Why Does Diversity Matter at College Anyway?

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I think the cultural differences in college is a wonderful growing experience for teens preparing for the world. Many of them come from small towns, racist towns, and sometimes ignorant towns and the teens are secluded from the culture and diversity that is beyond their back yard. The diversity on campuses enhances compassion, understanding, and shows a student that they can relate to someone they originally thought they would have nothing in common with. That simple realization in itself opens up a whole new world of possibilities in the corporate world. Not only is the diversity on campus, but college gives many students the opportunity to study abroad. It's an invaluable experience that teaches things that years in college will not.

Abby of IN 9:14PM September 14, 2011

I love people, but I really don't like the idea or fact that people marry, have children, and live together inter-racially. I believe that races are stronger (their values, families, religions, etc.) when they do not inter-racially combine. I voiced my beliefs in a class back in 1990 at BMCC, and it was not recieved well. I still believe this today, and I have the right to have this belief. I know that my belief system is not "popular" or "going to be followed", but I still stand by how I feel and think. I don't consider one race better than another, but I still think that races of people are stronger when they stick together. I work with many different people, of several races; I have friends of single and mixed races. I treat them all the same. I want to be treated the same as everyone. Still, I believe that people of different races are stronger when races are not mixed.

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Hotel in Muenster of 1:35AM April 03, 2010

Thought you'd like to know we linked to your piece here. It's well written and the comments gave us a good jumping off point. In any event, here's Centre College's take: http://www.theadmissioncentre.com/2010/does-diversity-really-matter/

Adam Brown of KY 3:57PM January 14, 2010

All this diversity, is a bunch of garbage. These are schools, not social gathering points. people need to be aware that schools are admitting people just for the sake of diversity. Hard working students who want to get an education are being denied because they are just like the rest of the students there. They should be admitted based soley on test scores and grades they have achieved in highschool.

Andrew of ND 11:07AM December 01, 2009

"Colleges will ensure that their faculty and study bodies have the right number of racial groups, nationalities, ethnic groups, and even religions, but they won’t try to get a representative percentage of political parties and political ideologies."
I'm sorry, but the idea of a college application that asks whether you are a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Communist, etc.--and, I presume, an admissions process that seeks to duplicate the current moment's representation of each in the general population--is intrusive, unconstitutional, unworkable and bizarre.
If colleges control for other kinds of diversity (ethnicity, income group, region, rural vs. urban, public vs. private secondary school, age, gender) among those who actually want to attend that particular institution, diversity of thought and political orientation should take care of itself.

Rita Rousseau of IL 1:02PM August 27, 2009

Angela Davis has a great quote on diversity: "Diversity is difference that doesn’t make a difference.”
http://ericstoller.com/blog/2007/01/24/angela-davis/
Increasing diversity at a university is great, but it does little if it is now combined with justice, action and policy.

Eric Stoller of OR 1:10AM August 21, 2009

Otto and Ricardo need to look at some of the more current research. While right-wing organizations have made much of the myth that colleges are blazing hotbeds of liberalism where conservatives don't have a voice the truth is quite different. Recent research has blown this idea out of the water showing that diversity of opinion is alive and well on campuses and that students consistently skew more conservative than their faculty - with little or no influence shown. It's a myth, guys.

Long Term Researcher of IL 11:49PM August 19, 2009