Jasmine King
Contributing Writer
In spirit of Black History Month, it is fitting that we write about one of the most crucial issues on our campus: diversity, or lack thereof. In my experience here, a whopping one-and-a-quarter semesters, one thing has been very clear: the University lacks in diversity. When first visiting our school, I thought this was odd but did not think much of it. Once accepted, I returned with my parents, both of whom are African-American. The first thing they said to me was, “Jasmine, all these people are white.” I recognized that the University was far less diverse than I, and not to the extent that my parents would like it to be. Nonetheless, I was surprised to learn that on average only three percent of the incoming classes for the past five years have been of African-American descent from the United States. This means that most of our diversity comes from other countries. I must admit that I do not appear to be in the minority at the University. My mother is black and my biological father is white; when people look at me, they just assume that I am white because I in no way look of African-American descent. So, when I walk around campus I do not feel what it is like to be a minority, but from talking to my hallmates and my friends who do, they say it is quite intimidating since “everyone” looks the same. In the times that I do feel like a minority, I completely agree with my friends. It is hard not to feel awkward and introverted when you are walking around campus and you know that you do not fit in.
Our University should not segregate the campus; it is just plain weird that a very small percent of students are African-American and from the United States. Tradition is extremely important here and students are stereotyped as being conservative, but times are changing and minorities have just as much to offer as the majority. The College of Arts and Sciences is the only college to have any black tenured/tenure track faculty, with a total number of 15. This is not just sad, it is alarming. The University needs to accept more African-Americans. Then more students who are in the minority will feel more comfortable here and we, as Bucknellians, can pride ourselves in becoming a more diverse campus.