As a California native from a multicultural family, I experienced my fair share of culture shock when I moved to Moscow.
During my first year at the University of Idaho, I operated under the assumption that little to no diversity existed on campus. The more I heard my peers comment about how UI”s campus was full of white, traditional students, the more I began to view homogeny as a characteristic that defined the university.
Corrin Bond
Argonaut
It wasn”t until later in my college career that I realized I had been so wrong.
UI may not be as diverse as other schools, but diversity does exist on campus, contrary to popular belief.
While it”s important to encourage more students from diverse backgrounds to come to the university, it”s equally as important to value and appreciate the programs that are promoting diversity on campus in a positive way right now.
The LGBTQA Office hosts Lavender Graduation, a celebration and recognition of queer and ally students. The Women”s Center holds film festivals and co-sponsors events that educate students on women and gender issues, like the Brown Bag Series. The Confucius Institute helps students learn about Chinese language and culture. Various student associations bring a variety of cultural events to campus, such as the upcoming India Night.
Beyond events, we have programs on campus like the College Assistance Migrant Program, the Diversity Scholars Program and the Native American Center, all of which aim to help members of underrepresented populations attain a college education.
The more involved I became at the university, the more I realized how many great student organizations there are. There are so many individuals from different backgrounds who are actively trying to improve the university and the way the Vandal community views diversity.
There are diverse populations on campus and they are doing great things. It”s important that their voices do not go unheard.
It”s also important to remember that diversity is not exclusively related to race. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary”s definition of diversity is “the condition of having or being composed of differing elements.”
The idea behind diversity is variety. Diversity includes students of different cultural and sexual identities. It includes non-traditional and transfer students as well as those who are parents. It includes students from different socioeconomic classes.
Remember to be inclusive. To celebrate diversity is to celebrate the unique perspectives that belong to each individual student on campus. When students resign themselves to only talking about UI”s lack of diversity, they only add to the problem.
Conversations are important, but actions carry a tremendous amount of power, too. Learn more about programs that help increase the enrollment of multicultural students. Attend events hosted by various student associations and organizations. Become exposed to different cultures, different perspectives, different ways of life. Advocate for lactation rooms and childcare for parents. Talk to the non-traditional students in class, regardless of any age gaps.
There is diversity all around us, and dismissing the university as a school in which there is little variety discounts the diverse voices that currently exist on campus.
Corrin Bond can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @CorrBond