Opinion: There is a diversity and inclusion deficiency at USU

Diversity and inclusion are two things lacking at Utah State University, and unless strong action and initiative is taken, we will only continue to fall behind other universities. 

The university defines the dimensions of diversity to include “gender, religious beliefs, race, marital status, ethnicity, parental status, age, education, physical and mental ability” to name a few. Inclusion is recognizing privileges and taking action. It is going out of your comfort zone to include all different types of people into your life and perspective.  

By the numbers, Utah’s diversity demographic is behind other states: it is 78% white; 55% of the state are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; 17% of business owners are female, 59% are male and 24% are shared. 

This shows how Utah is predominately white, Christian, and not a land of opportunity for women. 

However, these numbers can only say so much. Inclusivity can’t be put into numbers, but the lack of it can be felt and observed by students. First off, the lack of inclusivity in race and ethnicity is prominent at USU.  

Samuel Kiguthi, the Black Student Union vice president, said he sees a difference coming from Salt Lake Valley region to Logan. Growing up in the valley, the variety of personality and culture was evident everywhere. Coming to Logan was a culture shock. 

Almost always in his classes, he is the only Black individual, and sometimes the only minority student. The culture shock extended beyond the color of skin and was seen by how similarly people at USU think, act and look in a stylistic way. The diversity is lacking in the variety of unique personalities. 

While he said he doesn’t feel marginalized or oppressed personally on campus, he said he knows there are other students who feel that way. Stopping that feeling of oppression is part what the Black Student Union, or BSU, wishes for all students at USU.  

The mission of BSU is to create a place of prominent Black culture and allow non-Black individuals to experience the rhetoric, food and other aspects of Black culture.  

Events like Soul Food, which has dinner, speakers and performances, show a piece of culture otherwise neglected at USU. This brings awareness to the mission of BSU and brings more inclusive events to USU. 

The USU Inclusion Center has taken action as well to promote inclusivity at Utah State.  

The university, and the state of Utah, can release as many statements about inclusivity and diversity as it likes. The way to make an impact as an institution is action. Prior to the pandemic in 2020, USU President Noelle Cockett met with the Inclusion Center and listened to the needs of the students. She allotted the funding for an additional center coordinator.   

It’s actions like that which need to happen more frequently at our university. Luis Rodriguez, the multicultural program coordinator at USU, said the Inclusion Center utilized its funding in many ways from working with administrators on trainings to providing a sense of belonging for all students.  

Rodriguez said our university has a long way to go in inclusive efforts. Rodriguez pointed out how the university is almost a decade behind other institutions in the nation. We have been slower to create accommodations for students of different backgrounds and help marginalized students retain their social identities. 

In 2019, the USU Diversity Survey showed how marginalized and historically suppressed groups feel underrepresented at the university. Students in these groups feel the inability to thrive at our institution.  

The survey shows an overwhelming majority of students who witnessed discrimination, bias or harassment saw it caused by another student and did not report it, either due to fearing retaliation or mistrust in the university system and response procedures.  

Students come to Utah State to gain their education, not to feel attacked. While every university experiences some variation of these attacks, that does not make it alright and demands the attention of administrators, legislatures and most importantly the student body that causes these attacks. 

The state of Utah is also slow to act in its legislative defense for minority groups. Utah was behind the curve for declaring “Juneteenth Freedom Day” as a holiday compared to other states, as it was the 44th state to observe it. Juneteenth is currently pending as becoming a state holiday commemorating the end of slavery, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. 

Another proposed law is driver examinations offered in languages besides English to accommodate to the growing Hispanic population in Utah. Actions like these are amazing efforts to create equal opportunity in our state and to become inclusive but they are not the first of their kind.  

Secondly, there is a lack of inclusivity and understanding in religion. Given Utah is a predominately Latter-day Saint state, it causes those who do not know the rhetoric or customs to be excluded. After what happened this past August at BYU, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s speech made many in the LGBTQ community feel uncomfortable to say the least.  

When talking with a USU student who asked to remain anonymous, she felt as though the Latter-day Saint principles were so far from her own that she did not feel safe to express her sexual orientation at USU, for fear of judgment. 

Being a member of the faith does not mean one is homophobic and does not mean that believers think any less of the LGBTQ community. But there needs to be inclusion of those with conflicting beliefs for the safety and inclusivity of all students.  

USU Police Department Chief Earl Morris resigned in December following the leak of a conversation with Utah State Football where he said “a Latter-day Saint woman will often to go to her bishop after having sex and claim the act was nonconsensual because it is easier than admitting they broke the faith’s law of abstinence.”  

Our country says it believes in religious freedom, our university says it believes in the safety and security of their students and yet our own police chief said these blasphemous words. 

Thirdly, there is a lacking in inclusivity in gender. Just last year, a study done by the Utah Women and Leadership Project at USU showed “sexist comments and remarks are prevalent in Utah and normalized in everyday conversation.” Given the wage gaps, limited employment climbing and sexism language, Utah is not grounds for female promotion and acceptance and makes getting an education difficult.  

Women on campus should feel comfortable and proud of who they are, instead of oppressed by sexist comments and remarks. The fact our nation has become more progressive in equality with movements like MeToo and Black Lives Matter and yet Utah still has sexism normalized in conversations, is unsettling to say the least.  

However, equal distributed diversity is impractical and infringes on state government authority. We are a nation run on a national, state and local level. Utah is a historically Republican state with strong Christian principles and has many roots with the Latter-day Saint church. There is nothing wrong with that, but it just will not be a truly diverse state, but instead just one segment of a diverse nation.  

Utah State University wants to be diverse, just like any other institution. We have administrators and elected officials working adamantly to provide a safe inclusive environment. But what is important is inclusivity. What is important is that students treat each other with respect, as their actions are what cause other students to feel oppressed or marginalized.  

Utah State is making strides to be inclusive and there are successes in that respect. But until actions are taken to ensure that every student feels safe, represented and included, Utah State will be behind its potential for being a home to every Aggie.  

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Sara Prettyman is a Maryland-born-and-raised sophomore majoring in applied mathematics. She loves drawing, running and reading.
— A02342348@usu.edu