By Rosemary Anderson
For me and many others, receiving an education from the University of Idaho is one of the best gifts we’ve ever been given. The campus is beautiful, the faculty and staff are welcoming, and the student body is diverse–or is it?
According to the numbers, 71% of students are white and only 29% of students are people of color. For a national average, 58% of all college students in America are white and the remaining 42% are people of color. From the 1970s to today, these percentages have been shifting more towards middle ground.
Although the diversity numbers for the UI may be a little higher than other universities, it’s not something to be proud of, at least not yet.
After talking to a few professors on campus, I learned that the faculty at the UI is disparagingly white as well. I was told that there are only about two dozen faculty of color. So how can we make our classrooms more inclusive?
First of all, we can hire more faculty of color. When there are more diverse faculty on a university’s campus, minority students are more likely to apply and attend. When students see instructors and professors that look more like them, they feel more comfortable in the classroom. Many feel appreciated when there are people like themselves who represent them at the administration level.
Diverse faculty are also more likely to bring conversations of citizenship and multicultural diversity into the classroom. Having multicultural and inclusive programs is another way universities can increase diversity.
Engaging with diversity and discussing privilege and racial relations in the classroom is important for creating an inclusive campus. Although the UI offers majors in Latin American studies, it only offer minors in other diverse programs (Asian studies, American Indian studies, Africana Studies, and Gender and Women’s Studies). The UI is getting there, but it still has a while to go before we can see more diverse major programs on campus.
Including diverse texts in classrooms is just as important. When students register to take an English course and see the required readings for the semester are only written by white men, for example, they may feel less inclined to enroll. Here on the UI campus, English professor Alexandra Teague makes sure to include authors of differing gender identities and cultural backgrounds to make all students feel included.
To further learn more about how UI can be more inclusive, I met with some students who are members of CAMP, a fund that “assists students who have qualifying migrant/seasonal farm work backgrounds by providing financial and academic support services.” Their biggest complaint was being required to represent their entire culture and community in the classroom. When conversations about DACA and illegal immigration come up in the classroom, all eyes move over to them. These students appreciate being a part of the conversation, but they can’t serve as a voice for the entire Hispanic and Latinx communities. Often non-Hispanic/Latinx students confuse their culture and project views of “otherness” on to them.
As a member of the LGBT community, I have felt this type of pressure as well. I am often called out in class when the discussion leads into “gay territory.” I have to be a representative for the entire diverse LGBT community when I am only just one thread in the tapestry. The professors and students around me think that I have a perfect glimpse into the gay community at all times. Although I do tend to stay educated on LGBT issues, I am by no means an expert. Some days I’d just like to go to class and blend in like everybody else.
As students, there are steps we can take to educate ourselves and protect minority students in the classroom. Let’s make sure their voices are heard, but not press them to put an entire diverse culture on their shoulders.
For more information on how to create a more inclusive campus, click here and here.
uiwomenscenter.wordpress.com 