Look at it this way

This week is Student Government Association 2011 Diversity Week and I thought it would be good to discuss the week and compare it to some of the concepts we've learned in MQM about diversity.

Every year SGA has diversity week and they co sponsor with many organizations on campus to have many different programs that are interesting, relevant, and fun to students. This year their week consists of different movies on race, culture and politics, discussions and panels about diversity, the different languages amongst different cultures and so much more! Here is a link to the list of events

In Organizational Behavior we have discussed how organizations, mainly companies manage diversity and the affects diversity can have on the organization. I want to take these same ideas and compare it to how ISU and different organizations on campus manage diversity and its affects on campus. 12% of Illinois States students are from backgrounds that are traditionally underrepresented in higher education. We have diversity all over the campus. Like the different majors, organizations, lifestyles, ethnicity, job titles, religions, and perspectives individuals have on campus. I work in the Office of Admissions and usually prospective students and their parents want to know about the campus statistics when it comes to diversity and we refer to the Illinois State University Fact Book. In this fact book you can view everything from male to female ratio, ACT ratios, and how many students live on campus compared to living off campus.
ISU just like corporations have to manage demographic and cultural diversity to make sure different requirements are met like enrollment. With this is mind you can see how we can apply this to the concepts we have learned in class:Just like a corporation ISU can benefit from properly managing diversity by advocating higher Creativity in decision making, which can lead to higher retention rates, and  better understanding and services for students, which can lead to a less hostile environment. By simply applying just two of the concepts mentioned in the book we can begin to see higher retention rates and higher graduation rates all because students are more satisfied with the environment. If the schools show that they care and understand ALL students needs then why wouldn't students be satisfied? If enrollments rates are good then everyone gets paid and the school can continue to running. With this being said it is imperative for our school to have satisfied students and because we live in a diverse world with diverse people, ISU must learn how to manage diversity.  Because we have such a diverse campus it is important for the university, professors, faculty, staff, students and organizations to properly help educate about these differences. The campus has over 300 registered student organizations all of which are different. This along with the campus diversity gives us a competitive advantage to other universities. With programs like diversity week I think ISU will begin to see the positive benefits diversity has on campus.
The question I have for you is how do you feel about diversity on campus? is it something you notice/pay attention to?

Quasheena Ellis