Yuta Nitnai
Considering how the College comprises of students from 45 states and 62 different countries, it is evident that this institution welcomes diversity. These statistics seemed impressive when I was initially applying to colleges. After three years, however, it has occurred to me that statistical diversity does not mean that the students are immersing themselves in this diversity. In other words, while it is inarguable that the College is more diverse than a lot of other institutions, I do not think that students have invested them- selves in making the most of our diverse community.
This is neither to say that the College incorrectly adver- tises itself in terms of diversity, nor that the students do not welcome people from different backgrounds. What I believe is that, while most of us are good at acknowledging the existence of culture and beliefs outside the ones that we grew up in, we do not put much effort in interacting with people from cultures and beliefs that are different from ours. If you would like a visual representation of my argument, just ob- serve Lowry during peak dinner time. How often do you see people from different social and cultural backgrounds dining together? Now, ask yourself how often you try to immerse in conversations and events that enhance your understand- ing of different cultures.
I remember my first days at this College — how, during orientation, everyone wanted to interact with one another and how the College made sure that students interacted with people from different backgrounds. As weeks progressed, however, our curiosity was perhaps overpowered by our search for comfort, and since familiarity brings com- fort, our social circles are no longer as integrated as our groups during our first-year orientations were.
This issue is not only prominent between international and domestic students; it is an issue I have observed through- out campus. Take the residence halls, for example. The com- munity building events that resident assistants host barely get any attendance. These examples of lack of community engagement highlights an underlying problem the campus faces as a community, or more accurately, a lack thereof.
While I understand that we naturally seek to be around people that share similar life-styles as we do, I also think it is important for us to seek interaction with people who come from cultures different than our own. The states and countries that we all come from are a gateway for us to understand one another and to get rid of stereotypical perceptions we may have about the “others.” After all, what is the point of commending how diverse an institution is if we are not going to make use of such an environment?