Diversity, once primarily measured by ethnicity and gender, is today taking on a richer meaning at institutions across the nation as even the word “diverse†is being redefined by the emerging generation of college students and graduates, not just administrators and gatekeepers.
History is being erased and sanitized, as historic names with relations to negative chapters of the nation’s past are being removed from campus facilities and literature. Cafeteria menus and dormitory restroom uses are changing as are days of the year that honor historic milestones not noted in past decades.
Today, more people are being recognized by more distinct differences, while at the same time being included in increasingly different ways.
“Traditionally, diversity was about race, two or three races,†says Scott Snowden, director of the Center for Leadership and Service at Kean University, a minority-majority institution since 2011. Kean is where the nation’s first Latino fraternity and Latina sorority were founded more than four decades ago.
“There’s all these new views of diversity beyond race,†observes Snowden. “The minority student isn’t about race anymore,†he says, noting Kean may be ahead of most of the nation’s institutions in being diverse.
Still, it has to stay on its toes to stay that way in real terms, he says. “We’re beyond knowing about diversity,†Snowden says, explaining today diversity is also about religion, sexual orientation and disabilities, both mental and physical. “We’re about understanding it.â€
“We used to say ‘these are the things the students need,’†says Stacy Downing, vice president for student affairs and enrollment management at Delaware State University. “Now, we’re really assessing what they say they need.â€
