Diversity at JMU

I remember driving up to my dorm on move in day, opening the car door, and stepping out into… Pleasantville. I carefully looked over all the new faces that I would be living with for the next year. I was surprised to see that they all looked just about he same. These were definitely cookie cutter children. They were all decorated a little differently, but they were definitely made from the same mold and with the same ingredients. I’m sure if I took a bite they would taste like middle class Caucasian kids. Kids that went to church with their families on Sundays and football games on Friday nights. Kids that made good grades in high school and shopped at American Eagle.

Now that I’ve gotten to know these other cookie cutter students here at JMU I can definitely say for sure that my first impression was corr

Eighty-six percent of James Madison students that were interviewed wish the campus was more diverse. “Because the majority of students at JMU are Caucasian Christians, and in an environment where there is an large majority, most activities on campus will be tailored for that group, not allowing for many activities that will expose people to new views, expand their horizons, etc.” says Stewart “If a person is in an environment in which their views and beliefs are never challenged, and they're never forced to think about ‘why’ they have those particular opinions, then they wont grow as a human being, and also, as soon as they're exposed to differing opinions, they'll be threatened by them.”

at JMU was imperative. He reasons that “what happens at schools and universities is very

I interviewed several undergraduates attending James Madison University on their thoughts and feelings on the diversity issue on campus and the importance of experiencing a wider range of views. When asked if they thought diversity was important, one hundred percent of the participants answered “Yes”. “Diversity is important because it exposes people to other cultures, which allows for an exchange of beliefs, values, opinions, etc. When people are exposed to new views, it challenges their own, which in turn will either reinforce their views, or make them change.” Carolyn Stewart said “Living in a diverse environment allows one to grow, as well as learn about new cultures,

The issue of diversity here at JMU is not a new one. Everyone is aware of it, students and faculty. Evidence of this can be seen by talking to anyone on campus or even reading The Breeze. On November 7th of 2002 an article was printed in The Breeze outlining a workshop held on campus designed to give the JMU communi

Some topics in this essay:
, Caucasian Christians, Eagle I’ve, Linwood Rose, Madison University, Angela Sertzoglou, American Indian, Christophe Rèthorè, Carrier Library, Brooke Armstrong, james madison, cookie cutter, cutter children, madison university, majority students, diversity jmu, james madison university, students jmu, cookie cutter children,