The inauguration of UCLA Chancellor Gene Block on Tuesday combined with the newly elected Students First! majority provides a unique opportunity for great innovations to come since both the chancellor and student government members have expressed a growing desire for increased diversity education at UCLA.
Block should be commended for his emphasis on attracting a faculty that incorporates diverse backgrounds, and General Representative-elect James Birks and Students First! Academic Affairs Commissioner-elect Jeremiah Garcia both have encouraging goals to enhance diversity education on campus.
Particularly, Birks has expressed the desire to strengthen themed floors in residential halls that involve cultural groups on campus. Birks’ desire to create more outlets for cultural expression and community is encouraging in its own right, but it alone does not fulfill the goal of increasing exposure to diversity.
We hope he takes further steps to ensure that students learn of other cultures in addition to their own.
Recently, the University of Delaware approved a plan to increase diversity education in a residence-life program that would hire outside professionals to ensure a meaningful and productive exchange of cultures.
By bringing in trained professionals, universities can avoid controversy over discussions that might promote specific views on issues such as race, and any potential lack of interest from residential assistants who would otherwise carry the burden of implementing the program.
Often in Los Angeles and UCLA, diversity is touted based on a racially and culturally diverse general population, but the true potential of this diversity is unrealized if people choose to segregate themselves from other racial and cultural groups.
The key to avoiding race riots and racial violence is bringing diverse groups of people together to interact constructively, not having a diverse population segregate itself into specific neighborhoods or student groups without ever reaching to other groups.
Though racial and cultural communities provide an invaluable resource for many people, the challenge that must be overcome is not allowing these communities to restrain our social relations.
We would like to see the themed floors concept developed a step further to ensure that discussion and cultural exchange occur between these floors and student groups.
Garcia takes a different approach to promoting diversity education by advocating for more cultural classes to count as general education courses.
While this plan has a noble goal and would certainly increase enrollment in cultural classes, students must take it upon themselves to branch out and take cultural classes they might not have a background in so they can gain a more holistic knowledge of diverse perspectives.
In addition, the university can ensure that a diverse range of classes is taught by bringing in more guest professors from outside universities to fill any gaps offered by current classes.
Ultimately, the goals of Block, Birks and Garcia are all encouraging in emphasizing the importance of a diverse education, and we look forward to new and innovative methods to bridging gaps between people of different backgrounds.