Though it may be challenging, there are ways to create and promote diversity on college campuses! If you’re interested in becoming an advocate for campus diversity, there are a number of ways to be successful. With the help of the article 10 Core Ingredients for Fostering Campus Diversity Success, created by The Diversity Factor (a journal from Rutgers University), let's explore some key factors in how you can help change and improve college diversity on any campus!
Don’t follow the leader—be the leader
To have any type of DEI effort present on a college campus, you need a lot of strong leadership. If everyone sits back and says, “I’ll let someone else take charge,” then no one will step up their game for important causes and groups! Someone has to be the change, so why not you? Besides, college is a great place to start doing that! Taking on a leadership role would do your campus and yourself a lot of good in making the environment more welcoming and you more culturally competent. You’ll learn how to interact with new people, learn new things about different backgrounds, and make many great connections!
Related: A More Diverse College Search: How to Find Colleges With Strong DEI Efforts
Integration over separation
Your school likely has many groups that focus on diversity or promote the celebration of certain cultures. Instead of keeping all these clubs and organizations separated, find ways to intertwine them all! You’ll always find people you have something in common with, and integrating the groups will help promote the organizations as well as expand them. The expression “the more the merrier” certainly applies here, and the more clubs you have working toward one goal on an event, the bigger and more impactful it will be.
Don’t just involve students
Yes, most people you interact with in college are other students—but what about your professors, the deans, assistant professors, and faculty members? They’re a part of your school too! Include them in your organizations, events, or ideas to gain insight from the backgrounds of an older generation. They'll bring a lot to the table. Because they have an influence on campus, deans, professors, and any other staff member can help you with whatever you need and possibly make your ideas and events come to life faster and better than you expected! A team is only as strong as its weakest link, so if you have a strong team behind you incorporating ideas and advice from the most influential people in the school, you’ll be able to do great things.
Related: 4 Ways You Bring Culture and Diversity to Your College
Although this may all sound daunting, DEI efforts on campus are an important and exciting thing to take part in! Adding and expanding diversity on campus brings a lot to the academic environment as well as your life experiences. Diversity is a very important factor for protecting students while they gain an education, so regardless of whether you're a minority student or an ally fighting for equality, find out how you can get involved in college.
Learn more about the kind of diverse groups on college campuses with our article Fostering Diversity: College Clubs That Welcome Students of All Cultures.
