How To Encourage Diversity in Colleges and Universities

Before we talk about how we can encourage diversity in colleges and universities, we need to understand first what diversity is and why we should be aware of it. After all, it is hard to act on something we do not understand.

What Is Diversity?

By definition, diversity is the existence of different people with different characteristics in a particular group. It can be anything that makes you unique, such as your personality traits, cognitive skills, race, religious beliefs, cultural background, sexual orientation, political views, ideologies, socio-economic status, and more. 

On the other hand, diversity awareness is being aware and respectful of the diverse aspects of humanity, regardless of their unique characteristics. Colleges and universities are the best place for students to experience real-life exposure to many kinds of diversity.

Why Promoting Cultural Diversity In Colleges and Universities Important?

Since most universities and colleges today are becoming more diverse, it is essential that students become exposed to this diversity as early as now. 

When they go out of the real world, they will encounter people with various opinions and cultural backgrounds. Preparing them on how to handle this situation in school would give them the skill they need to communicate with these people and help them succeed in their careers. 

So how can you encourage diversity on your campus?

Remove Unintentional Discriminatory Policies Upon School Admission

Universities and Colleges should evaluate admissions and administrative guidelines and focus on identifying and eliminating any unintentionally discriminatory policies. To do this, they should allow diversity from the top down by allowing a diverse variety of stakeholders, including key positions involving leadership. 

If they can see that the university’s core recognizes the diversity within themselves, then it would create a solid foundation that can transcend throughout the school community.

Stand Up To What Is Right

One way to encourage cultural diversity and awareness is to make a difference within yourself. Most schools have policies that condone discrimination and harassing behavior. If you see someone doing such things, make a stand. You need to let others know that these things are not acceptable, especially in today’s world. 

Include Courses That Would Foster Cultural Awareness

There are universities now that offer courses specifically designed to encourage cultural awareness and diversity. Some provide optional programs that help promote campus diversity. 

These programs gather both international and domestic students to participate in various projects and workshops that aim to create a community of leaders and give them exposure to learning about the culture of other communities besides their own.

Conduct Diversity Awareness Events

Create an event where there are various activities that would help encourage diversity. It could be an event that would showcase different things from a particular culture. It can be food, a talent contest based on culture, or anything that can help educate the majority of the community about the cultures and lifestyles of other people.

Conduct A Diversity Awareness Training

Diversity awareness training can help promote cultural awareness on your campus. It gives students a chance to develop the skill to interact respectfully with peers from other cultures. It will allow students to identify their own unconscious biases, teach them strategies to interact with others, and discourage harassment and bullying on campus. 

Integrate the Culture Of Others In Your University

Encouraging diversity does not always have to be a battle of the race, but it can be done through an artistic form. A good example is what Hofstra University did. 

To promote cultural diversity, they used some of their collections from their on-site museum and used it to teach students about different cultures from all over the world. They learn about the history, art, and geography of various regions, which gives them a deeper understanding of these cultures. This helped them accept the people coming from these places.

We are all humans regardless of what we believe in and from where we came from. Just because you are from a different race does not mean that you cannot get along with someone from another culture. Knowing how to interact with diverse people will help you become a better person and achieve more things in life.

Hopefully, with constant practice and conscious effort, the whole world (and not just campuses) will be able to embrace diversity.