College Education and Diversity

Posted by Naomi Rockler-Gladen Apr 29, 2007

Diversity is such a catchphrase. It almost sounds cliche to talk about how important it is in the classroom. But the thing is, it's true. Diversity is crucial in colleges and universities, and not just because it's so important that everyone has access to education. It's important because students learn from each other as much (and sometimes more) than they learn from teachers, and if there are many different kinds of students around, students are exposed to a multiplicity of viewpoints and experiences.

Here's a recent experience from my classroom. I teach at Colorado State University, which, sadly, is not a very diverse place. In one of my classes, I have only two African American students and a small handful of other minorities. Today, I brought up the subject of cultural naming practices, and the two African American students chimed in and debated each other. The female student said that she was grateful that her parents had given her a "white" name, because she felt blacks were at a disadvantage if they had names that marked their race. The male student disagreed and said names are important cultural markers that people shouldn't avoid..

The other students listened to the exchange, and they learned about a debate that their teacher does not have personal experience with. These are the kind of educational experiences diversity brings. What's sad is that at a place like CSU, this doesn't happen often. If my classroom had been full of students from different backgrounds, we could have had a lively discussion of different cultural practices. It's also sad that in an environment like this, minority students sometimes feel like they are seen by others as representatives of their culture, while non-minority students are just seen as individuals who represent only their own opinions..