Diversity-Is it a Catchphrase?

[sigmagrrl]

For quite some time now, I have noticed that the word "diversity" has come to mean many things and nothing at all. For example, when I hear women say their chapter is full of "diverse" women, what are you talking about?? I think the word has lost its meaning and has become a word that is thrown in just to make sure it's said during the recruitment spiel. The dictionary definition of diversity is " made up of distinct characteristics, qualities, or elements"...but it has come to MEAN racial or culturally mixed. Is diversity becoming too much of a catchphrase in Greek Life?

[LexiKD]

Well, I think this is a good point. I find that many chapters use the word to attract Potential New Members that don't want to be in a "cookie cutter" chapter.
My old chapter wasn't diverse at all and they still don't use the word. Everyone is an individual and we do have multiple races, but we all work towards a common goal. I think you cannot be too diverse and still work for one goal, it wouldn't be possible.
A chapter would want members with different talents in order to be well rounded, you always need sports girls, scholarship girls...and so on, but we all don't have to be 100% different to be a great chapter. That's why we have membership guidlines, to find PNMs that fit the chapter, if we just allowed anyone, we would be very diverse, but none of us do.
Many peolpe probably feel that you have to say that you are diverse in order to appeal to everyone, but really, why lie? There isn't a chapter on my old campus that was the real definition of diverse, but that's the buzz word during recruitment!

[33girl]

Yes, I think "diversity" has become a catchphrase used to "empower" members to get "on the same page" and "touch base" with each other.

Can you tell how much I detest corporatespeak??!?! Anyhoo, sigmagrrl, good topic.

I agree 100% - the word has lost its actual meaning and become lazy shorthand.

If you go by the dictionary definition, I definitely was in a diverse chapter. We ran the gamut in terms of personality, appearance, majors and background. But if you go by what people assume today when you say "diverse" - we weren't at all. But then again, the college wasn't either. I think when I was there the African-American population was only like 150 out of 6500.

It's odd that you bring this up now. I was just reading a letter to the editor regarding the topic of diversity in colleges. The writer stated that the first real "diversity" in higher education came with the GI Bill at the end of WWII. Many, many men who would never dreamed of going to college suddenly had the means and the opportunity to do so. It changed college forever from being only for the mid and upper class to something that everyone believed they could achieve.

That's what diversity is supposed to mean, but I think that has all but been lost nowadays. I think it's just people say to try & look PC.

[This message has been edited by 33girl (edited April 02, 2001).]