SOME PEOPLE embrace diversity -- others scoff. At the University, some students spend the majority of their time here taking classes on such subjects as gender justice, African-American political theory, and the politics of developing areas. Some students supplement this sort of course load with extracurricular activities pertaining to the same or similar issues, such as Sustained Dialogue or Global Development Organization. Unfortunately, same segment of the University population takes these classes and participates in these CIOs. In other words, the students who stand to gain most from these classes don't bother with them.
Of course, the University administration dares not mandate a curriculum with a significant focus on issues of diversity. This is understandable and begrudgingly justifiable, as even the most liberal professors and students will admit. But an optional academic program, such as the "Community Engagement" program recommended by the 2004 President's Committee on Diversity and Equity, would create an incentive for all students to partake in the program, while sidestepping accusations of "dewesternizing" or liberalizing the curriculum.
In 2003, University President John T. Casteen III appointed a Commission on Diversity and Equity in an effort to make the University more welcoming to all students and more competitive with other top-ranking colleges. More immediately, the commission was created in response to a rash of racial insensitivity on Grounds. For the next year, the four subcommittees ?met with community leaders and scholars to discuss how best to achieve the commission's goals. In their final 53-page report, Commission Co-Chairs Michael J. Smith and Angela Davis recommended the creation of a "Community Engagement" academic program, an optional program that would give students the opportunity to understand diversity? through a systematic, multidimensional framework. The program would include academic credit for relevant coursework and would incorporate outside-of-classroom experiences as well, such as involvement with relevant student organizations and community volunteer groups. Wisely, the Commission recommended that students receive recognition for "sustained work in diversity and equity" on their transcripts.
Many student leaders fully support the concept of a Community Engagement Program, and don't understand why it has yet to be implemented. Carolina Ferrerosa, president of the Latino Student Union, wrote in an e-mail interview, "I think this would be a fantastic opportunity for the University to take a strong public stance on a firm commitment to diversity that it currently strives to purport. Not only would this program take little to implement into the University curriculum, since the classes, CIOs, and events used to satisfy the requirements are already in place, it is an initiative that the entire community will benefit from in the short and long-run." Ferrerosa adds, "I am astounded that this has yet to be made a U.Va. experience."
The way to a University student's heart is through her resume -- a certificate of completion of the Community Engagement program would make most students' hearts swell. If other students were enrolling in courses in pursuit of this certificate, even the most conservative students would be tempted. It is hard to pass up another accolade, especially if its absence implies insularity and ignorance. Surely future employers would be impressed by a student who completed this program, as well. The student would look, and indeed be, ready to work in a professional environment full of people who come from all over the world or simply from segments of our own population never encountered before.
This strategy for implementing a diversity component to the curriculum may sound overly cynical. But I would not recommend this strategy if I did not think that most students would end up enjoying the courses and feel challenged by them in ways they never before experienced. Students will be much better scholars -- and much better community members -- when they seek to understand difference.Yes, through the Community Engagement program, perhaps even the most reluctant, Weekly Standard-reading student might embrace diversity.
Marta Cook is a Cavalier Daily Associate Editor. She can be reached at mcook@cavalierdaily.com.
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