Linking Diversity with Education

“The greatest challenge facing Americans is to accept and take pride in defining ourselves as a multiracial democracy.”

-President Bill Clinton, 1998-

The issue of race is always a sensitive topic. In the not too distant past, segregation still existed and all citizens were not treated equally. Today, many political candidates are answering questions concerning immigration. Political and social issues involving race are a hot topic as our nation becomes increasingly more diverse. At Allegheny College, there is an initiative to promote more diversity on campus, and attract students from various racial, economic, and religious communities. Allegheny College has a vision of preparing its students to be educated citizens in today’s multicultural society. As Sylvia Hurtado’s article states, our goal, and the goal of Allegheny College’s diversity program, should be “. . . to achieve a vision of the pluralistic democracy we aspire to become.” Linking diversity with education not only provides important educational benefits, but it helps today’s college students to become better citizens in the evolving multicultural society.

I was raised in a middle-class suburban neighborhood that, similar to Allegheny College, was mostly white. I also went to a high school that was about 95% white. Racial diversity, therefore, has never really been present in my life. The most diversity I ever experienced was when I played in basketball tournaments in the city. I now know that this lack of racial diversity in my life has caused me to be less active in civic missions and projects. We have read articles in this class that have shown proof of this relationship. Citizens that participate in diverse groups or organizations tend to be more socially and civically active. Many issues in our world today are influenced by some racial factors. Not to stereotype, but statistics show that poverty, crime, and lack of education are more common problems for minorities. Citizens that participate in diversity are aware of this and are more engaged in finding solutions to these problems. As I have said before, where I grew up, poverty, crime, and education were not problems I saw on a daily basis. However, it is important to recognize that these problems do exist. Diversity education is the first step to identifying these problems and working towards a solution.

Hurtado’s article also notes that by the year 2050, approximately half of the U.S. population will be represented by minorities. It is therefore important for young citizens today to learn how to collaborate in the evolving multicultural society. While Allegheny College may not be very diverse, I can at least admit that they are taking steps to rectify that problem. Allegheny’s new advertising campaign focuses on diversity and “unusual combinations” in hopes of attracting students from diverse communities. As a former Resident Advisor, part of my training was heavily focused on promoting diversity on my hall and in the community. In fact, I was required to put together at least one program each semester that involved diversity education. This was beneficial because it allowed me to become more educated on diversity issues, as well as allowing me to socialize with students and educators from different racial, economic, or religious communities. Allegheny College has helped educate me on working with citizens from different backgrounds, and that is something that is very important in today’s increasingly diverse society.

I know Allegheny takes a lot of criticism for not instituting the best policies and programs, but I legitimately feel that they are trying. In the four years I have been at Allegheny, there have been some changes to become a more diverse campus. The problem is that the changes have not been enough. Today’s college students need diversity as a part of their education to fully reach their potential as engaged, active, informed citizens. We have seen proof that linking diversity with education produces more civically engaged citizens. It is time that everyone becomes a more responsible citizen and participates in diversity education. This is the only way that we can achieve our ultimate goal of a more equal and diverse democracy.

Involvement at Allegheny

Linda Sax’s essay on citizenship development during the college years was very interesting and insightful. Sax argues that the college years are a critical time for developing three specific aspects of citizenship: commitment to social activism, sense of empowerment, and community involvement. Sax feels that college campus life strongly influences these three aspects of citizenship, and positive influences will lead to more social activism in the years after college. The question we must focus on is do college campuses, specifically Allegheny’s campus, influence students to get involved? I am of the opinion that Allegheny’s campus life does influence its students to be involved and actively engaged, however some students are not listening. Allegheny offers many organizations and opportunities that foster activism and community involvement, however many students fail to take advantage of these opportunities, and this has led to an overall decline in activism on Allegheny’s campus.

When I first came to Allegheny as a freshman, I was a member of the Men’s Basketball team. I was so busy trying to learn how to balance my studies with basketball that I did not fully realize all of the different organizations Allegheny offers. Only after I decided not to continue with basketball did I learn of the many groups I could become a part of. In my opinion, I feel Allegheny does a fine job in advertising the many different ways students can become involved on campus. The Activities Fair is always crowded with students anxious to sign up for groups or clubs that sound interesting. Just browsing the list of groups, there is something for just about everyone. Even if a club is missing, new clubs are formed every year bringing together students with common interests. The Campus Center always has flyers and posters for organizations, inviting anyone to attend the next meetings. The number of groups on campus makes it easy for students to find at least one that they identify with. In providing support to these groups, I feel Allegheny does influence its students to be involved and active on campus.

