Letter to the Editor: Gonzaga not committed to human diversity
Cameron Steinback
Issue date: 3/3/06 Section: Opinion
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We want you to know that our concerns are nothing new to Gonzaga. They are issues that involve several marginalized groups as well as individuals of our University.
Many of us have endured the psychological and physical stress that comes from being part of an underrepresented population within the dominant culture of Gonzaga to attain our academic goals. We chose Gonzaga for many of the same reasons as any other student. We too desire to be a part of a welcoming community that will nurture our academic needs and support our development as future citizens of the world.
What we did not expect was to have our goals, needs and values thwarted by closed-mindedness, lack of support and overwhelming indifference from the majority our classmates, professors and University administrators. We've had many promises and we will continue to demonstrate our grievances until they are fulfilled. This is a challenge to Gonzaga that will hopefully lead to a better and different experience for people like us.
Over the years, concerns, frustrations and issues deemed controversial have been voiced to the University through numerous channels by an overabundance of students like us. Administrators have pacified those students and forgotten their stories. Those students took their experiences to be heard and wanted to make sure they were the last to experience what they had on this campus.
We cannot ignore the fact that those issues from the past were subdued for the short term only to return again and again. We understand that real change is not always immediate in such serious cases and it is going to require a University-wide commitment to tackling the problems of our University. This is also why we will continue to express ourselves through the appropriate channels established by previous students and the administration.
Specifically, programs such as S.W.O.T., Alliance Forum, C5 speaker series or any program for that matter, which encourages open dialogue with all members of this community, are essential. We strongly believe that only continuous dialogue with a multiplicity of voices and experiences will strengthen our University.
However, we also believe it is necessary that as many members of our community are aware of our voice, our concerns and the issues that have been present on this campus.
For this reason we have stepped out of the aforementioned traditional dialogue sessions and are confronting this community with our individual truths; to ensure that our voices are heard, understood and most importantly constructively acted upon to enrich the experience of all persons at Gonzaga. We will continue to articulate our voices in hopes of empowering others to speak their values and to speak out against those things, which they see as detrimental to, or lacking in, our community.
We feel that it is our responsibility to ensure that ours and any other underrepresented voices are heard on this campus. This is our first step to the greater commitment of enriching the experience of all students at Gonzaga University.
Most importantly we want to ensure that future students will have chosen Gonzaga University with the utmost confidence that they will be entering an unconditionally supportive and well-rounded academic and social community. This means that Gonzaga will have to be willing to engage its students and assure them that life is not always comfortable and that only this makes growth possible.
We implore you to listen. Each of our experiences and issues are equally important and require your full attention and dedication. There is no one department or group that is responsible for the events that have transpired at our University over the years. We believe many of these issues concern all members of the Gonzaga community and require the attention and involvement of all the administration, faculty, staff and students. We hold you, the leaders of our community, and ourselves accountable for enacting change for the better at Gonzaga University.
Gonzaga has written a Commitment to Human Diversity that has been published in this year's Student Handbook. It states: Gonzaga University's distinguished tradition of humanistic, Catholic and Jesuit education recognizes that all humans have the same sacred origin, nature and inherent dignity regardless of race, sex, religion, nationality, economic status or other differences. The University believes in the principles of holistic education and strives to provide all community members with opportunities for a variety of experiences from which they can learn and grow. The University recognizes that the quality of education, as well as the growth and development of the human person, is enhanced by awareness of and learning from persons with different experiences, backgrounds and ideas. This approach equips all community members, especially its graduates, to understand and relate to persons from all cultures and backgrounds. The University is committed to promoting awareness and acceptance of human diversity. The University further strives to provide an environment in which all members can reap the educational and experiential benefits of a diverse community whose members reflect a variety of cultures, backgrounds, ideas, religious traditions, and values consistent with the University's traditions and Mission Statement. (Gonzaga University Student Handbook 2005-06, p. 90)
We commend the University for drafting this statement and making it available to all students. Now we need every person involved with Gonzaga, especially those who are charged with leading this University, to take action that ensures this commitment does not become just another statement of what we want to be, but a testament to who we are.
Cameron Steinback is a senior at Gonzaga.