Campus Diversity
Many families and students ask if Loyola University is diverse and accepting of all people. In my opinion, there’s always room for improvement, but for now, students like myself work hard to make sure there is representation and respect for minority groups. As you all know, I am Vietnamese and I am a first-generation student to go get higher education. This topic of diversity is somewhat sensitive to me, but I’ll try to explain everything as best as I can.
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As a university, we strive to be more respectful and equal to everyone. We try to do less judging and be more open-minded to the differences and talents people have to offer to the community. Even so, we have been in multiple classes such as theology and philosophy where Jesuit values are taught and considered. We try to be living examples of Jesuit ideologies by doing good things in the community and serving God. To say in the least, Loyola has a good foundation in which we apply our learnt knowledge for the greater good of society.
Loyola’s Student Diversity and Multicultural Affairs (SDMA) is a wonderful safe space for all students. There are fantastic staff and there are so many programs and topics that talk about diversity. I have used this office several times and I vouch for the usefulness and helpfulness of this office.
Click here for SDMA’s link!
There are many cultural and ethnic registered student organizations on campus who exemplify a colorful and diverse community. As mentioned before, I am the Vietnamese Student Association president and have pushed for a lot of Asian awareness, representation, and respect in this school. Through large events such as the New Year Celebration and Cuisine Night, many students gain more knowledge and experience in the Vietnamese culture. I am extremely proud of my organization and the significant and positive impacts it had on people. This same idea of diversity awareness applies to any other cultural organization or especially, anyone.
Everyone deserves to be respected and treated the same way, regardless of their race, appearance, orientation, gender, and so on. Though this should seem repetitive and you already know of this, I believe it should be reiterated. Many times, we forget that we may be hurting others by the way we talk to people, discriminate, and more. Given our American history, our national has come a long way and we have become more diverse and considerate of others. We must become more progressive and represent our generation as good, open-minded people. From the major tragedies to minor incidents, we need to learn from our mistakes and put in the effort to improve. As a community we must carry on these values and be ‘men and women for others.’
