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FORUM |
| The student outlook |
| SGA president welcomes new UGA students |
| By Adam Sparks |
Adam Sparks is president
of UGA’s Student Government Association for this
academic year. He wrote the essay which follows in response
to news reports profiling this year’s freshman class
that focused on the percentages of minority students.
I am extremely proud to welcome the Class of 2008 to my
university, and equally proud to admit that they have
a lot to teach me. As the most academically qualified
class ever to enter the University of Georgia (based on
grades and curriculum, in addition to test scores), I
feel as if I’m lagging far behind, senior status
notwithstanding.
The students whom I’ve met so far absolutely blow
me away with their talents, their skills, and most of
all, their eagerness to make an impact on the world around
them. As a group, they accurately reflect the broad, wide-ranging
concept of diversity supported in recent documents produced
by the University Council and the Student Government Association.
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Adam
Sparks |
That’s why I felt so confused
by some of the negative attention this class has garnered
from the mass media. Rather than covering the whole story
of an unprecedented group of students triumphantly entering
the university, a decision was made to focus on the slight
decrease in one demographic—albeit an important
one—in a surprisingly critical fashion.
Is the decrease in the percentage of African--American
students a problem? In that the university can strengthen
this dimension of diversity further, yes. We as an institution,
and certainly as a student body, have much to gain from
an enhanced African-American student population, not only
by learning from a different cultural background, but
from the geographic, economic and ideological diversity
and the unique skills and talents our students will apply
in the university community. We have 202 new students
who presumably share some features of a cultural background,
each with her or his unique story to tell and each with
something to bring to this outstanding entering class.
That background matters, and so do the stories we will
hear. I look forward to finding out just what it is they
each bring—not as a group defined solely by race,
but as members of several communities, the most important
being the UGA Class of 2008, 4,495 students strong.
The university has much to offer its students as well.
As the flagship school of the University System of Georgia,
we offer an education with ever-skyrocketing standards
of scholarship and research; many and varied prospects
for leadership; an array of activities and entertainments
via organizations created, run, and enjoyed by dedicated
members of the student body; and a welcoming and exciting
atmosphere in which to learn and live. More and more of
what I like to call “cross-cultural pollination”
is occurring in student life, from the residence halls
to Greek life to student organizations. We are learning
from one another in many situations, structured and unstructured,
crafted and spontaneous, and all stemming from a genuine
desire to expand one’s mind and one’s heart.
These are the trends that deserve attention. These are
the opportunities that illustrate the potential of a college
education.
I am happy about one consequence of the negative lead
in the news stories: people are talking about the benefits
and assumptions underlying the buzzword of diversity.
I hardly think carping about a smaller number is going
to do much good. Among the student body and at this institution,
however, a unique opportunity has come before us. We have
the opportunity to reaffirm and progress towards palpable,
substantive change in the way students—all members
of the university community—approach diversity,
tolerance and pluralism.
Our student body is in a state of transition as the academic
qualifications and potential of each incoming class grow
more outstanding each year. Student expression of curiosity
about and engagement with cultures different from one’s
own is becoming the standard, rather than an exception.
Robust discussion about learning with and from fellow
students, sharing a wide range of experiences and perspectives,
will invigorate the daily life of the institution, and
more importantly, the utility of our educations. Faculty
encouragement and administrative support of these probing,
public conversations will do much to further this evolution.
Let us foster a climate of community and personal growth,
reaching beyond tolerance, yearning for understanding,
and by defining and respecting the differences among us,
discovering all that we ultimately share. Let us not allow
this chance to pass us by. |
FORUM GUIDELINES |
To encourage discussion on issues affecting
the university and higher education in general, the Forum
section appears periodically in Columns.
Faculty, staff, administrators and researchers associated
with the university are invited to submit essays and respond
to previous essays.
A committee appointed by University Council and Staff
Council reviews submissions to determine which are of
greatest interest to the university community. Faculty
members of the Forum review committee for 2004–2005
are now being appointed by University Council. The staff
representative is Christie Sanders (Career Center).
Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views
of the administration of the University of Georgia or
the review committee. Articles will be edited to conform
with the Associated Press and the UGA stylebooks.
Guidelines for submissions
• Topics should be related to issues in higher education.
• Essays should have broad appeal in the university
community.
• Essays should be no longer than 700 words.
• Send essays to Beth Roberts (columns@uga.edu;
News Service, A-205 Stegeman Coliseum). |
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