The authors of our book write about diversity: “Beyond
tolerance, it is the willingness to seek out, listen to, and appreciate
difference that will be our greatest asset as we participate in diverse small
groups.”
Finally, I have words that I can use to try to explain how I
feel about San José State’s being recognized for its diversity. Yes, there is a
lot of diversity here at SJSU, that’s true. However, I feel we are still on the
surface level of tolerating diversity and, as a whole, have not gone below the
surface to embrace it by seeking out, listening to, or appreciating our
differences. If we were to do so, I believe diversity could become our greatest
asset in the classroom and among faculty, staff and administrators, but I don’t
think we’re anywhere near that point yet. I do have hope that someday we will
be since we do have a Diversity Master Plan that states SJSU “…is fully
committed to making diversity central to its institutional and educational
mission and practices…(that) outlines ways in which the university can more
fully embrace and celebrate its diversity.”
Hey Lee well said. I totally agree with you upon the diversity at SJSU, which is underplayed. We see such variety of people, but there should be more ways to blend them together with some constructive program. I think faculty and teachers do make an attempt to teach the students to be tolerant of the differences and respect it. We see students of same ethnicity hanging out together in cafeterias and on campus because everybody is comfortable in his own zone and is not ready to cross over the edge to try something new. The positive side of diversity at SJSU is that it offers a good place to start off with cultural sensitivity. I totally respect few comm department teachers for being aware of the variations in races of their students and their special effort to bring everyone together with group activities.
ReplyDeleteI really agree with everything you said about San Jose State! I love the diversity we have here on campus, especially coming from the neighborhood I grew up in. I’m from Oakland, Ca and in the neighborhood I grew up in the majority of the people there were African American, and really the rest Hispanic. So coming to San Jose State, I really enjoyed meeting new people and ended up making friends I never thought I would have. It has and still is great experiencing the diversity but I do also feel we have to take every opportunity we can in making diversity our greatest assets to every aspect of our schools community. We are getting there, but I do feel we can do more things celebrate our campus’s diversity.
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