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 Diversity at ASU 
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Students of color and other underrepresented minority groups are scarcely seen here at ASU. I often wonder why? Is it because no one wants to be the minority or are there truly other reasons? What does ASU do to promote diversity on campus? What do WE as students do to promote diversity in our student body?

I have had quite an experience here at ASU. It’s been good, and bad. I have been pointed out and over looked. Avoided and often times questioned of why exactly I came to App. “Are you an athlete?â€

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*Jennifer Clark*


Tue Oct 03, 2006 9:51 am
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Frankly I miss hanging out with a mix of people. I'm not saying that having black, Hispanic, Asian or other minority friends makes me not racist or that being around these (lost) friends makes me more open-minded, but I am saying that diverse perspectives give me a richer life.

After living in Boone for three years my perspective is so narrow and shriveled that I "see" minority people as minorities. ... words are difficult to describe what I mean by "see". As a comparison, when I lived in Raleigh I simply saw people as people. My family went to an urban church that was very integrated. When I saw a friend from church as a person -- I didn't notice the color of their skin, their accents or languages, etc. Now I notice racial and ethnic minorities because there is such a contrast between the white and non-white populations in Boone.

ASU is not doing enough about diversity -- regardless of how many Diveristy Celebrations are scheduled or what the University officially publishes about a 'growing minority population'. I came to ASU for the College of Ed. like Jennifer did and am glad to be here, but I also intend on moving to a someplace that has a mixed population. If Charlotte is one of the major sources for incoming freshmen and Greensboro is just behind it, then I expect the population of ASU to be far more diverse. That's not the case.

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Justin Pittman


Tue Oct 03, 2006 11:05 am
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I totally agree with what you are saying Jennifer. I used to cheer here and even the athletes would ask the other athletes that question. I have always grown up in a pordominatly white school. I lived in California for my kindergarten year and that was the only time that I would consider myself attending a "diverse" school.
I can not tell you why Appalachian is still segregated. I do not think that all of it is though. My boyfriend plays football so sometimes I sit at the football table with him, I can tell you though that at that table the black players choose to sit at the end of the table, together by themselves, and my boyfriend told me that in the locker room they pretty much stick to themselves? Now, dont get me wrong, most of them talk to everyone it just looks weird/segregated the way they sit.
That may be a stupid example and I do not really know if that answers any of your questions or concerns but, maybe the people are not really segregated. Maybe they are just sticking with what they know and feel the most comfortable with?! What do you think?

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Kirstin Lynn Blanchard


Tue Oct 03, 2006 12:41 pm
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Diversity at Universities -

“Diversity is strength. In an educational institution, the diversity of experience, diversity of opinion, and diversity of cultural background not only enrich our quest for knowledge, they are vital to our success.â€

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Melissa Venant


Last edited by Melissa Venant on Fri Oct 13, 2006 10:39 pm, edited 2 times in total.



Sat Oct 07, 2006 11:32 am
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One thing I would like to point out is the segregation not only at ASU but in the United States. If anyone has ever read "Shame of the Nation" by Jonathan Kozol then you know the statistics given are unbelievable. Take for example this from the text
Quote:
American public schools are now 12 years into the process of continuous resegregation. The desegregation of black students, which in creased continuously from the 1950s to the late 1980s, has now receded to levels not seen in three decades.... During the 1990s, the proportion of black students in majority white schools has decreased... to a level lower than any year since 1968.... Almost three fourths of Black and Latino students attended schools that are predominantly minority," and more than two million, including more than a quarter of black students in the Northeast and Midwest, "attend schools which we call apartheid schools" in which 99 to 100 percent of students are nonwhite. The four most segregated states for black students, according to the Civil Rights Project, are New York, Michigan, Illinois, and California. In California and New York, only one black student in seven goes to a predominantly white school.
What are we doing as humans, teachers, and students at ASU to promote desegregation? NOTHING, at least that is what it looks like. I am definitely struggling with this. I want to teach Elementary in the inner city and how do you face the problem of segregation in the 21st century? We need to be the ones to question the standards and find ways not only to promote diversity but also promote change!

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Traci Miodusewski :)


Mon Oct 09, 2006 10:17 am
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Quote:
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Although, a reason for lack of diversity at ASU is that some African Americans, Latinos, Native American, or International students are unable to achieve the minimum SAT scores required for admission into Appalachian.


Melissa V., i'm curious as to where you got this information?

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*Jennifer Clark*


Mon Oct 09, 2006 11:08 am
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This is a topic that's sort of baffled me since I came to ASU. Where are the minorities?!!? There's practically no diversity here. I just don't get it. :?:

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Emily Adams


Mon Oct 09, 2006 2:26 pm
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Ok, this might sound really stupid, but I'm going to share my thoughts anyway. I've been in University Singers since my first semester here, and that's the only class in which I've thought much about racial diversity. Why? Because we sing a lot of arrangements of African-American spirituals, and so then I start wondering if we actually have any black students in the class, and then I look around and realize that there's only one, if any at all. I was so happy to see that we have not one but SEVERAL black students this semester, and a couple of them are in the Chamber Singers as well. I'm hoping that this shows that we are becoming more diverse...? At least maybe the music school is. I'd still like to see more students of other racial backgrounds there.

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Lillie Jones


Tue Oct 10, 2006 7:17 pm
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I agree with Emily--WHY is ASU lacking so much diversity???
I don't know if any one person could answer this...but I would truly love to know. Like Lilly said, it's rare that you have ONE person of another race in your class...much less 3 DIFFERENT races. I think ASU needs to work on this.

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Anna


Sat Oct 14, 2006 11:23 am
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With what Jennifer was saying: I have lived in the mountains my entire life. I went to a little school, which was all white, with a few Hispanic students. Whenever I came to ASU, I was not really surprised at the diversity here, just because of its location.

Honestly, whenever I see African Americans on campus, I always think the same thing: wonder what sports they play? Since being here, I have heard that most African Americans think that it is too cold up here and that is why most choose not to come. I mean, I think its colder than hell here too, but I dont really think thats a good reason.

I wish that there would be more diversity on ASU's campus. One of my best friends up here was African American my freshman year and I have enjoyed getting to know friends of different ethnic groups!

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Ashley Dawn Gentry


Mon Oct 16, 2006 11:03 am
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