The Gonzaga Bulletin

Issue date: 4/28/06 Section: Opinion

I read last week's letter to the editor ("Gonzaga student athletes do not receive break")about how athletes don't receive breaks and there was one issue that jumped out at me: the question was posed regarding minorities and diversity on campus that, "If we allow other students with lower marks in for diversity, why not athletes?"

As a student in general, but especially as a minority, I resent the implication that minority students are not academically qualified to be at Gonzaga. I take part of that back, I don't just resent that statement - it outrages me. The fact that someone can make such an ignorant claim about minorities leaves me fuming!

My initial reaction, aside from anger and frustration at the level of ignorance that still exists regarding issues of diversity on this campus, was that someone needed to respond. I did not want to just write an article and run my mouth about the admissions policies to this University, so I asked Julie McCulloh, the dean of admissions, if she would be willing to meet with me to discuss Gonzaga's admissions policies.

She said, "Any student attending Gonzaga is here because we believe they have the academic skills to make it here. Honestly, the acceptance rates for students of diverse backgrounds are often lower than that of the whole population. One of the greatest reasons for this is the strength of curriculum. Many of our students are applying without a solid academic high school curriculum, especially in their senior year. We are trying to work very hard with school districts and with junior high aged students to emphasize the importance of a college preparatory curriculum."

The Admissions Office upholds its standards even when they risk not bringing as much diversity to this campus as some would like to see, but they are working to help increase it on campus.

Working to bring more minorities to campus or making a commitment to diversity does not mean that the students an institution admits are less qualified. Diversity in these situations is often thought of as negative, as if it were taking slots away from students that are more deserving of being here. The problem with this type of thinking is that it does not give any credit to the students of diverse backgrounds that are admitted to institutions.

The myth that diversity is negative is no different from claims made about affirmative action and how it reserves slots for undeserving, less qualified minorities and takes slots away from white people.

I find it interesting that affirmative action is still used as a point of complaint when Washingtonians voted it down in 1999. These complaints about diversity and affirmative action come across to me as a cover-up for intolerance. I am tired of reading articles week after week where instead of addressing these bias incidents that occur, and the fact that this campus does have problems with tolerance, people take it personally and want to show how they are the victims, too.

Letters similar to the one to which I am responding are laden with ignorant statements and ideas, and they are proof that problems regarding diversity and acceptance exist. It's time we started calling out those whom minorities face on this campus.

I have written this article for the people who pretend there are no problems at Gonzaga. I am interjecting my two cents just as one person's ignorant opinion of minority students and their lack of qualifications to be at Gonzaga was written in one of last week's letters to the editor.

Cara Hairston is a senior at Gonzaga.

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