Editorial 3/31/2017
Remember the 2016 election? How hyped up everyone got, how excited and dedicated people became? Well the Democrats and the Republicans ain’t got nothing on SGA. For those of you who don’t follow The Tower on Twitter or Instagram (@cuatower), a debate was hosted Monday night by CUA Debate Club, WCUA, and The Tower, in association with SGA. At the debate many important issues were brought up such as dining services, Cardinal pride, and SGA transparency.
However, the one topic that dominated all conversations was diversity. Whether it be a discussion of CUAllies or the Center for Cultural Engagement, every candidate made sure to posit that he or she was well-versed in the matters of diversity at CUA.
Ignoring the fact that the Center for Cultural Engagement has never received as much attention as it did on stage Monday night, it seems diverse is the thing people want to be. At the debate, the candidates faced questions from students of a wide variety of student organizations. Their answers all showed the standard support of diversity with some standout ideas present.
While it’s easy to see that SGA has a lot more work to do in terms of supporting diversity on campus, it’s possible that the administration has even more work to do on the same issue. If the organization members who are meant to represent the entire student body are incapable of doing so, it reflects that the administration has not done enough to develop an inclusive community.
If the university was serious about actively fighting the campus’ lack of diversity and racial sensitivity, they would educate students on the issue. Some students have taken it upon themselves to inform their classmates, from personal perspectives, about this need at CUA. These students should be applauded for their efforts and their work should be integrated into the fabric of CUA.
We need to stop making surface level changes and we need to start thinking about what defines our CUA identity and how we can better express that in the changing times. BSA, SOL, FOCUS, Gaels and the Arabic Club are some of the most involved and dedicated student organizations on this campus and they host some of the most dynamic events.
People at this school are dedicated to expressing diversity and making sure CUA properly presents the identity of its students; it’s time we as students, we as the administration, and we as CUA support what already exists.
