SOCIOECONOMIC diversity at the University has been a hotly debated issue in recent times, and last week candidates for Student Council held a question and answer forum about how to increase enrollment among low-income students who hope to attend the University. The candidates discussed several issues surrounding the larger topic and floated around ideas about promoting socioeconomic diversity, but ultimately the problem will only be solved when the larger culture and environment of the University changes sufficiently enough -- by dethroning the singular lifestyle predicated on spending, consumption, and more generally a high degree of financial flaunting -- so as to give lower-income students a reasonable incentive to come here. Mostly this is a matter of perception, and if we could correct perceptions about life at our University, maybe we could be convince more low-income individuals to attend.
C'VILLE reported that in 2004, 58 percent of University students came from families that made over $100,000 a year or more. For an institution that's relatively cheap to attend, that number should be lower. Some of the candidates recognized and elaborated upon the overarching difficulties in achieving this goal. John Nelson, a candidate for vice president of administration, succinctly described the fundamental nature of the problem: "socioeconomic status shapes one's views," he said, further commenting that the University "will benefit from socioeconomic diversity." Class status does strongly influence one's perceptions of the world, and with the vast majority of University students hailing from middle or upper middle class backgrounds, it wouldn't be totally brash to conclude that some students from less affluent origins might view our institution skeptically.
An insightful conversation developed to that end when Matt Schrimper, a candidate for president, argued that Student Council should facilitate an easygoing environment where all students could access the "University experience." Schrimper's commentary prompted some others to question just what the "University experience" really meant; Brent Via, a candidate for vice president of organizations, claimed that the "University experience" could mean different things to different people. Parties on Friday and Starbucks on Sunday might not be the ideal for people who don't have enough money?. Many students of low-income status, though certainly not all, probably shun the University because they have certain preconceptions about life here that they don't feel comfortable about. Nelson nicely echoed what Student Council needs to do; he posited that we need to change the larger social atmosphere so that people from all income backgrounds could find a home here. If that's too utopian and unrealistic, then at least Student Council can and should try to wheedle those students in here by informing them that their options at the University are not limited to one set of actions that reflect stereotype more than reality anyway.? If they do not want to be part of the perceived trend highlighted above
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