Actively seek diversity

The recent incidents on campuses around the United States have been tragic and should serve as a wake-up call for us all. The problem of diversity as a whole is that we are complacent about it. We don’t engage in it, and it becomes nothing more than a statistic. Homophobia exists because there is a passiveness to our diversity. In order to truly cultivate a safe space, we must actively engage in diversity.

New York City is celebrated for being the melting pot of all cultures and identities, and that is why it is one of the most fantastic cities in the world. Part of the reason I wanted to come to Barnard was for its diverse student population, and I’m sure that I’m not the only one who came to this school for that reason. We are privileged to live in New York City and to attend Columbia University, both of which are LGBT-friendly places. At both Barnard and Columbia, the LGBT community and its allies are a very large presence on our campus through student clubs such as Columbia Queer Alliance, Q, and Everyone Allied Against Homophobia. When I attended the LGBT Breakfast during orientation week, I was so pleased to see enthusiastic new students who wanted to get involved right away with initiatives on campus and in New York City. That, however, doesn’t mean that we, outside of these student groups, cannot do better.

As much as our campus embraces diversity, outside of events hosted by such student organizations , I feel as though the student body as a whole is only passively diverse. We must step out of our comfort zones and engage in learning about groups with which we aren’t familiar. We should not be afraid to be educated about groups we are not a part of and to educate people about those that we are a part of.

While I do believe that Columbia and Barnard are safe spaces for LGBT students, there is always room for improvement. Currently, the only queer lounge available at Columbia is in Furnald, which means that Barnard students must often be signed in by others. Barnard’s campus currently does not have a queer lounge, so as the Student Government Association representative on diversity, this is one of my main, ongoing initiatives this year. In order to cultivate a space in which diversity is embraced, there must be an ongoing dialogue about our various identities and backgrounds.

As it is Queer Awareness Month, the student body needs to be educated about the LGBT community so that our peers can feel that this campus is a safe space for them and so that we can be the best allies that we can be. Any type of bullying comes from the influences and internal dispositions of the bully. It is up to us to have positive influences on those around us and also to support people bullied as a result of their identities. Bullying anywhere should not be tolerated, and it is our duty to be proactive in taking measures to ensure that tragic incidents do not happen here.

The author is a Barnard senior majoring in philosophy. She is the SGA representative on diversity and a Columbia Japan Society senior advisor.