Diversity in the Classroom

Increasing diversity would enrich college education, sociology professor says

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is part two of a series that highlights diversity at Waynesburg University.

Abolade Ezekiel Olagoke, associate professor of sociology, is no stranger to the subtle intricacies of different cultures. In fact, he said he thrives on learning them. His office is a hodgepodge of artifacts, books and flags; a tangled web of objects that mirror his mind, fascinating and filled with information.

He hungers for the thrill of traveling to cities, countries and continents outside of the U.S. and absorbing all that is unique about their particular cultures.

“I say ‘You do this differently, tell me more,’” Olagoke said.

That same sense of adventure and eagerness to learn sent Olagoke to the U.S. after growing up  in Nigeria, and his educational experiences in large urban areas further met his craving for learning about unfamiliar backgrounds.

After years of education and authoring numerous publications on topics such as immigration and globalization, Olagoke got a chance to teach about his passion when Waynesburg University offered him “a dream job.”

And yet, he finds that at Waynesburg, , his craving for diversity sits stagnant.

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Diversity, defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is “the inclusion of different types of people, such as individuals of different races or cultures in a group or organization.”

Diversity is comprised of many components, but is most commonly identified within the confines of race, class, gender and sexual orientation.

Currently, as reported previously, the student body of Waynesburg remains predominantly white, with at least 90 percent of students at the university being classified as caucasian.

“Obviously I think increased diversity would enrich learning, especially in a liberal arts education,” Olagoke said.

An increase of diversity on campus would better reflect the makeup of the U.S.,  Olagoke said, which is infamously the “melting pot,” comprised of hundreds of unique cultures interweaving together to comprise the American perspective.

It was predicted through the latest U.S. Census that as soon as 2045, whites will no longer be the majority, but listed among the minority races in America.

“It is very important to see that the Waynesburg reflects not only the national trend but the global trend,” Olagoke said.

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Faith. Learning. Service. Few universities or organizations in general are quite as vocal as Waynesburg University in preaching its  mission statement, embedding it in the mind of approximately 1,400 undergrad students.

The first to be listed in that mission – faith – is represented in Waynesburg’s curriculum and in the variety of Christian life activities routinely organized on campus. All students, for example, must pass an introductory-level biblical ministry class in order to earn an undergraduate degree from the university,.

This background of Christianity, a common thread among many students and faculty, provides a compelling argument for increased diversity, Olagoke said.

“I think as Christians, and in the Bible, God loves diversity,” Olagoke said. “He is creator of the universe and creator of people. We are made of the same stock, same race. We are all the same.”

Many students who graduate from Waynesburg, Olagoke said,  begin their jobs at more diverse workplaces, where there aren’t people who “look like, talk like and eat like you.”

“A Christian education should prepare you to be exposed to other cultures,” Olagoke said.

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Each semester Olagoke teaches a class on cultural differences and travels with his students to cities such as Philadelphia and Pittsburgh to find and explore contrasting viewpoints.

“We have to go to other cultures and see other people,” Olagoke said. “Walk through neighborhoods we’re not used to.”

Other class trips stay closer to campus. Just a few weeks ago, Olagoke and his students travelled to Waynesburg’s neighbor Washington & Jefferson College, which he describes as “much more diverse” than what we have here.

“If you are white and talk to somebody who is not white [to find out] about their experience, growing up, school, church. Sometimes it may be initially uncomfortable but you need to break the ice,” Olagoke said.

Olagoke said that his students  love the opportunity to interact with cultures different than their own, an experience in which they cannot  get in the classroom due to the vast majority of students coming from such similar backgrounds.

Olagoke, in an effort to encourage  students to seek and engage other cultures, requires his class to interview someone of a different culture, and describes the experience as beneficial, though many students are timid at first.

“Once you immerse them in that experience, it changes them completely,” Olagoke said.

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In Olagoke’s sociology classes, because of the “limited” number of students from diverse backgrounds, he finds himself being the sole contrasting viewpoint on topics such as race and knowledge of different religions. Instead of students being able to raise their hands and speaking from their personal experiences, Olagoke is left as both the professor and, often, the lone minority in the classroom.

“I just tell them my own life story,” Olagoke said.

If an individual gathers all of their personal opinions about a culture from what they read about on the internet or see on the news, Olagoke said,  it will just reinforce stereotypical thoughts.

“You need to move beyond your comfort zone. You need to be daring. You need to be adventurous. You need to be informed. You need to be enlightened. Not about your own culture, but enlightened about others,” Olagoke said.  “… You may not agree with everything that culture does, but by and large you are a better person.”

Olagoke “absolutely” believes that learning in college is more than just curriculum, but rather includes learning from who is sitting in the classroom. To the students who graduate without expanding their cultural mindset, Olagoke said they are “short-changing” their education, particularly from a liberal arts institution.

And though he has said a diverse student body would “enrich” the education of all students, the total number of minority students on campus remains well under 10 percent.

“It’s low. It’s very very low. There’s no doubt about it,” Olagoke said.