Understanding Campus Diversity

In November of 2010, someone posted flyers on campus, causing quite a stir. The flyers, which included the contact information of a LBCC faculty member to make them appear official, mocked a group of students within our LBCC community, and ridiculed an upcoming event.

     The flyers reminded us of the importance of diversity on campus, both in our student body, and in the recognition of differing opinions that are a part of our community. As we begin a new year here at LBCC, we now have an opportunity to explore how our differences can bring us together, and help us learn to live in a world where diversity is our cultural reality.

     The flyers themselves, posted anonymously on the boards around the Courtyard, rebranded an upcoming discussion panel on LGBT issues as 'Come to Jizzfest 2010' speaking of the event as 'it's Cumtastic'. The response by the student body as the news spread of what happened ranged from shock that such a thing would happen, to passionate debates about if taking down the flyer had constituted a breach of first amendment rights. Articles appeared in the Commuter, debating multiple sides of the issue. Students signed letters denouncing the attitudes presented in the flyers themselves.

     However, beyond that, most students were at a lost as to what they could do to celebrate and promote our diversity. It is easy as a student to feel there is little they can do to shape their experiences here at LBCC.

     As we settle into a new year, we now have an opportunity to do just that. We as students do have chances to reach out, and help broaden our understanding in issues of diversity of all types. For those who are new here at LBCC, the Diversity Achievement Center is a great place to hang out, meet with like-minded students, and learn. Located on the second floor of the courtyard, and just to the north of the Learning center, the D.A.C. is open to students, and is a resource students can use.

     "Everything we do at the D.A.C. is about learning, teaching, and experience different aspects of diversity," Said Associate Dean of Students, Sandra Shinkle. "Get involved; get engaged. There are many opportunities. Volunteer, participate, and come to events."

     Any students can suggest topics for events at the D.A.C., allowing everyone to be empowered, and are encouraged to do so.

     As Counselor, Mark Weiss said, "I always hope education brings us to a higher state of being."

     Our diversity as a campus is a role we the students hold. It is an opportunity to broaden our understanding of a world that grows more globally connected with each passing day. We come to learn from our teachers, but we also have the chance to learn from each other. This is the great and untold secret of the college experience.   

     The posting of the flyers was an act that done quietly, but the response to it was anything but. We came together in the aftermath of the incident, and we must remember that we do not need to wait until such an event has taken place to speak openly and civil about matters of diversity.

     In the words of Martian Luther King Jr.: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

     We may not always feel this way, but no one is powerless.