Diver-city

Hey guys--here's some info on diversity, not to be confused with diver-city (which is somewhere in the Bahamas probably.)

These are the perks of campus diversity as presented by Debra Humphreys. Stresses the importance of diversity to an academic institution at all levels.
http://www.diversityweb.org/research_and_trends/research_evaluation_impact/benefits_of_diversity/impact_of_diversity.cfm

1. Campus diversity initiatives have positive effects on both minority and majority students. They improve students' relationships on campus and affect positively their satisfaction and involvement with their institutions and their academic growth. 2. Beyond their proven capacity to improve access and retention of underrepresented groups of students, comprehensive diversity initiatives also promote satisfaction, academic success, and cognitive development for all students. 3. Despite these efforts, the research clearly documents that many students—including many minority students, white women, gay and lesbian students, and disabled students—still find the campus climate unresponsive to their needs, past experiences, and educational expectations. Students often feel marginalized in existing institutional cultures. 4. Involvement in specialized student groups—such as ethnic residential theme houses, support centers, and academic departments—benefit both minority and majority students. These activities appear to contribute to increased satisfaction and retention of those students involved in such programs. 5. Many students seem to anticipate and desire greater levels of intergroup contact than they actually experience on campus. In fact, opportunities for interaction between and among student groups are desired by virtually all students. When they do occur, such interactions produce clear increases in understanding, decreases in prejudicial attitudes, and positively affect academic success. These interactions are likely to be more beneficial when they are institutionally supported, when the participants are equally valued, and when they involve projects with common goals and outcomes. 6. Research shows that when students perceive that there is a broad campus commitment to diversity, there is increased recruitment and retention of students from underrepresented groups and an increase in all students' satisfaction and commitments to improving racial understanding. 7. Diversity in the curriculum has a positive impact on attitudes toward racial issues, on opportunities to interact in deeper ways with those who are different, and on overall satisfaction with the college or university. These benefits are particularly powerful for white students who have had less opportunity for such engagement.