EDITORIAL: More support needed at multi-cultural events

Unfortunately, only a meager amount of Fairfield students bothered to show up to the socially conscious “E-race-ism” event in the campus center on Monday. The Multicultural Center sponsored a free event with speakers, food and movies to engage the student body on a constantly present issue-racism-and only a handful of students could be seen in attendance at the event at any given time.

The lack of diversity on this campus is a worrisome issue. The faculty’s diversity is quickly dwindling: The Mirror reported last week that we have only five African American professors. One, Harold Forsythe, is expected to leave by the end of the year. Also, The Princeton Review ranked Fairfield University’s student body as the tenth most homogenous in the nation.

As students we should be worried about a predominantly white student body as the face of Fairfield. Sources have told The Mirror that in searching for a new president, addressing the diversity problem at Fairfield is going to be a priority for any candidate. At any credible university, diversity should be standard.

Our lack of diversity is by no means a sign of racism, but it does allow room for ignorance. Monday’s program offered enlightening information and an interesting dialogue about incredibly relevant issues. Obviously we have classes and prior commitments that prevent us from spending the entire day in the campus center. However, the effort to stop by and show our interest in a pressing social issue and more importantly to support the multicultural center is necessary.

As students we are presumably here to grow, so all of us should expand our horizons and sit in on an unassigned lecture every so often while learning something new and also very important.

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