Have some self-esteem
We may have a new university president, but he apparently is no different when it comes to affirmative action, er, ‘diversity.’ Robert Shelton, like his predecessor, wants 25% of UA enrollment to be Hispanics, which would qualify the university to become an "Hispanic Serving Institution."
The disparity is not lost on the UA’s Hispanic population.
Giselle Celaya, a general biology sophomore who went to high school on Tucson’s south side, said her first day of classes came as a shock.
"I saw a lot of blonde girls. That was my very first impression, I’ll admit it," Celaya said. "I felt out of place. I was like, ‘Wow, I’m the only brunette.’"
Celaya said some people may feel intimidated by the lack of diversity.
"They just don’t feel like they fit in, and a lot of people don’t succeed because they don’t feel like, ‘Oh, this is where I belong,’" Celaya said.
[…]
"It’s very discouraging. It’s like, ‘Am I going to fit in? Am I going to be the minority?’" Celaya said. "And you are. You really are."
You know, some of us manage to get around our racial hangups and develop social and professional relationships outside of our ethnicities. It’s especially common for those of us whose parents did. If we can’t even get around the barrier of "fitting in" with people outside of one’s own ethnicity, the low Hispanic demographic is the least of our problems.
I have always been different than those around me. I am 6′4″, and I was reminded of that difference this Sunday when I stood up in church and everyone was at least a foot shorter. I am one big dude. Living in Colorado as I did most of my life, and being 6′4″ at 13, you get a different view. I also was many times the only tall white guy in the room. That’s life.
Comment by Norm — September 18, 2006 @ 10:04 am
You should have called for a Big and Tall Student Affairs Office. How could the university community ever expect you to develop social and professional relationships with short people?
Comment by Garrett O'Hara — September 18, 2006 @ 11:17 am
In her defense, there are a metric assload of those blonde bimboes on campus.
However, that doesn’t mean it’s right to assume they’re all the same, vapid stereotypes, nor is it right to use them as an excuse to seclude yourself with others only similar to you. Difference is a wonderful thing, and one of the joys of college.
Comment by Martin O'Hara — September 19, 2006 @ 11:19 pm
Yes, there are a metric buttload of bimboes. And yet people still complain of my ineptitude when I tell them I’m single and from the U of Arizona. Why would I want to date someone like that?
Comment by Garrett O'Hara — September 20, 2006 @ 1:07 pm