On Tuesday, the FUSA senate passed a diversity forum resolution, which is a suggestion to the administration to hold a forum or series of forums in the interest of embracing diversity during the 2005-2006 academic year.
The forums would address cultural, racial and sexual preference issues.
The senate believes that “recent events on campus have illustrated the need to recognize and embrace the differences between members of the Fairfield University community,” according to the resolution.
Many students agree.
“I know a lot of students who were angry with the cancellation of the same-sex forum and I think that students should have an equal opportunity to express themselves,” said Andrew Murphy ’05. “Both the administration and students need to accept that Fairfield students are different and don’t fit into a mold.”
Arthur Roberts ’07 agreed.
“After the last one was cancelled, the university can’t just sit back and not do anything about it,” he said. “The senate is right. Others need to be held regarding diversity.”
At larger schools without religious affiliation, diversity isn’t always such a problem.
Allie Reece, a straight junior at St. Lawrence University in New York, said that she lives in a Gay/Straight Alliance house on campus, affiliated with the school’s LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transvestite, Queer) club.
“Something like what happened at Fairfield would never happen here, regardless of the reasons behind the cancellation of the original forum,” she said. “My school and administration have an open mind regarding homosexuality and are supportive of my house and of LGBTQ students and faculty.”
Reece said that SLU usually has at least one gay speaker each semester.
“For the most part, the campus is accepting of differences on campus,” she added. “There will always be people who disagree with homosexuality, but what matters is getting them to respect it, despite whether they agree with it.”
However, schools of similar size to Fairfield have similar problems with diversity.
Mary Mason, a junior at Saint Joseph’s University, said that the majority of students on campus can’t be differentiated from one another.
“Most students look very similar and are all white upper-middle class,” Mason said.
“But we have a diversity office that gives a lot of presentations on different things, like race, class and sexual preference,” she added. “Things like these really help a school’s acceptance of diversity, both with the administration and students.”
SJU celebrates Rainbow Week and even had the mother of the gay boy who was killed in Laramie, WI come as a speaker when Mason was a freshman.
“The administration is mindful of the lack of diversity and tries to compensate in some ways,” Mason said.
But some students at Fairfield aren’t sure how extra forums on diversity will help the university.
“Can you really make people think they are more diverse when they’re not?” said Chris Pastore ’06. “I guess it’s just about getting people to respect and accept differences. I think the student body is pretty accepting already.”
“It’s hard for the administration, because they are employees of a Jesuit school and they can’t go against the school’s positions on issues,” he added.
Senate’s resolution will be passed on to the administration this week for review and consideration.
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