As one University of Pennsylvania professor has remarked, American colleges and universities have created "the cultural diversity of Beirut." Such separation from the common academic and social life both reinforces old divisions and creates new ones. It flies in the face of the image of America as a melting pot which helped assimilate our ancestors into the rich and vibrant culture we have inherited.

In our opinion, there are three main steps needed to correct this misunderstanding and misapplication of true multiculturalism. First, we must recognize and accept that there is an American culture which is more than the sum of its ethnic components. We are not Americans with a hyphen rather, we are all Americans.

Second, we must integrate ethnically defined departments into nonethnically defined ones. It is simply divisive to have separate departments defined by race. These often give rise to politicization, historical distortions compromising academic integrity and overtones of victimization and oppression, as illustrated by Arthur Schlesinger inThe Disuniting of America.In the process, appropriate stress on the positive individual and group contributions to our shared society is lost.

Third, at the course level we must introduce true multiculturalism. That is, events must be taught as interconnected and inclusive history which shaped the lives of every ethnic group and, in turn, were shaped by all of these groups.

Here at Harvard, an institution with the potential to be a trend-setter, we must lead the way. integrating the nationally-respected Afro-American Studies program into the history, sociology and other nonethnically defined departments would be a tremendous step toward the true pluralistic multiculturalism America needs to embrace.

Currently, the University administration is considering the creation of an additional Ethnic Studies Department. As a first step, we recommend that Harvard stop this divisive trend toward race-based education.

Only then can we begin to consider ways in which Harvard can reverse the current ethnocentrism masquerading as true multiculturalism and perhaps, with time, lead other institutions away from the abyss of separatism.

Doug Lanzo '94 and Gabe Sterling '94 are director and vice-director, respectively, of the Harvard Philosophy Project