OUR VIEW: Our campus is a cultural melting pot, and we all need to appreciate everyone’s cultures.

It doesn’t take Caribfest and Hispanic Heritage Month to realize it’s important year round for all of us to recognize our fellow classmates’ varying cultures. Students can celebrate one culture without neglecting others, and that often gets swept under the rug. Patriotism, by definition, embraces the citizens and cultures each individual brings to the table. College students are not restricted to one pocket of people that look, dress or act like them, and are offered various opportunity to engage in events like Caribfest because the students that put on those events invite discussion. They put on those events so that others interested can approach members of those organizations and ask questions and get involved.

It’s redundant to continually pound this point into society; however, it seems that the division between cultures and identities turn into lines in the sand rather than a reason to celebrate. And college students look for any excuse to celebrate and party. With campus events every week, there are endless cross cultural opportunities to delve into, from food to pageants, from parades to dances.

College is the place for students to explore and engage with one another, so instead of focusing on what separates the community, invest in one another and learn the history that impacts others.