Whether it’s trying a new ethnic dish, taking dance lessons, watching a foreign film, or perhaps meeting new people, it all defines one aspect of our daily collegiette lives here at William Paterson University, and it’s called diversity.
According to Merriam-Webster, diversity is “the state of having people who are different races or who have different cultures in a group or organization.” Just like many other colleges and universities, William Paterson has a vast population of students from different backgrounds including race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and many more.
Diversity does exist in college. There are multiple reasons why it’s so important for us to recognize and embrace it. In a U.S News article written by Jeremy S. Hyman and Lynn F. Jacobs, they wrote “a college campus is like opening the door to the entire world without traveling anywhere else.”
It’s 2014; we should no longer request the same song to the DJ at a Friday night party; why don’t we listen to an eclectic mix of the hottest songs instead? We should no longer have our “usual” meal at the café; we should just try the new vegetarian dish. Also, we can longer form cliques anymore; we should go out and make new friends.
Everyone from our classmates, resident assistants, and especially our professors come from different ethnicities and cultures. Each day we should always make an effort to introduce ourselves to new people because you never know if one day they can become your best friend, significant other, or colleague in the long run.
If there’s diversity in college, then it is also in the workplace. The more you expose yourself to different ideologies and perspectives, the more successful you’ll become — not just with your future careers but in life.
College is all about finding yourself. Where do you belong? What do you want to do? Who will you want to become? The only way that you can answer those questions is if you broaden your horizons and step out your comfort zone. Every single day, we learn as we go, and sometimes that requires having an open mind.
Here at William Paterson University, there will be many multi-cultural events occurring throughout the semester, including this month’s Latino Heritage celebration. This is a great opportunity for students to learn and experience one of the many cultures that are commemorated on campus.
The importance of diversity is crucial in college and without it, we would lack unity. Imagine if the Wayne Dining Hall had a seating chart like the one that Janis gave to Cady in Mean Girls. Would you want to adhere to that every day? Of course not, because we are so much better than that.
Photo sources:
http://www.chc.edu/undergraduate/programs/combined/
https://laceitup.wordpress.com/2014/09/06/top-5-reasons-mean-girls-is-th…