Racial and Cultural Diversity and Inclusion at Southern Virginia University
Southern Virginia University is considered to be rich in diversity, but in what ways is that represented? Is inclusion exhibited? What changes need to be made?
“Diversity doesn’t look like anyone. It looks like everyone.” This was once said by Karen Draper, writer of The Place of Us. If you’ve ever been to Southern Virginia University, or done some research on it, then you probably know that the school takes pride in being diverse and inclusive. Let’s take a closer look.
Before we get into the status of diversity and inclusion at Southern Virginia, let’s talk about why it’s an important part of a well-functioning society. Traditionally, the concept of diversity focuses on the idea of creating tolerance between people from different cultures and races. However, over time, the concept of diversity has been restructured and evolved into the idea that a collection of people from different backgrounds actually enhances our human experience. It’s not just about tolerating people who are different from us and showing basic courtesy; it’s about pulling from our unique experiences. By bringing those collective experiences to the table, we are able to magnify our efforts as a group or community.
I had the opportunity to interview Coach Michael Frye (’17), Associate Director of Student Success, Associate Dean of Students, and founder of the Black Student Union (BSU). As we spoke, I asked how he would define diversity. He said,
“Diversity, for us, and for me, it really is about your individuality. Like what’s great about you. It’s not necessarily fully about your differences. It’s asking how can we appreciate all of the unique individuals who can bring a particular culture. And so to me diversity is ‘I see you, I acknowledge you.’ It’s acknowledging there is a set of differences, but at the same time, there’s no differences, if that kind of makes sense.”
Frye’s definition made me rethink how I’ve always viewed diversity. In the past, I always viewed it as making sure there were even amounts of people from different backgrounds so that things would be fair or mixed up, but I had never viewed the concept of diversity through a lens of growth. With our differences comes the opportunity to celebrate unique and distinctive strengths and talents. It’s a chance to allow our group or community to become unified in a direction through the backgrounds that shaped us into who we are today. This ultimately allows us to be shaped by each other’s experiences and evolve not just as a group, but as individuals as well.
Along with the importance of diversity comes the importance of inclusion. Coach Frye stated,
“Inclusion is how we can factor [diversity] into play. How can we acknowledge, see, and make sure everyone feels welcomed? Are we actively seeking opportunities for diversity and minorities and all the above? Or are we seeing [diversity] and thinking automatically, they’re included without really seeking that piece of information? So for me, inclusion is big. You know more times than not, we have students coming from the west to come here. For those coming from places like California, diversity is huge. But when you think of the bodies like Idaho or Utah, not so much. And that’s just from my experience and from having open dialogue and conversations. So there are often times where there’s curiosity as to what is [diversity] like and the thing is, a piece of the BSU is we invite all those who are interested to become educated within a particular culture. And so the question is how can we get everyone under the same umbrella, interested in every individual? Versus going with natural selection of just keeping in small cliques. Because often that’s just naturally how things happen. So we have to figure out how we, as a university, can be active and make sure our student body can engage in everything, and that the minorities feel like they’re included. Instead of feeling like they’re a small spot on a big wall. So that’s what inclusion is.”
What’s the point of having so many different people with so many different talents if they are not coming together and sharing those with each other? That’s what a lack of inclusion is. Lack of inclusion does a disservice to everyone if we ignore people from outside of our natural group. Exclusion of diversity bars the opportunity for growth.
Where is Southern Virginia University when it comes to racial diversity? Southern Virginia has a few clubs/associations dedicated to minority groups: The Black Student Union (BSU), the Polynesian Heritage Association (PHA), and the Latinx Club. It’s encouraging to see that these minority groups have large enough numbers to warrant these organizations; however, when looking at the numbers, it becomes clear that these groups make up only a small percentage of the students at Southern Virginia University.
I contacted the Registrar’s office to see what the statistics are for racial diversity at Southern Virginia. The largest group of students at Southern Virginia are white, with 73.2% — nearly ¾ of the school. The next group is Hispanic/Latino at 8.9%, and the following being “two or more races” at 6.2%.
These numbers show that our school is predominantly attended by white students. But why does that matter? It matters because it’s important to recognize that being a minority in a predominantly white population can be scary, or at the very least an uncomfortable experience. Frye spoke of his experience of being a double minority at Southern Virginia, an African American and non-LDS. He said, “It’s just we’re in a culture shock. ‘I’m nervous, I’m scared…’ And vice versa, if we pulled someone from Utah, Colorado, Idaho, and put them in an HBCU, which is a historical black college, how would they feel?… That’s pressure, you know? It’s the same thing just vice versa.”
That’s why it’s vital for Southern Virginia University to support and invest in its cultural clubs and associations. When talking to the Polynesian Heritage Association (PHA) Co-President, Kilihea Burke (’25), she shared a similar experience: “On my visit, [the Polynesian Heritage Association] was the whole reason I came up here. I had a horrible visit. I felt like I was not going to do well here — I did not feel like I was going to be successful or have anyone. But running into the Poly community that day on my visit, just knowing someone was going to take care of me, knowing I was gonna have a place on campus and that there’s going to be places for me to fit in and feel like home, and actually be at home here, was a big thing for me.” As Kilihea has been here she’s had the chance to share her culture with people from other backgrounds. She recounted, “Well, I’ve also learned a lot and I feel like I’ve grown a lot because I’ve been able to share my knowledge with other people. And that’s so big to me. Because, like we talked about, that’s such an important thing to Polynesians. So it’s been really fulfilling being able to do that. It’s been a really good opportunity for growth.”
