PR has place, but I have questions
Jayne Miller
Issue date: 9/11/09 Section: Opinion
Last week The Lafayette reported on the new Vice President of Communications Robert Massa. As a student who wants nothing but good things for her college, I was glad to hear a new position had been created that would focus on bringing the best and the brightest to Lafayette. I was equally thrilled to learn the position was going to be filled by someone with such rich experience in attracting these kinds of people.
But then something seemed off to me.
Massa has been advertised as a pro at recruiting both wealthier and more diverse students. I question whether or not these two ideals are mutually exclusive. While it seems clear to me that our campus community is in desperate need of students from a more varied scope of ethnic and religious backgrounds, I can't help but feel that diversity also means varied economic backgrounds.
Regardless of skin color or heritage, worldviews of the upper middle class from the suburban Northeast are not going to differ as much as we think. At the end of the day, no matter how different we look, if we're all coming from the same type of households, I don't know that we can boast a diverse population.
But there are two sides to every story, no? During tough economic times, Lafayette College is not immune to having fewer funds than normal. I get the desire to get the dollars to campus; more money to throw at new professors, better facilities and the many clubs and organizations students take on during their four years here. That's all well and good - but overshadowing this mission with an attempt to make us more diverse is what I don't understand.
Massa is right: we need to constantly get our name out there to attract the best new people. And yes: students are our best ambassadors, not strategically colored brochures. If we want certain types of students here, let us sell them. This does not mean that I think the communications office is superfluous, but rather that the best weapons Lafayette has in its arsenal are sitting in class, or walking through the Quad right now, and I hope the college understands this, and uses students to their fullest potential.
But then something seemed off to me.
Massa has been advertised as a pro at recruiting both wealthier and more diverse students. I question whether or not these two ideals are mutually exclusive. While it seems clear to me that our campus community is in desperate need of students from a more varied scope of ethnic and religious backgrounds, I can't help but feel that diversity also means varied economic backgrounds.
Regardless of skin color or heritage, worldviews of the upper middle class from the suburban Northeast are not going to differ as much as we think. At the end of the day, no matter how different we look, if we're all coming from the same type of households, I don't know that we can boast a diverse population.
But there are two sides to every story, no? During tough economic times, Lafayette College is not immune to having fewer funds than normal. I get the desire to get the dollars to campus; more money to throw at new professors, better facilities and the many clubs and organizations students take on during their four years here. That's all well and good - but overshadowing this mission with an attempt to make us more diverse is what I don't understand.
Massa is right: we need to constantly get our name out there to attract the best new people. And yes: students are our best ambassadors, not strategically colored brochures. If we want certain types of students here, let us sell them. This does not mean that I think the communications office is superfluous, but rather that the best weapons Lafayette has in its arsenal are sitting in class, or walking through the Quad right now, and I hope the college understands this, and uses students to their fullest potential.
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