2008 Woodie Awards
Assumption is diverse when you look beneath the surface
Katelyn Henry
Issue date: 2/18/05 Section: Feature
Welcome to Assumption College. Peering in any classroom-a room filled primarily with a bunch of white kids-one can easily see that we lack any diversity. Judging by the cost of tuition, room, and board, you'll learn quickly we only welcome rich kids. Looking at our motto of "until Christ be formed of you" and our religious affiliation, it's safe to say the student body is comprised of devoted, practicing Catholics. Right?
Wrong.
The stereotypical image that people-including members of our own community-have about the student body at Assumption is beyond skewed. Too often, people are quick to point out the lack of minorities at this school and cry "Assumption is anti-diversity." While it is true that the number of minority students at Assumption pales in comparison to other institutions, especially larger universities, one cannot reasonably draw the conclusion that there is no diversity here at 500 Salisbury Street.
The problem can be compared, in a less serious manner, to watching a 3-D movie without wearing those paper blue and red glasses. You need to look at the screen through those lenses, or else all you'll see is typical film you'd expect to see on any other movie screen. With the proper perspective, however, the real movie pops right up and at you.
Looking at our school in the proper perspective, all the differences among us pop out in just the same way.
Besides the color of our skin or our ethnicity, so many factors make each of stand apart: gender, academic interests, home state, family background, extra-curricular activities, interests, and a near endless list of others.
Even within my own circle of friends-a group that obviously share a great deal of similarities-there are a plethora of examples showing how diverse AC is once you look beyond the surface.
There are males and females; we have come together from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, and even California; our majors vary from English and History to Biology, Computer Science, and Social Rehabilitation Services, among others; some of us are fortunate to have merit scholarships, others receive financial aid from the government, while there are even some who are able to foot the entire bill themselves; while some attend mass each week, others are simply Catholics by name, and yet others are Protestant or other religions.
In the future, long after graduating, this same group has plans to go on to be chiropractors, teachers, social workers, business leaders, and published writers.
While we all may attend the same college and have the same color skin, clearly that doesn't limit the variations in all other aspects of our lives. If you think to the people you have met on this campus, I'm sure a unique set of characteristics comprise them as well.
So yes, there are a good portion of white kids from well-off families and traditional Catholic upbringings that attend this school, but certainly that does not depict the school as a whole and it most definitely leaves out a major portion of most students' individuality. The next time you snap to the quick judgment that Assumption College only welcomes a certain kind of student, think how different just you are from all the others.
Wrong.
The stereotypical image that people-including members of our own community-have about the student body at Assumption is beyond skewed. Too often, people are quick to point out the lack of minorities at this school and cry "Assumption is anti-diversity." While it is true that the number of minority students at Assumption pales in comparison to other institutions, especially larger universities, one cannot reasonably draw the conclusion that there is no diversity here at 500 Salisbury Street.
The problem can be compared, in a less serious manner, to watching a 3-D movie without wearing those paper blue and red glasses. You need to look at the screen through those lenses, or else all you'll see is typical film you'd expect to see on any other movie screen. With the proper perspective, however, the real movie pops right up and at you.
Looking at our school in the proper perspective, all the differences among us pop out in just the same way.
Besides the color of our skin or our ethnicity, so many factors make each of stand apart: gender, academic interests, home state, family background, extra-curricular activities, interests, and a near endless list of others.
Even within my own circle of friends-a group that obviously share a great deal of similarities-there are a plethora of examples showing how diverse AC is once you look beyond the surface.
There are males and females; we have come together from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, and even California; our majors vary from English and History to Biology, Computer Science, and Social Rehabilitation Services, among others; some of us are fortunate to have merit scholarships, others receive financial aid from the government, while there are even some who are able to foot the entire bill themselves; while some attend mass each week, others are simply Catholics by name, and yet others are Protestant or other religions.
In the future, long after graduating, this same group has plans to go on to be chiropractors, teachers, social workers, business leaders, and published writers.
While we all may attend the same college and have the same color skin, clearly that doesn't limit the variations in all other aspects of our lives. If you think to the people you have met on this campus, I'm sure a unique set of characteristics comprise them as well.
So yes, there are a good portion of white kids from well-off families and traditional Catholic upbringings that attend this school, but certainly that does not depict the school as a whole and it most definitely leaves out a major portion of most students' individuality. The next time you snap to the quick judgment that Assumption College only welcomes a certain kind of student, think how different just you are from all the others.