Diversity: the art of thinking independently together. —Malcolm Forbes, entrepreneur, founder of Forbes magazine

What Is Diversity?

What does diversity mean? Better yet, what does diversity mean to you? What does it mean to your best friend, your teacher, your parents, your religious leader, or the person standing behind you in a grocery store?

Diversity means different things to different people, and it can be understood differently in different environments. In the context of your college experience, diversity generally refers to people around you who differ by race, culture, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, abilities, opinions, political views, and in other ways.

Surface Diversity and Deep Diversity

Surface diversity and deep diversity are categories of personal attributes, or differences in attributes, that people perceive to exist between people or groups of people.

Surface-level diversity refers to differences like ethnicity, race, gender, age, culture, language, and ability, in other words, traits that are quickly observable in a person. People often make subtle judgments at the same time they identify these differences, which can lead to bias or discrimination. For example, if a teacher believes that older students perform better than younger students and then gives slightly higher grades to the older students than the younger students, this is a biased action based on the perception of the attribute of age, which is surface-level diversity.

Deep-level diversity, on the other hand, reflects differences that are less visible, like personality, attitudes, belief systems, and values. These attributes are generally communicated verbally and nonverbally, so they are not easily noticeable or measurable. Deep-level diversity in a classmate may not be noticeable until you get to know him or her, at which point you may find that you are either comfortable with these deeper character levels or not. But once students gain this deeper level of awareness, they focus less on surface diversity. For example: At the beginning of a term, a classmate belonging to a minority ethnic group whose native language is not English (surface diversity) may be treated differently by fellow classmates in another ethnic group, but as the term gets underway, classmates begin discovering the person’s values and beliefs (deep-level diversity), which they find they are comfortable with. The surface-level attributes of language and perhaps skin color become less noticeable as comfort is gained with deep-level attributes.

Positive Effects of Diversity in an Educational Setting

Diversity matters in college because when you are exposed to new ideas, viewpoints, customs, and perspectives, which invariably happens when you come in contact with diverse groups of people, your frame of reference for understanding the world expands. Your thinking becomes more open and global. You become comfortable working and interacting with people of all nationalities and gain a new knowledge base as you learn from people who are different from yourself. You think “harder” and more creatively and begin to perceive in new ways, seeing issues and problems from new angles. You can absorb and consider a wider range of options, and your values may be enriched. In short, diversity contributes to your education.

Consider the following facts about diversity in the United States:

• More than half of all U.S. babies today are people of color, and by 2050 the U.S. will have no clear racial or ethnic majority. Communities of color are tomorrow’s leaders, and college campuses play a major role in helping prepare these leaders.
• In 2009, while 28 percent of Americans older than 25 years of age had a four-year college degree, only 17 percent of African Americans and 13 percent of Hispanics had a four-year degree. More must be done to adequately educate the population and help prepare students to enter the workforce.
• Today, people of color make up about 36 percent of the workforce (roughly one in three workers). By 2050, half the workforce (one in two workers) will be a person of color. Again, college campuses can help navigate these changes.^[1]

All in all, diversity brings richness to relationships on campus and off-campus, and it further prepares college students to thrive and work in a multicultural world.

There is only one way to look at things until someone show us how to look at them with different eyes. – Pablo Picasso

How Do You Add to the Diversity at MCC?

MCC has a diverse student body, so you will likely take classes with students from many walks of life. Which of these categories best describe you and your fellow students?

Traditional Students

Traditional undergraduate students typically enroll in college immediately after graduating from high school, and they attend classes on a continuous full-time basis at least during the fall and spring semesters. Traditional students are also typically financially dependent on others such as their parents, do not have children, and consider their college career to be their primary responsibility. They may be employed only on a part-time basis, if at all, during the academic year.

Nontraditional Students

Nontraditional students do not enter college in the same calendar year that they finish high school. They may not have a high school diploma, or they may have received a general educational development degree (GED). Some nontraditional students attend classes part-time due to full-time work obligations, or they may be full-time students who approach their education in much the same way they would a job. They are more likely to be financially independent, to have children, and/or to be caregivers of sick or elderly family members.

English Language Learners

English Language Learners (ELLs) are students whose first language is not English and who may take ESOL courses to improve their English skills. These students may be here temporarily on international student visas, or they may be immigrant, refugee, or Puerto Rican students who are permanently living in the United States.  Not all of these students take ESOL classes.  Some students have strong enough skills to test directly into college-level English courses.  Some international students may be native English speakers, like Canadians, for example. All of these students enrich our MCC campus by adding cultural diversity and offering unique perspectives. Consider joining MCC’s Global Union if you are interested in connecting with international, immigrant, refugee, and Puerto Rican students.

First-Generation College Students

First-generation students do not have a parent who graduated from college. College life may be less familiar to them, and the preparation for entering college may not have been stressed as a priority at home. Some time and support may be needed for first-generation students to become accustomed to the college environment. These students may experience a cultural shift between school life and home life because their families are generally unfamiliar with the outside of class and paperwork requirements of attending college.

Students with Disabilities

Students with disabilities have a wide range of skills, abilities, and strengths. These individuals may have various diagnoses including but not limited to the areas of neurological, physical, psychological, and medical conditions. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the College ensures that admission, services, activities, facilities, and academic programs are accessible to and usable by qualified students with disabilities.

Monroe Community College provides a mainstreamed learning environment for students who identify themselves as having a disability with Disability Services office. MCC Disability Services staff are committed to providing accommodations and collaborating with the College community to ensure equal access for students on an individual basis. Students must be able to function independently, are responsible for informing the College of their individual needs, and must provide the appropriate accommodation documentation for services. Reasonable accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis.

For additional information, please visit http://www.monroecc.edu/depts/ssd/.

Working Students

Many students are employed in either a part-time or full-time capacity. While balancing college life with work-life may be a challenge, time management skills and good organization can help. These students juggle being a student and being an employee, which can be very much like working two jobs at one time.

Commuter Students

While there are many advantages to living on campus, many students choose to live off-campus and commute to class. This may be convenient or necessary for students who have a full set of responsibilities and/or off-campus jobs. Commuting may also suit students who choose to live at home with parents to avoid room and board fees. Many returning students are commuter students, too, and may come on campus only for classes. At some colleges, like urban and rural schools, commuting to campus may be the only option.

Online Students

Over 8,000 MCC students take online courses every year, with some students electing to earn part or all of their degree online. Each semester, MCC offers over 140 different courses through the OPEN SUNY system, which allows classes to be taught over the Internet. Several degrees at MCC can be completed fully online including Business Administration, Criminal Justice, Mathematics, Sports Management, and more, and other degrees can be completed 50-75% online. Fully online students are not required to come to campus, so they access MCC’s resources through the MCC website and myMCC. Taking online courses is very different from attending classes on campus. If you are thinking about taking online classes, consider taking the online orientation course, available on the technology help tab of myMCC, to help you make the decision by showing you what taking an online class is all about.