Diversity is a core mission and value at Penn State. On campus, there is wide breadth of multi-cultural clubs, an office and resource center for minority students, and an administrative body that has proudly supported and pushed for student-led initiatives to promote inclusivity. At face value, PSU has been at the forefront of the movement to foster diversity in higher education.
However, as a PWI – predominantly white institution – Happy Valley is still lacking in cultural exchange. In common hangout spots – like the HUB or the Library – I often see students segregate themselves by race, religion, social class, and other arbitrary barriers. I rarely find myself amongst crowds that boast people of vastly different backgrounds.
So, the question then becomes, how can the university better stimulate multicultural engagement on campus?
Last week, I attended a deliberation entitled “Stirring the Pot: Recipes for Inclusive Diversity,” that hoped to address this pivotal issue. Hosted by some of my friends and classmates, I was excited to hear new viewpoints about ways to improve diversity at Penn State, and broaden my own perspectives of what it means to be diverse.
The deliberation consisted of three approaches: expanding financial aid programs for minorities and students from lower socioeconomic communities, increasing funding for multi-cultural organizations at PSU, and diversifying housing assignments. Each approach was moderated by one expert, though it was clear throughout the discussion that every member was well-versed on the subject.
Personally, I was most sold by approach 2 (funding for cultural organizations) – though not exactly as it was originally crafted. There was a clear group consensus that Penn State has done a strong job providing cultural clubs with the financial resources to advertise and expand their programs. Nonetheless, as we delved deeper into the discussion, the approach morphed; instead, we decided that, on an individual level, students could make greater efforts to strengthen Penn State diversity.
There are dozens of cultural clubs on campus, and an even greater amount of cultural events. As a member of BLUEprint, an organization that strives to offer academic and social support to students of color, I know that the PRCC (Paul Robeson Cultural Center) sponsors at least five to six cultural enrichment sessions a month. These programs cover a variety of topics and themes – including race relations, inter-sectionality, and cultural movements – and are really insightful and engaging. Yet, whenever I attend an event, I see the same faces, the same people who want to educate themselves about diverse ideas. In this sense, our group felt that students must be willing to go beyond their comfort zones and challenge themselves to learn about other cultures and belief systems.
I was very impressed by the level of professionalism and flexibility of the deliberation moderators. I thought that the approaches that they presented were robustly layered, and provided a strong groundwork for conversation. Furthermore, whenever our discussions digressed, they were able to ground us around a central theme, framing our ideas within a relevant context.
Overall, I really enjoyed my first deliberation experience. My only criticism is that I feel the deliberation moderators could have kept better track of time. We spent almost thirty minutes on approach 2, which limited our time to explore the third approach (housing). Nonetheless, it was still a phenomenal deliberation, and I look forward to what RCL students have in store next year.