Diversity Should Come Naturally

“How many people are willing to step out of their comfort zones and learn about different worldviews?”

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Transcript for Diversity Should Come Naturally

I feel like Valparaiso loves the idea of diversity, but we’re not prepared for diversity. Well, what is diversity? Diversity is, diversity is just a simple definition, a working definition is just having different world views all coexisting with one another, but how many people are willing to step outside of their comfort zones and learn about different worldviews? I include myself in that bunch. Very recently, I think last week I thought one thing I really hate about Valpo is that everyone thinks the same and everyone, it’s just a group think factory and my friend Sam invited me to his fraternity party. I was just like that’s not really my thing, but you know, whatever. I went there, and there are plenty of different worldviews there and I got to meet a lot of people who think differently than me and that kind of made me realize that any deficit or a shortcoming of Valparaiso University of it’s entity is really a shortcoming in my own experience of Valparaiso University. If I don’t think there’s enough worldviews out there, it’s my fault. There is plenty of worldviews out there that I’m not experiencing, that I’m not letting myself experience I believe diversity should become naturally, not artificially. I feel like advertising it, that’s what’s wrong with it. By saying ‘Hey we’re diverse, hey we’re diverse.’ you draw attention to this thing that really should be in the background. IUPUI was really big on this, seeing banners with diversity written all over it. What bothers me the most is when you think about diversity, it’s very synonymous with racial diversity, but you know there’s sexual diversity, age, class, disabilities. There’s so many aspects, so many aspects of diversities, and I feel it’s silly to sort of single in on one.