As the Council on Diversity and Inclusion tries to address the issue of campus climate on a large, long-term scale, we as students must realize that ultimately, the responsibility falls to us.
If we combine all the problems we encounter at this university and call it the campus climate, we move beyond what students can realistically hope to address. At that point, we imagine a broad and undefined concept that escapes simple solutions.
We often criticize administrative bodies for providing vague answers to real problems, but in this case, it is unavoidable.
But if we break it down, campus climate is really about the ways students ““ as well as faculty and staff ““ interact with each other at UCLA. It is up to each of us then, to manage our own micro-climate, to make sure our own corner of the university is a supportive and respectful environment.
Students know their own social group best, so they have the best chance to effect real change by noticing and addressing the issues closest to them. But this is not to say that students should stay within a small social bubble.
UCLA prides itself on the broadest definition of diversity among the UC schools, reflecting the many opportunities we have to encounter fresh and surprising perspectives. When the council completes its Diverse Learning Environments Survey, we will see just what that diversity looks like on a statistical level, in a way that we have not had for 20 years.
One of the best ways students can improve the campus climate is by appreciating and taking advantage of the multitude of voices at UCLA. Obviously, this is more easily said than done.
Most students don’t understand the concept of campus climate, let alone how to address it from their perspective. This board is not claiming to be any authority on addressing this issue, however, we have come to understand how being a UCLA student is meant to prepare us for a world in which we will face a variety of perspectives.
We all know the importance of being respectful of others’ differences. Administrators have suggested implementing a general education requirement related to diversity. Whether or not that change happens, students can accomplish similar goals by moving outside of their comfort zones.
Unfortunately, there are no solutions for the issue of campus climate. New students arrive at this university every year, faced with different problems and approaching them in various ways.
The broad range of perspectives and administrative arms represented in the council is important to understanding the diversity of student experiences. However, our only caution is that no amount of policies can address a concern that is primarily about the way individual students interact with and understand each other on a daily basis.