Ending social divisions duty of all students

As students at Syracuse University, we have entered an environment composed of individuals who represent many backgrounds, histories and heritages. But instead of immersing ourselves in the diversity that exists among our peers, many of us remain within confines created by our own self-segregation.

Self-segregation is a known and prevalent issue on our campus that, as students, we must curtail. The Student Association annually identifies it as an issue it attempts to address. Most recently, the “Healing the Scars” panel highlighted self-segregation’s widespread presence on campus.

We are serving ourselves, and our futures, an injustice by not taking advantage of the opportunity we have been given to explore the many worldviews here at SU.

The university’s administration continues to work on solving a persistent lack of integration on campus through its Council on Diversity and Inclusion, Office of Multicultural Affairs and Slutzker Center for International Services.

But this is not an issue the university should be tackling alone. The problem is rooted within us, the student body. It is our responsibility to realize the advantages that further integration can bring.

There is no single, grand solution to an entrenched issue that has developed through years of individual and personal pasts. But we can take on smaller initiatives to connect with our peers.

Members of registered student organizations and other campus groups should better promote their events to attract the interests of a wider variety of peers. This holds especially true for groups founded by individuals bonded together by a cultural identity.  This would allow more students to learn about what a culture-focused group has to offer, and to discover a vantage not previously explored.

We can also ask the university to instill segments of diversity education into the first-year forum and orientation-style classes we partake in. Education alone may make some difference in the perception of one another.

Taking the initiative to become less self-segregated will not only benefit our individual collegiate experiences, but will also better the experiences of our peers. Many of us have recognized this problem, but awareness is not enough. It is time to act together for the betterment of our entire student community.