Most recent edit on 2005-09-25 15:23:04 by EschaTon

Additions:
The definition of diversity at Penn State is a complex one. It [Diversity; the way you have written these first two sentences, it impiles that you are saying "The definition of diversity is weclomed at Penn State.." which I don't think you mean] is welcomed in the Penn State community, but it persists to be a subject of many debates. Merriam-Webster defines diversity with an extremely broad[ly] spectrum, saying, “the condition of being diverse: variety.” Does this mean that the goal of becoming a diverse community is to bring various cultures together to grow and learn from each other? If this is so, then has the goal of diversity at Penn State led us to put more energy into a multicultural university instead of an academic one? Or has there been too little of an integration so that race, sex, and sexual affiliation are not considered as important of an issue as they really are? Has Penn State’s definition of diversity become too significant, or not significant enough?
Of course, there are many benefits to integrating a society with various cultures and beliefs. Students gain new insights to their own lives by meeting people who have been a part of different experiences. A great environment is one in which a student will not only benefit from their professors, [this is not an independent clause; it doesn't need a comma ->]but also from their classmates. Someone who does not wish to be open to another’s culture may simply not understand it. If they have the chance to actually participate with a person whose beliefs differ from their own, he or she could become a better person because of it. Penn State encourages some students to study abroad in order for them to enhance their education by observing new surroundings. Promoting diversity at Penn State is an idea that should be widely accepted by the student and faculty population; however, not everyone willingly agrees with this concept. For example, is it fair when, to promote a varied community, a female professor gets a teaching position that a male professor was more qualified for? Students’ education will suffer because the University had focused so intently on employing women to better their gender statistics. [nicely put]
Diversity has been known to create conflicts between people of different attitudes and opinions. Political diversity exists all around us. Two opposing parties debate in elections to allow the public to decide which one they are most attracted to or that represents them the best. This enables them to affiliate themselves with a group they believe to be the right one. By arguing their opinions, political parties can gain, and in some cases, lose, support for their cause. Either way, when one believes he is right, the opposing side must be wrong, and vice-versa. Although this type of diversity may lead to a division of the population, it also gives people a choice as to which side they agree with most. One might argue that without political diversity, this country could no longer be based on democracy. We, as a people, would not be able to observe another’s opinions and relate to them; we would simply be forced to comply with the consensus. In this situation, conformity could possibly be the conflicting opponent of diversity.
Penn State is constantly striving to create an environment that works well for different kinds of people. There are two sides of diversity that come hand-in-hand. When there is not enough diversity, a person is forced to conform with the population. If we focus too much on diversity, this concept in which we wish to give everyone an equal chance, a person may get benefits that should be designated for someone else, simply because the person chosen was the minority. It is an ongoing process, one in which takes time and effort in order to encompass campus in tolerance for the misunderstood as well as maintain a person’s individuality by not pressing upon them another’s beliefs.
[Nice work. I especially liked how you equated diversity with choice and the competition between ideas. Fascinating. The opening sentences were rough, though, but I think this is minor, as the rest of the paper, as a whole, was astonishingly well reasoned, structured, and developed]

Deletions:
The definition of diversity at Penn State is a complex one. It is welcomed in the Penn State community, but it persists to be a subject of many debates. Merriam-Webster defines diversity with an extremely broad spectrum, saying, “the condition of being diverse: variety.” Does this mean that the goal of becoming a diverse community is to bring various cultures together to grow and learn from each other? If this is so, then has the goal of diversity at Penn State led us to put more energy into a multicultural university instead of an academic one? Or has there been too little of an integration so that race, sex, and sexual affiliation are not considered as important of an issue as they really are? Has Penn State’s definition of diversity become too significant, or not significant enough?
Of course, there are many benefits to integrating a society with various cultures and beliefs. Students gain new insights to their own lives by meeting people who have been a part of different experiences. A great environment is one in which a student will not only benefit from their professors, but also from their classmates. Someone who does not wish to be open to another’s culture may simply not understand it. If they have the chance to actually participate with a person whose beliefs differ from their own, he or she could become a better person because of it. Penn State encourages some students to study abroad in order for them to enhance their education by observing new surroundings. Promoting diversity at Penn State is an idea that should be widely accepted by the student and faculty population; however, not everyone willingly agrees with this concept. For example, is it fair when, to promote a varied community, a female professor gets a teaching position that a male professor was more qualified for? Students’ education will suffer because the University had focused so intently on employing women to better their gender statistics.
Diversity has been known to create conflicts between people of different attitudes and opinions. Political diversity exists all around us. Two opposing parties debate in elections to allow the public to decide which one they are most attracted to or that represents them the best. This enables them to affiliate themselves with a group they believe to be the right one. By arguing their opinions, political parties can gain, and in some cases, lose, support for their cause. Either way, when one believes he is right, the opposing side must be wrong, and vice-versa. Although this type of diversity may lead to a division of the population, it also gives people a choice as to which side they agree with most. One might argue that without political diversity, this country could no longer be based on democracy. We, as a people, would not be able to observe another’s opinions and relate to them; we would simply be forced to comply with the consensus. In this situation, conformity could possibly be the conflicting opponent of diversity.
Penn State is constantly striving to create an environment that works well for different kinds of people. There are two sides of diversity that come hand-in-hand. When there is not enough diversity, a person is forced to conform with the population. If we focus too much on diversity, this concept in which we wish to give everyone an equal chance, a person may get benefits that should be designated for someone else, simply because the person chosen was the minority. It is an ongoing process, one in which takes time and effort in order to encompass campus in tolerance for the misunderstood as well as maintain a person’s individuality by not pressing upon them another’s beliefs.

