University will soon require students to complete diversity and inclusion courses

Georgia Southern University recently passed a resolution that would require all students to complete diversity and inclusion courses.

“We would like to integrate diversity and inclusion throughout the curriculum to reinforce the importance of this at many levels of the curriculum,” Carl Reiber, Ph.D., provost and vice president for academic affairs told the George-Anne, the school's student-run newspaper. “Not just a single course.”

The Student Government Association recommended and approved the move earlier this month, citing a "cultural disconnect" at the university, which has a student body consisting of more than 10,700 nonwhite students out of the nearly 28,000 enrolled.

The modules are expected to be part of students' first- and second-year experiences courses beginning in the spring semester.

“We will embed the new elements into the first-year experience courses in the spring term with full implementation in the fall,” Reiber said. “Second-year experience courses will be developed with the new content integrated for the fall term.”

What's the reaction from students?

Some students said they don't believe the courses should be a requirement.

“College is already expensive and stressful,” Matthew Frost told Campus Reform. "I can’t continue to pay for additional courses and spend valuable time sitting through courses where a professor is teaching people how to ‘be kind’ to each other. Parents should be teaching that at home, for free.”

Others think it's could be a good idea but that it wasn't handled properly.

“I am black and Filipino, and I think that this is one of those situations where, although the road is paved with good intentions, this was poorly executed,” Alfredo Small told the publication. “Being that this course is required, this is going to generate more dissent from students. Classrooms are not an organic way to teach people to accept others. You can’t map out social change. You can’t force it.”