More College Norms - Final Words

Diversity on campus

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Aids scare

Final words

Hi! Welcome to the University! It's really great you'll be attending UMass Dartmouth this fall. Although I probably won't be around next semester to help you settle in, I'm still interested in your success. So, I've decided to take this opportunity to discuss one of the most important issues confronting college students today - living and learning in a multicultural environment. But before I share my experiences and thoughts on the subject, let me say that my comments aren't intended solely for African Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans or some other group of minority students. Instead, I believe that all students, despite their skin color or background, can benefit from what I have to say. Now, I don't pretend to be some kind of expert on issues of race awareness. I do know, however, that the rich cultural and ethnic diversity that exists in the real world is, to a certain extent, reflected right here on campus.

I mean, there are students here from all backgrounds, cultures, philosophies, religions, races, and nationalities. Each of them have their own opinions and expectations of what a college education is all about, and a lot of that education comes from living with and learning from others.

At times, college students can be too opinionated. But as a mature adult, you have a responsibility to respect the opinions and freedoms of others. More importantly, you don't have to compromise your own personal values or principles in the process.

Although it's sometimes difficult to sit and listen to what others have to say, believe me, this whole college experience is about sharing, learning, and growing as an individual. In order to take full advantage of this experience, you've got to remain open to different opinions and be willing to understand others. I guarantee you that years from now you'll reflect back on this experience and admit college was one of the most exciting and rewarding (not to mention fun) times of your life!

For me, it has been very rewarding just knowing that the diversity of students attending his college is really appreciated. It wasn't always that way, you know. As one of only a few students of color in the whole University, I can remember how difficult and frightening it was for me to adjust to that whole experience. Back then, I ran into so many people who had old stereotypical ideas of why black students were attending college. Because of my height, most people thought that I must have been recruited just to play basketball or some other sport. Wrong!

Believe me, I love sports, especially basketball. And during the season, I tried to attend every home game. But it's funny that when I mentioned to people that I was awarded a four-year academic scholarship from the engineering department they only stared at me in disbelief. You know the old stereotype - blacks can only dance, play basketball and ...

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that whites are the only ones to be prejudice or to rely on old stereotypes. In fact, I can recall the time when a couple of friends from home came to visit me during freshman year. They spent the whole day driving around campus raggin' on every white person they saw. When they finally found out that my roommate was white, they were surprised and really embarrassed.

I tried to explain to them that my first impression of Calvin was sort of the same as theirs. I mean, when I first met that dude, I thought he was, well you know, really strange. He hadn't been around a lot of black folks before. And even though he tried to hang out with me, it wasn't easy for him to fit in.

 Last Updated On: 12/20/06