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Edited on 2005-09-21 23:45:32 by TrinFuff

Additions:
The definition of diversity at Penn State is a complex one. It is welcomed in the Penn State community, but it persists to be a subject of many debates. Merriam-Webster defines diversity with an extremely broad spectrum, saying, “the condition of being diverse: variety.” Does this mean that the goal of becoming a diverse community is to bring various cultures together to grow and learn from each other? If this is so, then has the goal of diversity at Penn State led us to put more energy into a multicultural university instead of an academic one? Or has there been too little of an integration so that race, sex, and sexual affiliation are not considered as important of an issue as they really are? Has Penn State’s definition of diversity become too significant, or not significant enough?
Of course, there are many benefits to integrating a society with various cultures and beliefs. Students gain new insights to their own lives by meeting people who have been a part of different experiences. A great environment is one in which a student will not only benefit from their professors, but also from their classmates. Someone who does not wish to be open to another’s culture may simply not understand it. If they have the chance to actually participate with a person whose beliefs differ from their own, he or she could become a better person because of it. Penn State encourages some students to study abroad in order for them to enhance their education by observing new surroundings. Promoting diversity at Penn State is an idea that should be widely accepted by the student and faculty population; however, not everyone willingly agrees with this concept. For example, is it fair when, to promote a varied community, a female professor gets a teaching position that a male professor was more qualified for? Students’ education will suffer because the University had focused so intently on employing women to better their gender statistics.
Diversity has been known to create conflicts between people of different attitudes and opinions. Political diversity exists all around us. Two opposing parties debate in elections to allow the public to decide which one they are most attracted to or that represents them the best. This enables them to affiliate themselves with a group they believe to be the right one. By arguing their opinions, political parties can gain, and in some cases, lose, support for their cause. Either way, when one believes he is right, the opposing side must be wrong, and vice-versa. Although this type of diversity may lead to a division of the population, it also gives people a choice as to which side they agree with most. One might argue that without political diversity, this country could no longer be based on democracy. We, as a people, would not be able to observe another’s opinions and relate to them; we would simply be forced to comply with the consensus. In this situation, conformity could possibly be the conflicting opponent of diversity.
When many cultures interact with each other, conflict is bound to emerge in one form or another. This is not to say that conflict is the only outcome of merging cultures, but those who cannot completely understand a person with different beliefs than their own may never learn to accept this person. On the other hand, when diversity does create conflict, it is sometimes for the best. In this way, one may learn to better understand the other side and possibly change their own opinions so that, in the end, there are no longer two opposing forces but instead one united group.

Deletions:
The definition of diversity at Penn State is a complex one. It is welcomed in the Penn State community, but it persists to be a subject of many debates. Merriam-Webster defines diversity with an extremely broad spectrum, saying “the condition of being diverse: variety.” Does this mean that the goal of becoming a diverse community is to bring various cultures together to grow and learn from each other? If this is so, then has the goal of diversity at Penn State led us to put more energy into a multicultural university instead of an academic one? Or has there been too little of an integration so that race, sex, and sexual affiliation are not considered as important of an issue as they really are? Has Penn State’s definition of diversity become too significant, or not significant enough?
Of course, there are many benefits to integrating a society with various cultures and beliefs. Students gain new insights to their own lives by meeting people who have been a part of different experiences. A great environment is one in which a student will not only benefit from their professors, but also from their classmates. Someone who does not wish to be open to another’s culture may simply not understand it. If they have the chance to actually participate with a person whose beliefs differ from their own, he or she could become a better person because of it. Penn State encourages some students to study abroad in order for them to enhance their education by observing new surroundings. Promoting diversity at Penn State is an idea that should be widely accepted by the student and faculty population; however, not everyone willingly agrees with this concept. For example, what happens when, to promote a varied community, a female professor gets a teaching position that a male professor was more qualified for? Students’ education will suffer because the University had focused so intently on employing women to better their gender statistics.
Diversity has been known to create conflicts between people of different attitudes and opinions. Political diversity exists all around us. Two opposing parties debate in elections to allow the public to decide which one they are most attracted to or represent them the best. This enables them to affiliate themselves with a group they believe to be the right one. By arguing their opinions, political parties can gain, and in some cases, lose, support for their cause. Either way, when one believes he is right, the opposing side must be wrong, and vice-versa. Although this type of diversity may lead to a division of the population, it also gives people a choice as to which side they agree with most. One might argue that without political diversity, this country could no longer be based on democracy. We, as a people, would not be able to observe another’s opinions and relate to them; we would simply be forced to comply with the consensus. In this situation, conformity could possibly be the conflicting opponent of diversity.
When many cultures interact with each other, conflict is bound to emerge in one form or another. This is not to say that conflict is the only outcome of merging cultures, but those who cannot completely understand a person with different beliefs than their own may never learn to accept this person. On the other hand, when diversity does create conflict, it is sometimes for the best. In this way, one may learn to better understand the other side and possibly change their own opinions so in the end there are no longer two opposing forces but instead one united group.

