Being a Minority in Wisconsin-Madison

<p>Let me get this straight: a current UW student posts a comment, in response to a question asking about UW and diversity, essentially blames UW’s inhospitality towards minorities on the minorities themselves, urges the questioner to act more like the majority, then when I call him/her on his/her outrageous comment this is the response: “That’s why a lot of people don’t like Asians. Because many of them seem extremely exclusive and judgemental. It’s the antisocial behaviors that create tension, not where you’re from.”</p>

<p>TRANSLATION: A lot of UW students don’t like Asians and it’s the Asians’ fault! </p>

<p>Seriously???</p>

<p>And then everybody on the board attacks ME and says I’M the problem? </p>

<p>Wow. You people really don’t understand what it means to embrace diversity. You truly don’t. </p>

<p>UW minority applicants: take note.</p>

<p>Self-segregation of minority students is an issue on nearly every campus. Here’s what a leading college review site says about NOVA’s actual state U.</p>

<p>"Student opinion varies a great deal on diversity issues. Some believe that diversity at UVA is good and getting better, while others see the University as primarily a school for rich white kids. Much of this depends on personal experience. Many students have encountered self-segregation among the various campus groups and feel this is one of the biggest barriers to a functioning diversity. The best way to experience diversity at Virginia is to seek it out for yourself—there are many different people at the school, once you get past social cliques. Now that the old stereotypes of first year dorms have been eradicated, there is really a chance for all students to intermingle successfully.</p>

<p>Overall, UVA could do better with diversity, but at least the administration recognizes this and is trying to promote a new look for the school. Tolerance and political involvement are getting better, and despite the self-segregation, there are still days when you’ll be surprised at how many languages you hear spoken or the mix of different students you see studying together in the library or partying on the Corner at Baja Bean or No. 3. Online organizations like Sustained Dialogue are taking steps to promote a more fully united campus community with parties like “Mix It Up” and open forums for discussion of issues of diversity on campus.</p>

<p>And the same site for the UW</p>

<p>When it comes to campus diversity, for students, it’s more about how you define the term diversity. For those addressing differing personality and lifestyles, Madison is the leader of diversity. This is partly the result of campus-size. With over 45,000 students and hundreds of academic programs, people with every type of quirky element are drawn to UW. More so, many different organizations and clubs are set up to foster and nurture such contrasting people.</p>

<p>Racially, though, UW is less diverse. In the past two years, UW has gone up two percent in terms of diversity, as approximately 12.5 percent of students fall into minority categories, up from 10 percent in 2006. There is a growing trend of more international and study abroad students as well. Some students still find this statistic unfortunately low, however, and link it to the university’s Midwest location. But though UW’s minority student population may be small, it is very strong in terms of presence. Many of the diversity clubs at the university are the ones offering the most activities and opportunities to students. These clubs will often hold information fairs, social gatherings, debate forums, and educational seminars. One downside is that students don’t feel minority groups spend much time on recruitment.</p>

<p>And just last week a NOVA based right-wing group published a “report” attacking UW’s affirmative action policies in admissions. The response by the UW community was swift and outraged.</p>

<p>n <a href=“http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/education/campus_connection/article_965937fc-e0a5-11e0-b19f-001cc4c002e0.html?sourcetrack=moreArticle[/url]”>http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/education/campus_connection/article_965937fc-e0a5-11e0-b19f-001cc4c002e0.html?sourcetrack=moreArticle&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>People let’s not make this forum a battle between barrons and nova. Minority students- visit the campus, talk to those in your minority group. Like the blind men and the elephant everyone will see a different aspect of the campus and student body. Winnow the “wheat from the chaff” (and look for the plaque with the whole quote on campus). Consider your personality and needs. Your attitude can make a huge difference.</p>

<p>I refuse to argue with nova, I will only state that when I urged the OP to “act more like the majority” (not my words) I simply meant be outgoing, friendly, and open-minded. I think that is clear from what I posted. I’m not even saying the entire majority is like that. But it is true for anyone, minority or not, that if you act exclusionary you will not be well-liked, and that is what I said.</p>

<p>But that’s all I’m going to say because there’s no point to this anymore.</p>