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Why Diversity is Important in Higher Education

Erica Longamore

Western Carolina University

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I can never express enough how important I think diversity and inclusion are in higher

education. The development that one makes throughout their years in college is so imperative to

how they will coexist in society when they graduate. When I think about diversity, I just think

about the word, “different”. Some will say that diversity is strictly racial diversity. But I argue

that every single human on the planet is different. When any group of people come together, they

each bring their own opinions and ideas.

However, some differences may seem bigger than others. For example, anyone who has a

characteristic that is not a part of the majority, would be considered diverse. This includes racial

minorities, those within the LGBTQ+ community, religious minorities, etc. For the sake of this

paper, I will use this idea of diversity. I will also be considering the United States when I talk

about majority and minority. The white, middle to upper class, straight, Christian male is

typically the majority.

When I think about social justice, I simply think about equality. I think about how every

person, no matter what they believe in or what they look like, will be treated the same. We live in

a world full of biases and unfair treatment. People who are different than us are constantly

looked at as inferior.

There are many different kinds of higher education institutions. For the sake of this paper,

I am thinking about a public, four year institution, similar to Western Carolina University. I am

doing this because diversity and inclusion are ideas that I work with every single day and we

need understanding on our college campus now more than ever.

I was born into a fairly conservative, close-minded family. To this day, they still have

many biases about those who are different. I am so happy that for whatever reason, I grew up
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thinking differently than they did. Even though I spent most of my life thinking everyone should

be treated equally, I still had a lot to learn in my college years. I was lucky that the sociology

professors here at Western had such inclusive views. They taught me so much about the world.

They taught me that there is so much more to biases and prejudice than just not liking someone

because of what they look like. I learned that diversity and inclusion not only teaches us

compassion, but it also teaches us how working with others who are different than us can be

beneficial to both groups, rather than believing that we are all in competition with one another.

For example, imagine a person of majority. One day, they may be in a work place in which they

will be surrounded by people different than them. If they are ignorant and rude and refuse to

work with that person, then they may not be able to move forward with that career path. Not to

mention, having friends and conversations with those that are different than you is just way more

interesting than constantly having conversations with others who think just like you.

I also have learned so much in my time in the Department of Intercultural Affairs. I

thought I wanted to work there because diversity and social justice were passions of mine. I had

no idea that my learning would just continue and continue. I learned things like how important

some things are that most people find no big deal… things like understanding and using proper

pronouns. I will never forget how uncomfortable I was the first time I sat through SafeZone

training. But I was only uncomfortable because I knew I was ignorant. I did not know anything.

But the trainers insured me that that was the point. And commended me for making the choice to

become more educated.

I also saw first-hand how devastating it can be when cowards scream hate speech outside

of a dorm window. Every single day, I am reminded how life changing it can be to understand
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what diverse communities go through every single day. I will never know what some of these

students go through but every time they show me, I empathize and it consistently makes me want

to be better, and in return help others be better. I know that you can never be too educated. I

know that I have so much more to learn. And that is how everyone should feel. Because even the

most educated and compassionate person could still reach out to someone who is less educated

and less compassionate. The work should never be done.

The reason I am going into such detail about my own experiences is because they have

constantly showed me why diversity is so important in higher education. Students need to be

involved in inclusion and social justice programs so they can not only learn, but so that they can

go forward and teach. Nothing makes me more upset than hearing someone say that just one

person cannot make a difference. I do not believe that for a second. Every single day, a person

can choose to open their mind and learn something new. And if just one person does that every

single day, imagine how much more understanding our campus would be in just a month…. Or

how much more understanding the world could be in a year… or ten years. Our university has

the resources for programming. So there is no excuses. It starts with us.