By Hawa Hussein
contributing writer
A few weeks ago I went to a focus group concerning the multicultural center.
I was excited to be in this focus group because I thought it would be interesting to hear what other students would say. However, I was filled with disappointment when I realized only five people were there to talk about the issues. It took me back to the days when I was very disappointed with Eastern because they didn’t have interfaith place or a multicultural center like other schools did. Yes, I was one of those students who would complain about what Eastern didn’t have. However, I wasn’t active on campus, so my voice wasn’t heard.
Many students complain that Eastern doesn’t cater to their needs when it comes to diversity. However, when a meeting is held that is for their voice to be heard, nobody shows up. What is a voice when it hasn’t been heard? In order for students to be heard, students need to be involved in campus activities. That means coming to meetings and giving your input. Sometimes it may be hard to get students interested in topics that are very pressing to them. However, if it is important to you and the student body then it’s worth voicing it.
I was very disappointed with the meeting because I wanted to see more students give their input on what they wanted in the space that is available to them. Since Eastern is very diverse, not everyone will know what your beliefs are. Showing up to these meetings and voicing your opinions would be a great way to make sure that your opinions are taken into consideration when this space is being made. I am not disrespecting students. However, I am speaking to the population that tends to not speak up when their opinions are needed, but speak up when that very same thing goes wrong. If you want to change the way people see Eastern you have to be the change that you want to see.
