By nature, humans are diverse. It is fair to say diversity covers every single aspect of our daily life, including the shoes we buy, the food we eat, the people we vote for, the car we drive and the classes we take.
When it comes to diversity, our personal modus operandi becomes our own choice; you can state that personal diversity is protected by the First Amendment of our Constitution.
But why is social and political diversity so difficult to accomplish? Why does Ball State University approach diversity as a choice instead of approaching it as a responsibility?
For example, we can cite the Daily News forum, where I am one of the few columnists from an ethnic background. Most of the other people fit under the same category: Anglo-Americans.
According to our government, Hispanic and Latin American are not races; they are an ethnic group. Don't ever tell that to a Mexican. Mexicans believe they are a race.
Then we need to ask ourselves, is political and social diversity a choice or a responsibility for the Daily News? Do the editors really care about it? What about the writers? What they owe to the readers? Mono-opinions? Do they even think about it?
Are the editors, students and employees aware of campus's demographics? For the record, visiting the restaurants on McGalliard Avenue four times a week is not considered political or social diversity.
The numbers of Latin American students in campus is insulting. The last numbers we had for the 2006-2007 academic year show that there were 268 undergraduate and 38 graduate Hispanic students attending Ball State. An insignificant number of the student population on campus is Hispanic.
If you compare the data provided by Ball State's fact book for the last five academic years, the facts will tell you that Ball State is keeping the number of Hispanic students steady below 2 percent of the total student population.
The important question here is if Ball State is doing this by choice or by responsibility.
Any way you compare the data, you will find out that Ball State is below the Indiana's Hispanic population and/or also below the national Hispanic population level.
For example, we can say Ball State's Hispanic students are under-represented by at least 15 percent when compared to the national level. If compared to the state's population, they are under-represented by at least 4.5 percent.
The data for the 2007-2008 academic year will be published soon; if the new data and facts show failure again, then accountability needs to be implemented.
Those responsible for the failure to bring diversity to campus need to step down.
Diversity, whether political or social, needs to be approached as a responsibility. It's no longer a choice, and accountability also needs to be approached as a responsibility, not as a choice.
Write to Rafael at briones@bsu.edu
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