Having spent three semesters at NIU, I’ve picked up on a recurring theme when listening to faculty and staff speak.

It is a theme frequently advertised, yet very rarely seen or practiced on this campus. That theme is “Unity in Diversity.”

Our school highlights that just a little more than a quarter of enrolled students are ethnic minorities. As a student of NIU’s CHANCE program, who also attended the keynote address of last month’s Martin Luther King Jr. march, I’ve had the opportunity to hear President John Peters speak on several occasions. Even in these instances, that same motif of diversity makes a heavy presence when Peters addresses the student body about the quality and prestige of this institution.

I don’t buy it.

What is diversity? However it is defined, it can be agreed that NIU thrives on it when trying to make a good impression on the public. It’s my belief that our institution is only diverse in the sense that students who come from many different walks of life just happen to be enrolled here. Is that diversity? Or is that coincidence? Diversity does exist here, but any sincere individual will tell you that in a place where racial tension is present, diversity is endangered.

The symptoms of NIU’s affliction are apparent every day, as students are more or less voluntarily upholding a zombified incarnation of the long-dead Plessy v. Ferguson doctrine. Too segregated are the dining halls in the dorm buildings and the social events on and off campus. Has college ceased being a forum for meeting new and truly different people? Coming here, I was naively under the impression that most people would integrate with others on their own. Instead, I found students of all colors quickly attaching themselves to groups according to race, forming alliances that are understandably natural in a sense, yet still come off as cowardly attempts to recreate familiar comfort zones and elude change. Although, there are many exceptions to this observation.

The biggest mistake that one can make, however, is to assume that an absolute solution can easily solve this issue, such as setting up programs to try and get people in a progressive mindset about changing the tense atmosphere around here. Trust that it is not an issue of pessimism when suggesting that there is no completely successful program of social integration that uses “diversity” as a tool to create dialogue.

The sad reality is that not too many are equipped with the appropriate tools to begin repairing the dilemma. Therefore, the propaganda seems to have an adverse effect on the majority of students. Do students buy into the idea of our fictional utopia of diversity?

“To be honest, it’s all a bunch of bull,” said Ollie Poindexter, junior finance major. “Individuals such as the president say things about us being diverse, but it isn’t as consistent among the students as it is among the faculty and staff.”

Maybe the most productive thing we can do is at least try to do away with the facade. We know the first step to fixing a problem is admitting there is one. I find it discouraging to hear from authority figures that one of NIU’s best attributes is diversity. Statistically, it looks good on paper, but the truth is, the idea of diversity has been abused here. Students have not realized its full potential, yet the university uses it to promote its image.

“Nothing’s changed,” said Paul Jeong, chemistry/pre-pharmacy major. “Of course, there’s diversity on campus, but this is my second year here and I think too many people still have that high school complex where they form cliques based on their race. The bonds between different people need to be stronger.”

If students don’t think NIU is diverse, why do we keep hearing the opposite from the higher-ups? Someone needs to step up and say what others won’t, to say what others do not wish to hear. I’ve had what I seriously consider the “privilege” of hearing the honest opinions of different people of different races.

Some black students have said they feel very uncomfortable in classes where all of their classmates are white. I’ve heard white people tell me in confidence that they don’t socialize with some black students because of differences in vernacular. These are issues that we are aware of but don’t talk about. Why do our leaders’ concerns seem a long shot from the concerns of the student body?

In an environment where adults make up the populace, it is ridiculous that so many people beat around the bush when discussing race issues. Where is the free exchange of different viewpoints? Why do the curious not inquire about things of which they may be somewhat ignorant?

Instead of learning diversity through adversity, we are pampered. We are told that we are in a place of peace and serenity because we are different and happen to occupy the same space. Our differences need to be brought out into the open so that we can address them, despite our personal opinions. It would be lazy and unfair for our generation to pass on the same set of problems to our successors.

So, in the true essence of the word, I must admit there are days when I fear that the company I keep while I eat lunch in Neptune Central better exemplifies the essence of “diversity” than the whole of NIU. I’m sure there are scattered groups of people across campus who do not limit themselves to racial alliances and who feel the same way sometimes.

Perhaps “Unity in Diversity” has an alternate meaning at NIU. Maybe it means that we’re all unified in agreeing to stay away from one another because of our differences.

For our sake, I hope I’m wrong.