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Oldest known version of this page was edited on 2005-09-18 16:40:39 by TrinFuff []
The definition of diversity at Penn State is a complex one. It is welcomed in the Penn State community, but it persists to be a subject of many debates. Merriam-Webster defines diversity with an extremely broad spectrum, saying “the condition of being diverse: variety.” Does this mean that the goal of becoming a diverse community is to bring various cultures together to grow and learn from each other? If this is so, then has the goal of diversity at Penn State led us to put more energy into a multicultural university instead of an academic one? Or has there been too little of an integration so that race, sex, and sexual affiliation are not considered as important of an issue as they really are? Has Penn State’s definition of diversity become too significant, or not significant enough?

Diversity has been integrated into the Penn State community for many years. It has become a large issue that the “big-wigs” on campus must deal with every day. The Office of the Vice Provost for Educational Equity at Penn State was created to integrate different cultures into the University. There exists a commission on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender equity that advises the President of the University on issues affecting those who may be treated unfairly because of their sexual orientation. The Commission for Women at Penn State commits itself to promoting gender equality. In 2001, the Penn State Principles were created, listing these goals:


Of course, there are many benefits to integrating a society with various cultures and beliefs. Students gain new insights to their own lives by meeting people who have been a part of different experiences. A great environment is one in which a student will not only benefit from their professors, but also from their classmates. Someone who does not wish to be open to another’s culture may simply not understand it. If they have the chance to actually participate with a person whose beliefs differ from their own, he or she could become a better person because of it. Penn State encourages some students to study abroad in order for them to enhance their education by observing new surroundings. Promoting diversity at Penn State is an idea that should be widely accepted by the student and faculty population; however, not everyone willingly agrees with this concept. For example, what happens when, to promote a varied community, a female professor gets a teaching position that a male professor was more qualified for? Students’ education will suffer because the University had focused so intently on employing women to better their gender statistics.

Diversity has been known to create conflicts between people of different attitudes and opinions. Political diversity exists all around us. Two opposing parties debate in elections to allow the public to decide which one they are most attracted to or represent them the best. This enables them to affiliate themselves with a group they believe to be the right one. By arguing their opinions, political parties can gain, and in some cases, lose, support for their cause. Either way, when one believes he is right, the opposing side must be wrong, and vice-versa. Although this type of diversity may lead to a division of the population, it also gives people a choice as to which side they agree with most. One might argue that without political diversity, this country could no longer be based on democracy. We, as a people, would not be able to observe another’s opinions and relate to them; we would simply be forced to comply with the consensus. In this situation, conformity could possibly be the conflicting opponent of diversity.

When many cultures interact with each other, conflict is bound to emerge in one form or another. This is not to say that conflict is the only outcome of merging cultures, but those who cannot completely understand a person with different beliefs than their own may never learn to accept this person. On the other hand, when diversity does create conflict, it is sometimes for the best. In this way, one may learn to better understand the other side and possibly change their own opinions so in the end there are no longer two opposing forces but instead one united group.

Penn State is constantly striving to create an environment that works well for different kinds of people. There are two sides of diversity that come hand-in-hand. When there is not enough diversity, a person is forced to conform with the population. If we focus too much on diversity, this concept in which we wish to give everyone an equal chance, a person may get benefits that should be designated for someone else, simply because the person chosen was the minority. It is an ongoing process, one in which takes time and effort in order to encompass campus in tolerance for the misunderstood as well as maintain a person’s individuality by not pressing upon them another’s beliefs.





WORKS CITED

“Merriam-Webster OnLine.” 2005. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. 18 Sept 2005. <http://www.merriam-webster.com∞>

“The Penn State Principles.” Penn State Mont Alto. 2005. The Pennsylvania State University. 18 Sept 2005. <http://www2.ma.psu.edu/admin/student_affairs/principles.htm∞>