What good was Unity in Diversity Week here at NIU? It seems to me that the whole thing was a farce. It looked to be more of a social affair than a learning process. The Hands Across Campus was more of a gathering of fraternities and sororities than anything else. I walked almost the entire length of the line of powder that marked the trail, and minorities were very few and far between. The only group that sticks out in my mind would be a group of handicapped individuals. I grant that they were there, but they stayed in their own little group and talked with each other instead of other people around them. I thought the whole idea was to meet and see people that are ethnically and physically different than yourself. This clearly was not happening at this event.

The cafeterias had the samplings of food from other countries. I guess this was their way of contributing to the great Unity in Diversity Week. Why would one eat this food when the food services can’t even get macaroni and cheese right? Eating the food from other countries prepared by these people could ruin your whole line of thought toward foreign food.

They also had different ethnic groups singing and dancing out by the Holmes Student Center. They do this all the time, so what was the big deal? Just the other day the Hare Krishnas were out there doing their thing. It happens all the time, we don’t need a title to put on it for a week.

This is just one person’s opinion, but I know that I’m not alone. Many people didn’t get a thing out of this waste of a week. Oh well. Life goes on. Unfortunately, people will continue to think of stupid ideas, like the one discussed above.

Brad A. Stahl

Freshman

Pre-business