What does diversity mean to you?

At some point during the college process, one of the subjects we talk to our juniors and seniors about is diversity.  Of course that means different things to different people, and that is exactly why we believe it is important to discuss. Initially students mention race or perhaps religion, but eventually they will get around to the idea of economic, geographic, and even sexual orientation.

The reason I bring this up is I'm still thinking about the article on racial tension on college campuses we  posted a few months ago.  I would  like to think that my students are beyond that, but sometimes I wonder.  I'm pretty sure it would never be intentional, but they just don't have that much experience with the topic.  Nor do they really understand gender issues/feminism or what's it like to be around a lot of non-Christians.  They live in the Bible Belt, and some issues just don't come up that often.

I remember a former student who attended college in a much larger city than Chattanooga; it also happened to be in the Northeast, although that may or may not be relevant to the story.  Anyway, she stopped by one afternoon, and as we were talking about the first-year challenges she had faced, she said, "You know, I always thought I was pretty worldly, pretty sophisticated, and I guess I was for Chattanooga, Tennessee. But I really had no idea."

I think about that comment often. I'm not sure my students have any idea, not because they're blind to reality but because they've just never really had to live it.  They are blessed to attend a school that works hard to appreciate differences, no matter what they are; they attend a school that celebrates women and believes they can be anything they want to be.  Yet it's not the same thing as confronting the challenges of living in a diverse world on a daily basis.

My students will be challenged by a myriad of ideas and choices when they go to college.  While I know they have received the academic preparation to be successful, I hope they will also be able to navigate the other issues they will face, and I hope they will meet them dignity and grace. I am not suggesting that they have to agree with all the differences they will encounter, but I do hope - and I believe  - they will not respond with hatred or vitriol.  As I spend several weeks in Germany with a small group of students (they're living with host families), I am cheered to see them acknowledge the similarities and embrace the differences.  More than anything, this trip has reminded me of the importance of getting to know other cultures, other people, first hand.  And after watching my students on this trip, I'm not as worried about their college experience as I might have been.