According to U.S. News and World Report, San Jose State University has the 9th highest diversity index in Regional Universities (West) as of the 2014-2015 academic year. The higher the diversity index, the higher the diversity. This means that we are the 9th most diverse university in the West.
In a classroom mixed with Caucasians, Mexican-Americans, African-Americans, and Middle Eastern-Americans, my Jewish, homosexual Caucasian teacher admitted to us that he had to be trained on how to educate or talk about certain topics with different racial groups before he was certified to teach our American history class. He explained to us that there was still an education gap, and even a tolerance gap, at one of the most diverse schools in the nation.
It's no wonder teachers don't want to bring up current events; unless they have tenure and think they can rule the university, they're frightened of getting in trouble for what they say. I've sat through tons of classes with multiple teachers, and I am a millennial. This means that through my 12+ years of education, Columbine, Virginia Tech, 9-11, the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, Hurricane Katrina, the Recession, Rosa Parks' death, the monstrosity of Sarah Palin's political career, the first Africa-American president, Swine Flu, Ebola, the Boston Marathon bombing, multiple hate crimes and many other important events occurred. I can seriously say that the amount of times those were talked about in my classes up until high school were numerous, but as soon as I got to what I considered a more diverse, freer public university, I could count the times on my fingers.
In a classroom mixed with Caucasians, Mexican-Americans, African-Americans, and Middle Eastern-Americans, my Jewish, homosexual Caucasian teacher admitted to us that he had to be trained on how to educate or talk about certain topics with different racial groups before he was certified to teach our American history class.
Why is this? Wouldn't it make more sense that those topics and people's opinions on them would be brought up in college, rather than in high school? Aren't people more educated about a lot of topics than they were when they were 16? If so, why don't people speak up? If people do bring the topics up, why are they shut down? Why don't the teachers turn it into a discussion that people care about?
We're the generation who is being taught by those with tied hands. They don't want to talk politics for fear of getting in trouble for what they say. Progress is being made, because unlike the generations before us, we're the ones who realizes that our history isn't as pretty as we were told it was. At the same time, when three school shootings happened in one day, not one of my professors talked about them. Not one.
We are one of the most diverse schools in the country, so this should clearly give us more insight about what other cultures are like, but it doesn't. The fear of offending anyone stands in our way. While focusing on the curriculum, college experiences should prepare ourselves for a world beyond the books. When studying past history, shouldn't we bring up things like gun laws and Planned Parenthood, especially when history is repeating itself? Wouldn't this help to shape our way of thinking?
Label me simple-minded. Label me senseless or cruel. Tell me that these teachers have no control over this, because they don't and I know they don't. Society is so stunted, and people are so afraid to bring up anything besides textbook material that it may be a long time before universities like mine turn the tide. A student desiring a worldly view and a satisfying higher education can dream. For now, let this be my call to action: if something important happens, or it's the anniversary of a national event that means something to you, bring it up. The school as a whole is supposed to care, and you have the voice to make them do so.
