaccessibility for minorities in this white-centric sport.”
Another instructor, senior Michelle Croen, alleged that “it’s difficult to be a minority and feel welcomed in the outdoors,” citing issues including “cost of entry and accessibility [and] smaller microaggressions like the names of some outdoor climbing routes.”
“Just under the surface, the climbing world especially is affected by racism, sexism and size-ism,” claimed Croen, who added that, “by creating a community of traditionally underrepresented people, we allow students to explore climbing and what it means to them on their own terms, in a comfortable, safe space.”
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 36% of Cornell’s 15,000-plus undergraduate students in the fall of 2019 were white. The second-largest racial group was Asians (20%), followed by Hispanic/Latino students (14%). Black or African-American students made up 7% of Cornell’s undergraduate population, behind “Race/ethnicity unknown” (8%) and “Non-resident alien” (11%).
