We hear about it every time there is a Senate election oncampus. According to President R. Gerald Turner, SMU is committedto it. But many people on this campus complain about the lack ofthis elusive “diversity”.

This past summer, Michigan’s Law school and undergraduateadmissions came to the end of a long case that ended in the SupremeCourt ruling yes, and no, to certain admissions procedures that aremeant to ensure diversity.

But what exactly is diversity?

Last year, one of the candidates for Student Senate told the DChis platform for the upcoming race. His campaign pitch was simpleand concise: I am diverse.

Never mind the tiny hiccup in his argument – diversity being avariety, and variety being the absence of uniformity, or thecondition of being various – while he was just one in thesameness of himself.

We all understand his intention in using the word diversity.

The young candidate meant to say, “I am a minority, andtherefore contribute to the diversity of this campus. As aminority, my unique perspective can only enhance the Senate’spoint of view in looking out for the interests of all SMUstudents.”

If he had articulated his case in that way, he would have had anexcellent point. Diversity is incredibly important, if not anecessity, for any institution that seeks discussion, and discoursefrom students concerning the world around them.

For instance, if a professor is faced with a classroom full ofcookie-cutter pupils from an identical background, class, religion,ethnicity or race, she cannot bring to life contrasting ideas andvarious standpoints.

As seen in the case involving Michigan admissions, diversityappears to be deeply tied with ethnic background and race, while itis in truth a much more encompassing and, well, diverseconcept.

Much contributes to the shaping of an individual. Race andethnicity plays a large role in determining how one interactswithin a society, but it does not occupy a single or privilegedrole in creating what is deemed diverse.