By
Michelle McCollum
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Different cultures, economic backgrounds represented at panel discussion
Even though John Rosenberger is Caucasian, he still considers himself a minority - but not because of his race.
"I consider myself a minority because I am a skateboarder, because I listen to heavy-metal music," Rosenberger, a political science sophomore, said at yesterday's student panel on diversity.
Rosenberger, who grew up in a low-income, high-minority community in the Bronx in New York City, was one of 10 students representing campus diversity at the discussion hosted by the Multicultural Affairs department.
Celia Sepulveda, director of education and outreach for the dean of students' office, said the panel was "for students to learn what other students know about diversity, instead of from administrators."
However, few students were found in the scattered audience of less than 30 people in the Memorial Student Union Senior Ballroom.
"Having this (panel) put away somewhere hidden is not helping. They need to put it on the Mall, where they can attract the students," said audience member Alex Wright, director of UA's African American Student Affairs.
Admissions and minority affairs representatives sat in the audience and probed the panelists for information about whether minority students were adequately recruited and, once enrolled, had enough incentive to stay.
Melissa Johnson, senior director of Multicultural Student Affairs, said the dean of students will also transcribe the panel's discussion into a printable document.
Johnson explained that the transcript will be used to update the university's definition of diversity and to make sure the administration is "on the same page" as minority students.
"Diversity is different approaches to life," said business management major Jeff Arnett. "Many things attribute to different approaches to life - different values, different lifestyles, different living circumstances."
Arnett, a Tucson native, came from a low-income, single-parent background to earn a UA scholarship.
Political science sophomore Amber Roan, who is Miss Native American University of Arizona, came to the UA from a culturally isolated life on a Navajo reservation. She said she felt that the different kinds of people at the university changed her perspective on life.
"I became more open-minded," Roan said.
But the positive experiences of the panelists were matched with the negative.
David Arroyo, who has lived in many countries on different continents, defined diversity as "just a word to remind us that we are individuals and we will have our own train of thought."
Arroyo, a business and pre-nursing senior who considers himself Mexican, has been forced to rethink his idea of diversity by the UA Chicano Resource Center.
"They expected you to act like a - I don't know if this is the right word - a 'thug.' They expected you to act a certain way. If not, they don't accept you." Arroyo said. "If you try really hard to be open-minded and not see culture or race, people will actually slap you in the face."
While the panelists argued that university students, for the most part, are unaware of the diverse opportunities available to them, Johnson said that by the panelists' showing of "sophisticated wisdom," the student body seems to be "very aware."
Johnson said she and her colleagues hope to stage more student panels in the future, possibly on the UA Mall, where more students can participate.
Audience member Cholik Chan said this would be a great event.
Chan, an associate aerospace and mechanical engineering professor, also serves as a faculty fellow in the Asian Pacific American Student Affairs office.
"I liked the panel because (the students) give their honest opinions and they're not afraid to speak," he said. "One major benefit is the great awareness of diversity. People are not born evil. If they are aware, then they will know better."
The panelists said they believe a more publicized discussion involving students will aid in unifying the various groups on campus.
"Get everybody from all over the Mall right there in the middle," Rosenberger said. "Get them communicating and (diversity) won't be an issue."