Allegheny’s Residence Life Office also does a good job of trying to involve incoming freshmen and current students. Speaking from personal experience as a former Resident Advisor in a freshmen dormitory, part of my job required the completion of CBAs, or Community Building Activities. I was required to organize hall programs or events that involved everyone’s interests, and met a number of different criteria such as academic, social, diversity, service, and wellness. It was a way to build community, as well as encouraging conversations and relationships on the hall. Most of the CBAs were very successful, although I sometimes had to knock on a few doors to encourage students to come. However, by the end of the year, many of my residents were asking me when the next CBA would be. In this way, Allegheny definitely fostered the building of relationships and interconnectedness among students.

While Allegheny provides many opportunities to be involved on campus, it is unfortunate that some students still choose to remain isolated from social activism and community involvement. Students cannot be forced to do something they truly don’t want to do, and some students prefer to remain alone watching television or playing video games. Other students remain involved in groups and organizations, but only minimally. These students just attend the required meetings and events so they at least feel like they are participating. There has been speculation of an overall decline in activism among students, not just at Allegheny, but everywhere. I honestly don’t believe it is necessarily the fault of the colleges, but more a fault of the students. It is up to us to become involved and practice activism during our college years. Being involved in college and building strong relationships will result in positive experiences later in life. Continued involvement in citizenship issues will also help create a better place and world for everyone. Allegheny, while not perfect by any means, is setting the table for us to be involved, but to steal a slogan from Nike, we need to just do it.

Allegheny's Soapbox Alliance

On November 5, 2007, Allegheny College announced its newly formed “Soapbox Alliance,” designed to encourage colleges and universities across the nation to work towards the goal of having an open campaign-event policy. The Soapbox Alliance seeks to end the practice of “closed” or “ticketed” events that are subject to discrimination. This initiative stems from an event that took place at Allegheny College in 2004, when Vice-President Dick Cheney visited Meadville, PA and held a private, political event on Allegheny’s campus. Tickets to the event were distributed in advance, and the Bush-Cheney campaign controlled who was allowed to attend. The Allegheny College Republicans, for example, were given 40 tickets to distribute at their discretion. This tactic of selective ticket distribution was used by the Bush-Cheney campaign to make sure that there were no protesters, disruptions, or distractions during Cheney’s speech. Only supporters of Cheney were allowed in, and anyone who might oppose his policies were kept out. This is where the Soapbox Alliance comes in. Under the Alliance, at least half of the available seats are to be made available to the general public though some non-discriminatory means, like a lottery system. This way, everyone has a fair chance to attend, protest, and express their views; although, Allegheny President Richard Cook also notes that he would still support the removal of disruptive or uncivil persons from the event. While Allegheny College means well with the formation of the Soapbox Alliance, the problem with this initiative is that although it eliminates forms of political discrimination, it still locks out voices and creates more discrimination by not respecting citizen’s First Amendment rights.

The main problem with Allegheny’s Soapbox Alliance is the question of where to draw the line on appropriate behavior, or more specifically, disruptive or uncivil behavior. When is it acceptable or legitimate to remove a protester from a political event? Is it not within their First Amendment right to protest at an event? President Cook may say one thing, but someone else may say something else. For example, one person may feel that interruptions and yelling should result in removal, and someone else might feel that silent protesters with signs should be removed. The difficulty is that where to draw the line is often blurry, and to be perfectly honest, I don’t know if there is a right answer. The Soapbox Alliance has good intentions of letting everyone in, but it does not necessarily allow them to voice their opinions once they are in. In a way, it creates just as much discrimination as it eliminates. Denying someone their right to free speech locks them out just as selective ticketing locks people out, and that is a problem.

Another troublesome problem, for me, about the Soapbox Alliance deals with Professor Shea’s proposal that half of the tickets be made available to the general public. Why not make them all available to the public? If we are truly trying to end selective ticketing of events, we should make the entire event open to everyone; a true town meeting. I understand that this may cause some politicians to avoid coming to Allegheny College, and that is why Professor Shea proposed a collaborative or “give and take” arrangement. Still, I feel that if a politician is qualified and educated enough, he or she will be able to answer the tough questions and respond to the protester’s concerns. If I disagreed with a policy, but I saw a politician at least try to hear other’s concerns and questions, that politician would at least earn my respect. Doing the right thing is usually not the easy thing to do, but you never know how voters may respond. It might even change some people’s minds.

The Soapbox Alliance is a good idea with good intentions. I just feel that there is some room for interpretation that should be cleared up. When, if ever, is it appropriate to silence someone’s right to free speech? As I have said, I’m not sure that there is a right answer to this question. I do know, however, that Allegheny’s view of an “open” event still locks out some voices, even if those voices are actually at the event. It is something that must be considered if the goal really is to have a true open-campaign event policy.