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Gaber speaks on Diversity Month

Sarah Hochadel

Sarah Hochadel, Staff Reporter

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At noon on Monday April 4, University of Toledo President Sharon Gaber gave a speech about diversity in the Student Union Ingman room to launch the start of what UT is calling Diversity Month.

“It’s central to our mission to ensure that every student has an opportunity to thrive, regardless of their background, their religious or political beliefs, their ethnicity, disability, age, gender, race, social status or sexual orientation,” Gaber said during her address.

Gaber went on to describe ways that UT stands out from other universities on this issue. She said that UT is very welcoming and inclusive and that students are interested in learning about other cultures and backgrounds, and they will be able to do so not only throughout the month of April, but by simply being on campus.

According to Gaber, the student population is comprised of a wide range of different kinds of people. In her speech, she said that 50 percent of students are female and 50 percent male, 11 percent African-American, 4 percent Hispanic, 3 percent Asian and just under 1 percent Native American. She said the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer students are well represented at UT. She also said that collectively UT is comprised of students from 84 different countries.

“It is important that you understand, and that you think about, that you educate yourself about different people, different cultures, different lifestyles, and understand what that means, how we work together, and where we go together with that information,” Gaber said,

Gaber went on to say that the university has been developing their diversity plan since November which included hiring Willie McKether to assist Gaber with diversity awareness on campus.

Although the university is taking steps towards awareness, some students think there is much more work to be done. Jack Alferio, president of Spectrum, said, “I think there’s more that we could do, and more that they are taking steps to do, so I’m really happy about the progress we are making.”

Throughout the next month, students have the opportunity to further educate themselves about different cultures and peoples.

“It’s really up to the student body, to be honest,” said David Swain, a third-year bioengineering major who attended the event. “At the end of the day if the students don’t want to be diverse and be acclimated then it won’t work, you know, the staff can only go so far.”

Swain also said he was encouraged by Gaber’s speech, and has had his interest peaked, along with other students.

Diversity Month is full of events to help spread awareness to students who are interested in learning about other groups of people on our campus. Some events include: a keynote presentation from rapper and producer David Banner, dinners, film screenings and the Spectrum Diversity Ball. The full list of events is available online on UT’s website.

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1 Comment

  • Themistocles Pierre

    Ever notice they never talk about accepting a diverse variety of different points of view?
    Why not tell us about how conservatives, and libertarians, are under-represented on the faculty?

    [Reply]