I have been thinking long and hard about if I wanted to post on this subject or not. I mean who am I really to talk about diversity. I am a middle aged, white female. There isn't much diversity in me but, it's all around me. It's all around everyone and with this day and age of social media it's getting more and more attention and people need to pay attention to it.
Working in a college or university setting you are probably exposed to the most diverse population. A university is made up of all types of people. All different races, genders, ethnicity, sexual orientation, economic status, social status, emotional state, make up a university. As a member of housing you are probably exposed to it the most because you interact with all those students on a daily basis and are charged with making sure each and every student is housed and feels safe in the environment you are providing them. All of those different people are mixed together and honestly some are not use to such diversity and they need to be helped to understand the world around them.
As professionals it's up to you to set the example of tolerance and acceptance of all people. Especially this year being a presidential voting year there is a lot being said about all different kinds of people and the best you can do is the best to keep the negative out of both your work environment as well as the general student environment that you are charged with looking after. I am not discouraging not talking politics but I am encouraging that you do it smartly and carefully as to not offend anyone, especially those you interact with on a daily basis.
I honestly believe that the university system is the most diverse population in the world, no other place will have a blending of so many different kind of people. Just think about it, at any given American university there are obviously natural born US citizens, students who have come over from other countries in order to get the best education that they can get(especially those from countries who have limited higher education opportunities). You have whites, African Americans, Latinos, Hispanics, Europeans, Asians, Native Americans, people whose family has been living in this country for centuries, people whose family immigrated not that long ago. You have people of varying genders, you have obviously males and females, but you also have those who are transgender and going through major changes in their lives. You have all different sexual orientations, those who are homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual, questioning their sexuality and all their supporters. You have people of various economic statuses, those who are lucky enough to come from wealthy families that might be able to afford to pay for college, those who have to take out loans in order to attend, those who are able to get scholarships to pay for all or help pay for college, those who have worked for as long as they can remember and continue to work in order to pay because they don't want to take out loans. You also have people coming in from different social status, those that were super popular in the last school they were in and expect it to be that way again. Those that were considered the outcast and will find it hard to fit in to such a large population. Those that are somewhere in the middle and are trying to find the right place. Everyone trying to decide where they will fit in to the dynamic of the college setting. Even people of all different emotional states come to college. Those that are always happy and constantly see the sliver lining and the best of everything. Those that struggle with depression and have a hard time finding the good in life, those that have anxiety that will only be magnified in the high pressure situation of doing well in class and getting that degree. I know I am missing groups of people, but those are all I can think of off the top of my head.
As people who work in Res Ed, you are probably exposed to every single one of those people at some point throughout at least the college year. You talk to students on a daily basis and you probably know more about the population of students living on campus then those individuals actually living there. You have to help those students get along with one another. Most students will not have been exposed to all those types of people before and they will not completely understand or know how to interact with certain types of people. It's your responsibility to help them. Encourage them and guide them through their years of living on campus and hopefully teach them a thing or two about what is going on around them.
Best thing I think anyone working in Res Ed can do for themselves and for the students living on campus is to educate yourself and your students. Education yourself and your students on all the different groups of people that may inhabit within the residence halls. You might not be able to cover them all but you can do as much as you can. Best way to educate students is through programs. Programs that help students learn about the various groups of people I honestly believe will help those students become more well rounded and accepting adults. You are usually scared of the unknown, and so if you educate yourself and others about things that they might not know hopefully they won't be as scared and can have a better understanding of life and be more accepting. By educating on the various groups of people you are teaching tolerance and acceptance, not only of other people but of yourself. You honestly don't know who is struggling with what. If you teach students it's OK to be who you are and to be accepting of those who are different then them, then you are honestly creating a better living place for everyone. Will everyone be moved to change how they behave towards others, of course not. But if a program educating the students on a certain group of people even helps one person be more accepting of another then I would call it a success. With the way society is being divided, it's up to us to help bring people together and understand and accept people who are different then us. What better way to bring people of different backgrounds together then on a college campus where diversity runs through it all.
On a different note, I know it's spring break season, so safe travels to all who are going on adventures for spring break!
