Why Campus Diversity Matters, Essay Example

“As long as the differences and diversities of mankind exist, democracy must allow for compromise, for accommodation, and for the recognition of differences.” (McCarthy E. 24) Campus diversity is not just a symbolic gesture. It is something that people value and are committed to. Campus diversity is a deliberate and complex set of programs of sustaining and building a community that respects and values its strengths by means of the diversity of people. It is a complex unit that involves not only basic race and ethnicity issues, but also ability, nationality, gender, etc.

Every university has a vast number of diversity activities, but without strong commitment from campus leadership, it is very hard to implement them. It is essential to set diversity as a priority of the president and the board. The leadership board is the first institution that should be supplying the community with the clear and consistent messages because diversity involves everyone. It should not be just a matter of few individuals because without the engagement of the whole campus, the success is unlikely to be achieved.

The university policy should involve changing the perceptions of those who usually say that diversity is not important. Elizabeth Aries of Amherst College said that “obviously we’re a society filled with racial and class stereotypes and these come to college. Some of these stereotypes get broken down because their experience begins to challenge them.” (Wells B.) Academic units must help foster and become the major players in spreading the diversity initiatives throughout campus. To achieve diversity success it is essential to prepare a complex strategic plan that involves every level of the university and highlights the commitment to the action.

From students’ diversity initiatives, it is easy to learn what the university is lacking. Students devote lots of energy to implement and plan the activities on diversity with no or little engagement of the faculty. It is a pity that sometimes administrators or faculty see these efforts as not relevant. Therefore, the opportunity of other students to be involved into a valuable curricular learning class, for example, is being put on hold.

Many times diversity priorities fail to be included into the core institutional mission. However, a good plan should be linked with all the components of the institutional mission. It is of significant importance that the diversity efforts be viewed as core to the fulfillment of the overall mission. Without a clear connection, on its own, the diversity plan might look very poor and not achieve the necessary level of success. If not a part of the university mission, diversity program can be viewed as of a low priority for the campus.

When talking about diversity it is essential to understand its specifics and be able to properly analyze it. For instance, some universities measure diversity based on number of color students being enrolled yearly. They pay attention to whether there was a decline, increase or the situation did not change. But sometimes they forget that it is not just about the numbers. The more important is to see how many underrepresented students came back after freshmen year and how many successfully graduated. Analyzing students overall satisfaction after their four year experience strongly reflects all the perceptions of the university climate. And if, for instance, university shows good graduation results, it is essential to ask students what and how they liked about their studying at this particular institution. What some students enjoyed might not have been as pleasant for the others. Students are individuals with their own perceptions and values, therefore, they should be asked about what is important for them, what was lacking, what they would like to be changed. Diversity is a two way road.

Educational institutions must always understand the complexity of campus diversity. Students who enter the university come from various backgrounds and ethnic groups. Some people come with already firmly established stereotypes; some come with minds open for learning something new. Therefore, for campus leaders by means of different programs and activities it is vital to make a step towards changing the existing myths, namely ethnic and racial diversity issues. It should be an ongoing and carefully planned strategy.

As over the time the diversity emphasis shifted from African American group to others, there exists a threat that some campuses might shift as well towards social issues, such as justice, equity, etc. The campus leaders in terms of racial and ethnic diversity should create a range of activities that will not put the groups against each other. What is necessary is the integration of diverse students which will help to break many barriers and stereotypes. And afterwards, in order to strengthen the importance of the activities, it is vital for campuses to be proactive in communicating the diversity success.

Diversity is not just a symbolic gesture. Diversity matters. It is not just a word that now became popular. USA is a crossroad of diverse cultures and backgrounds. Is it a home of people of many nationalities, races and ethnic groups. Therefore, the task of uniting the individuals and making them equal is of highest importance. University is one of the places which helps share up perceptions and opinions. And diversity is here to stay and increase. As Denis Peterson in his study pointed out “it does not matter which bus you take, but you must know who is driving and where it is going.” (Peterson D, 77). Thus, being an educational institution is should put all its efforts to perform the task successfully.

When entering universities students are mostly looking to get as much of college as possible in terms of experiences and acquaintances. Therefore, they are looking forward to interesting campus environment, learning settings and opportunities of personal growth. Maintaining a multicultural campus and providing education to all sectors of society is vital to national and personal development. The basic idea is that the students learn a lot from communications in and out of the class room. This means that living and communicating with the people of various ethnic, cultural, racial, socioeconomic backgrounds will not only benefit the student but the campus as a whole. Being challenged by different academic, social or extracurricular activities, individual will greatly enrich his or her own knowledge and perceptions. Exposure to diverse persons and points of view will help the student achieve greater self development and will allow to broaden future perspectives.

As US is constantly growing more diverse racially, universities should work more thoroughly to break the existing ignorance and stereotypes. Numerous stereotypes appear because some students fear that other groups might decrease their opportunities in education. Therefore, there should appear more interactions between students of various backgrounds. The individual journey towards knowledge of self and others around should be offered at full. It is essential for universities to assist their students by means of educational, social and community programs. Bringing people together is the core task.

University campus is an important tool to help share up student’s perception of the world around. Living and communicating in the diverse environment is a step towards real life. Our world is a diverse setting where people of all races, genders, backgrounds are interacting with each other, doing business or building personal relationships. Therefore, going through a stage of campus diversity is a link towards realities of the world today. By becoming a well-rounded and open minded individual, a student is more likely to achieve greater success in life.

Diversity opens many doors and opportunities, introduces many new aspects of life, culture, business and social issues. It shows that the world is much more than just your school, your community and your country. It enriches the lives and makes people find incredible new things that they might never had a chance to explore.

Work Cited

McCarthy, Eugene. “Parting Shots from My Brittle Bow: Reflections on American Politics and Life” (2004): 24

Peterson, Dennis. “Contributions of International Students and Programs to Campus Diversity”: 77

Wells, Bonnie. “Bringing the differences: Study suggest campus diversity benefits all groups” http://www.bnu.com.mo/pt/about_us/images/bnu_2001_1.jpg Amherst Bulletin (10 October 2008)