14 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, April 16, 1999 FRIDAYFocus Students ponder definition of diversity By Swah Lewis Daily Staff Reporter Diversity is a familiarword for many people these days, as the subject of affirmative action continues to be a key issue in the national higher education spotlight. Glossy pamphlets for colleges and universities nationwide proclaim the diversity of their student bodies, while employ- ment recruiters state their commitment to diversifying the workplace. The Michigan Daily, in conjunction with the Department of Communication Studies and the Institute for Social Research, has conducted a survey of student opinion on affirmative action and admissions policies at the University. The survey, a representative sample of 87 percent of the stu- dent body, found nearly 54 percent of female students said diversity contributed "a lot" to a better college experience, while only 37 percent of male students felt diversity improved their college experience. Female students were also more likely to believe diversity contributed to a quality classroom experience. Initial results from the survey also found of those students who believe affirmative action programs at the University have achieved equal opportunities for women and minorities, more than 61 percent feel the student body is "very" diverse. But of students who do not think the University has achieved its goals, only 23 percent feel the campus is "very" diverse while 59 percent said the campus is "somewhat" diverse. But University students define diversity in a variety of ways. Survey participant Cari Glide, an Engineering sophomore, said diversity includes more than gender, race, sexual orienta- tion and ethnicity. "It doesn't come in black and white or colors," Glide said. "I think diversity is having people from all walks of life." While Glide said she thinks the diversity of students - in regard to their personal experiences and backgrounds - is important, it has failed to impact her education because of the lack of interaction among students of different backgrounds. The University campus is diverse in many ways, she said, but "people still stay within their own groups ... you have a diverse population that still segregates itself." Glide said what she perceives as the University's goal of diversity through affirmative action - to give all people a chance to attend college despite possibly disadvantaged back- grounds - is not always apparent. The Daily's student survey found 58 percent of students who said diversity added "a lot" to the classroom experience did not feel the University has achieved its goals in providing an equal opportunity for women and minorities. But of stu- dents who said the University has achieved its goals, only 25 percent said diversity adds "a lot" to the classroom experience. Chemistry Prof. Nancy Konigsberg Kerner also said char- acteristics like gender and race contribute to diversity at the University but are not the only factors. The personal background of students, including knowledge, individual experiences and hometown are important compo- nents to judge the diversity of a group, Kerner said. "And each of us has an individual way we process informa- tion," she added. "I see that impact every day in the classroom." Kerner said results of investigations done through course evaluations that looked at students' perceptions of their knowl- edge and experience in the course reflect the value of diversity in the classroom. Team comprised of students from different disciplines per- form better than teams of students who have similar academic backgrounds, Kemer said. Law first-year student William Johnson said diversity should be a factor in the admissions process and that it is an important component of the classroom experience. Discussion is more "authentic" when the class is diverse, Johnson said. He added that the concept of diversity applies not only to the "easy-to-define" characteristics like religion, sexual orien- tation and ethnicity, but also to factors including political affil- iation and personality. Having a narrow cross-section of society represented in the classroom, Johnson said, can limit the range of discus- sion. People who have traveled or come from a poor back- ground lend creativity and "a wider range of ideas to tackle issues," he said. In addition to its effects on the classroom experience, diver- sity is important for students who are preparing for life after college, Johnson said. "Society is a colorful place," he said. "People need to know how to interact with others." Having the opportunity to explore different cultures and traditions also is "colorful and exciting" in itself, he added. Johnson said the University "seems committed to wanting to have a diverse student body," which he perceives as admin- istrators "trying to achieve a University representative of peo- ple across the country." But while the University is a more diverse place than some of his experiences, Johnson said it is a matter of relativity. "It's an issue of creating an environment once people are here," he said. He added that faculty members could be more representative of the larger society and that support systems for underrepresented student groups could be improved. Although she suggested the University sponsor more cam- pus events that could bring together the entire community, Glide said "at the same time it won't matter if people don't take advantage of it. It's whether or not you choose to expand your horizons, get to know different people ... you can't force people to talk to each other." From the Daily:. This survey was a collaborative effort between The Mic igan Daily, the Department o Communication Studies and the Institute for Social Research. The results are based on 873 interviews conducted with a stratified to probability sample of currently enro tsuin. Univers student usin a World ide Web-based questionnaire. The sample was drawn by the Registrar's ice and the results were weighted to account or demoraphy. Interviews were collected between March 30 and April 13. Readers who are interested in viewing the Web application may sign onto a sample of the survey at http://survey.isr.umich.edu/sur- vey/welcome.htm and use the Case ID of 201 and a password of ddl to access the survey. The survey 's initial results are published in today's Daily. For the entire sample, the margin of error due to sampling is +/- 4 percentage points, and it is larger for subsamples. Lookforfurther coverage of survey results in the Monday and Tuesday editions of The Michigan Daily. We also would like to thank those students who participated in the survey. - The Michigan Dail4 Demographics of respondents to The Michigan Daily Student Survey GENDER MEMBER OF GREEK SYSTEM RACE No Answer Other Don't Know atino/a Black N/A No No Answer Asian YEAR IN SCHOOL POLITICAL AFFILIATION Don't Know No Answer Graduate Student No Answer Diversity "doesn't come come in black and white or colors. I think diversity is having people from all walks of life." - Carri Glide Engineering sophomore C S As asked on the survey, "When considering the majority of applicants for admission to undergraduate programs, the University of Michigan constructs a Selection Index. An a picant may receive points based upon their persona characteristics." S We are interested in how you feel about various aspects of this point system. For each of these categories, do you approve of using the aspect in the admissions Economic disadvantage Leadership 0 20 40 60 80 100 0 20 40 60 80 100 Essay 0 20 40 60 80 100 I I Underrepresented race or ethnicity 0 20 40 60 80 100 I