Kaehukai Burke (’23), Co-President of PHA, added on to his wife’s thoughts by saying, “When you become a teacher, you actually learn more yourself rather than the students who you’re teaching learn… Basically what I’m trying to say is that through teaching and through spreading my knowledge and helping out the Poly club, I’ve learned more from the Poly club than they’ve learned from me.”
Through inclusion, we are able to grow and progress. A commonly held stigma that many students have is that they can not participate or join in groups that are of a different race or culture. Many people are afraid of appropriating someone’s culture or being viewed as a “poser.” I’m here to tell you that only good things come from being open-minded and being willing to become more educated about these subjects. In this past semester, I’ve had the unique opportunity to speak to club leaders, as well as many members of these different clubs on campus and they’ve all said the same thing. Come and learn! It’s important to note that whenever you’re learning about someone else’s culture you should come from a place of humility and open mindedness. As long as you do that, people want to share who they are with you.
When I had the chance earlier in the semester to interview Lea Mondesir (’25), President of the Black Student Union (BSU), we talked about our backgrounds. She shared,
“Growing up in New York, it’s very diverse. So when I came to this very small town, I saw that there was a very small population of African American people. I kind of realized that not everyone had that privilege to be around all different personalities and take in different things. So it has changed my perspective of how I view people. And it made me understand that everyone comes from all different walks of life. So it kind of opened my eyes to the fact as well that even though I have had diverse paths, and I’m very keen to certain things, others aren’t. So I want to be that leader for them. I want to teach them that it’s okay that you may not know this now, but I’m here to teach you so that you can know later. And you can gauge life better.”
The club leaders and members at Southern Virginia University want to educate and lift others; you just have to be willing to accept their invitation to learn.
Southern Virginia University has come a long way in the past few years when it comes to racial and cultural diversity and inclusion. There have been clubs and associations created for minority groups. The University stood with BSU to protest against police brutality. The building formerly known as Durham was renamed the Academic Center. Coach Frye even mentioned that when he first came to Southern Virginia, there were strict rules regarding appearance and he had to shave his locs and cover his tattoos. Now the school’s dress code has become more relaxed and allows individuals to express their culture.
I think everyone can agree that the steps that Southern Virginia has taken to allow diversity and inclusion is necessary and appreciated; however, there is still room for improvement on an institutional and individual level. Many club and association leaders (as well as members) have expressed the need for a multicultural department. Students who are facing racial or cultural difficulties should have a place to turn to for help navigating such an important issue. Some clubs and groups have also been faced with difficulties in recent times. While speaking to Kaehukai about some of the PHA’s recent struggles, he said,
“There’s an art piece called Nana I Ke Kumu, which means ‘look to the source,’ or basically look to the teacher, which is the source. And so as Co-Presidents, we’ve been able to see that as a Polynesian Heritage Association, we’re not perfect. But the way that we’ve tried to deal with some of the problems or some of the adversities that we have, it comes from solving our problems the way that our ancestors did. So we’ve been able to think, oh we have this problem, what did they do back then to fix this problem. And one of the things that we’ve talked about is just being the bigger person. Nothing is too big or too little to be the bigger person and to be better. And I’m not perfect at that. And I still don’t do that all the time but that’s one thing that I’m learning. And that’s one thing that the Polynesian club is learning. And that’s coming from a concept that our ancestors knew, learned, and practiced on a daily basis.”
While institutional changes may take time and the collective effort of the school, there are actions you can take now as an individual to help create an inclusive campus. Reach out to your friends or classmates who are from a different background and just ask them questions. And more importantly, listen to what they say. When you hear about a club event, show up and see what’s going on. If you know someone who is a member of a cultural club or association ask them how you can show your support. One easy way to do that is to follow the different organizations on social media. One last thing you can do is get rid of racial and cultural stereotypes you may have. Every individual is unique and it can be harmful to make assumptions on their character based on their background. I encourage you to watch this TedTalk by Canwen Xu about stereotypes embracing your background.
My background might be very different from yours, or maybe almost the same. I was raised in a very small town in the desert of Arizona. My entire life I was predominantly surrounded by white people. People from my town are kind, but they can also be a little clueless when it comes to people from other backgrounds. That’s part of the small town life. But it wasn’t until I came to Southern Virginia University that I realized just how ignorant I was. I had never experienced diversity before. For the first time, I was faced with the realization that I knew a lot less about the world than I thought I did. I was lucky enough to meet a group of four Tongan guys who became some of my favorite people ever. They invited me to learn about their culture and I eventually joined the Polynesian Heritage Association. I’m not gonna lie, at first I didn’t want to join. I was afraid that the Polynesian community here wouldn’t want me to join and that white people would judge me and think I’m trying to be something I’m not. But I quickly realized that joining the PHA is probably the best decision I’ve ever made. Because of PHA, I’ve had the unique opportunity to learn about a very beautiful culture. I’ve met the best people who have become like family to me. They are constantly pushing me to be a better person and holding me to a higher standard, all while accepting me for who I am. I’m definitely still clueless and ignorant at times, but we’re working on that.
If you come from a diverse background, share it! Show who you are and help contribute to building a diverse and inclusive community. And if you come from a background like me, don’t be scared to learn! If you feel a little out of place, that’s okay because you are also contributing to making diversity and inclusion abundant at Southern Virginia University.
