THE UNIVERSITY has long prided itself on the diversity of its student body. Women make up 55 percent of its undergraduates; another 35.7 percent of undergraduate students are from non-white American backgrounds. Thirty-two percent of undergraduate students come from outside Virginia, hailing from 48 different states and 106 foreign countries.
The University truly is a melting pot of students from different backgrounds and experiences, and I love the diversity among the 13,353 undergraduate students here and genuinely enjoy the atmosphere. That is, until, all of the positive things that diversity brings to this University turn into negative ones, this time because of the conflict over the "Ethiopian Food Fight" comic strip printed in The Cavalier Daily last week. .
The University appears torn between a position of embracing diversity and fighting against years of past prejudice. As students, we find ourselves in the middle of this conflict, which can be perplexing and stressful. Do we welcome diversity and encourage dialogue among students about issues like race, gender and religion -- even when it sparks controversy? Or do we only welcome diversity when it is positive and when it can be written up into tidy statistics to make the University appear better? If we want to continue to be proud of the University we attend, we need to learn to embrace our diversity and accept each other, both the good and the bad. Making an effort, even in the slightest, to understand each other's differences can prevent the conflicts that afflict this University.
Every year, it seems, an issue involving race at the University emerges. My first year, racist slurs were painted on the Lawn. Students reacted with outrage at this vandalism and united against this bigotry by wearing black for the first football game. I remember how shocked and appalled I was that there seemed to be so much intolerance in a place as big and diverse as the University. Even coming from a diverse high school of 5,000 students in Orlando, Florida, I had never dealt with issues involving intolerance or discrimination..
Last year, we had Jaberwocke's new racially-charged dress code which banned clothing items like wife-beaters and baggy pants. Many students felt that this dress code targeted African Americans rather than any specific behavior, as the owners suggested, and a firestorm of controversy arose.
And after last week's comic, I feel once again confused at the lack of understanding among students at this University. As a school full of tradition, it seems that we should be able to unite over things as silly as streaking the lawn or as serious as the honor code. We are all here with the common goal of an education, and yet we still seem so disconnected.
Diversity at the University is something we've heard about since we moved into dorms. We all attended "Grounds for Discussion" and sat through countless meetings about being tolerant. Yet, all the University's efforts seem at least partially ineffective.. We have students with banners in their dorm windows that read "Gay. Not fine by me!" and students who vandalize lawn rooms with racial slurs.
The biggest problem I see with all of the intolerance at this school is that it even exists at all. I come from a far more diverse state with one of the highest percentages of minorities in the country, and I have never noticed as much conflict as I have noticed here. It is not right to point fingers at one group or another. It is not simply an issue of race, as we've also seen intolerance of other issues such as sexual orientation and religion. And it is not simply an issue of hatred. It is an issue of a lack of understanding among students, and a lack of desire to understand each other as well.
When a conflict arises, such as the most recent one over the comic strip, students are far too quick to react with rage. Not only would it be far more productive to take a step back and think about finding a solution as opposed to a punching bag, but it is the decent thing to do. We are all so different, and finding a solution to a problem would be much easier if we could learn to put all of our heads together. Public protests make the front page, but without dialogue, all the attention generated by the act will quickly disappear. Organized discussions could help students express their feelings in a positive and constructive manner. Both sides can voice their opinions and find a compromise, even in seemingly impossible situations.
Instead of focusing our rage on shutting down a newspaper, we should turn our rage into a positive lesson learned on diversity and all that it brings to the University. Instead of only focusing on everything that is wrong with the University, we should focus on the things that are right. The Darden Graduate School of Business Administration, for example, has seen their largest surge in both female and international enrollment at the school. This is a great accomplishment, and something that we, as members of the University community, should be proud of.
We will never be a completely unified student body, and we will never fully understand every person's views. But college is meant to stretch the mind and to provoke thought, and we must learn to embrace our diversity -- even during the most painful of moments.
Lindsay Huggins's column appears Mondays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at lhuggins@cavalierdaily.com.
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