UT wants to prioritize diversity

Diversity at UT isn't what it should be, according to one UT student.

"I think we need to develop and improve this concept," said Abdulrahman Alrashidi, a graduate student majoring in marketing and president of the Muslim Student Association. "At the MSA, we are working with the [International Student Association] to improve this concept, and I have personally talked with the [Student Government President Mike Betz], and he said that his agenda is to promote this concept."

Everyone needs to be in on helping UT increase diversity, Alrashidi said.

"We need all associations to be involved," he said. "It's a very important concept, to understand and respect other people's differences."

Alrashidi said diversity is important because we live in a world with people of different ethnic and religious backgrounds.

"We have to understand each other and know each other's backgrounds and beliefs," Alrashidi said. "That's why I think diversity is a bridge to take us into peace."

UT President Lloyd Jacobs said the university is working hard to improve diversity, but issues of diversity go deeply into culture.

"It's more a problem of how people feel about diversity," he said. "We have to be mutually respectful of other people."

Jacobs said improving on diversity is part of UT's strategic plan and mission statement.

"The plan is a deep commitment for diversity; it's mentioned in the plan at least a dozen times," Jacobs said. "It's an important part of what it means to be a great university."

In an e-mail, Nina Grant, senior director of Multicultural Student Services, said there are several ways to make the university more diverse: by strategically implementing efforts to enhance college access and success for underrepresented students, by adopting the philosophy that diversity must be perceived as a process toward better learning, by transforming co-curriculum and by pedagogy to reflect and support goals for inclusion and excellence.

Grant also said an important part of a person's education involves diversity.

"We have to go and work in the real world, and the real world is a diverse place," she said. "In order for you to be a competent and contributing person, no matter what your ethnic background is, the more interaction you have. You'll have better cross-cultural communication skills and a better understanding of how you can interact with people from diverse backgrounds."

Jacobs agreed that education is one way to develop diversity.

"There is still racial disparity and education is the best tool to deal with that," Jacobs said. "[People need to] recognize that the educational process helps improve diversity; people should keep in touch with learning and consider the viewpoints of other people."

People have to be open to one another and honest to each other, he said.

"You need to put yourself into the shoes of other groups of people and look at racial diversity, sexual orientation, gender and see life through their eyes," Jacobs said.

Diversity involves more than just people of color, Grant said.

"We define diversity broader than that," Grant said. "We want to include international students … as well as our gay, lesbian and transgender students - people who have different religious backgrounds and our white students, so they have a better understanding of diversity issues."

Grant said one reason celebrating diversity is important is because it provides an opportunity for people from diverse backgrounds to feel they are contributing to the community.

"They get to feel like they are they are highlighting something from their culture," she said.

She said the university needs to retain as well as increase its number of diverse students. "I talked to a few senior students that talked about other students of color they came in with who aren't here anymore … because they may have dropped out," Grant said. "My goal is to assess that situation and see if there's something we can do to try to assist students with that issue."

Diversity is an important personal goal for Jacobs as well.

"My personal perspective, my own personal commitment is entirely consistent with the university mission, which is to improve the human condition," Jacobs said. "We have to recognize that God created all humans equal, and we have to be open and honest to one another."

We are heading down a road of trying to be a better university for all people, Jacobs said.

Jacobs is hosting a barbeque today in Centennial Mall, the President's Backyard BBQ, that will help to celebrate diversity from noon to 2 p.m.