Diversity Inclusion in Campus - Book Report/Review Example

 Diversity Inclusion in Campus Book Review Critical Annotation Winkle-Wagner, R. & Angela M. (2013) Diversity and Inclusion on Campus: Supporting Racially and Ethnically Underrepresented Students. New York: Rutledge Publisher. Purpose of the Book In the book, Rachelle and Lock try to embrace the role of diversity and inclusion in their piece of art in a way to fathom how it affects the higher education learning. Winkle- Wagner and Locks address the concept of diversity and inclusion through various disciplines such as the race, the social class, and gender. Furthermore, the authors of the book give an account how the understated students go through discriminations especially in the hands of their peers, administration and institutions following their racial background. The book advocates that every person regardless of his or her ethnic and racial background must benefit from the right, and it should be left in the hands of few individuals who enjoy the particular social class. The access to graduate and professional programs put the partakers a notch higher. However, it is for the benefit of few persons in the society. Therefore, it is what the authors of the books argue out that there should be no disparity in the line of ethnic and social background in giving the opportunities. Furthermore, most of the people from the underrepresented strives have access graduate and professional programs so as equalize their plight. The program after the bachelor’s degree has proved to be efficient in diversifying and inclusion cases. Moreover, African American students have more opportunities to attaining professional administration when they attend more senior institution during their undergraduate degree pursuance. The underrepresented students try attending such institutions so as to enable them to fit the job market (Williams, 2013). As everything advances, the underrepresented students work on the barriers that impede them from seeking the professional administration of the race, religion, social backgrounds. Another critical area that Wagner and Locks dwell on are the socialization. Nobody can live in his or her world even when the race, social class, the skin color of the student is considered inferior. Therefore, an admission of a student in an institution that include people from various ethnic background means that the students will socialize. Socialization enables the student to be part of a given social group; therefore he can be accepted within a given society or the group he or she socializes with at a given time. Socialization in a new environment follows a process, and it begins with anticipation. The student has to understand the norms of the society that surrounds him or her. Wagner and Locks further address the issue of diversity and inclusion on the aspect of admission. The process of admission tries to diversify so as to reach the students from different ethnic background. However, the process of decision-making and implementation is so challenging. On the other hand there are factors that pose a challenge for the accomplishment for instance; doing the admission of people follows the line race as a factor in the admission process. The process looks at the racial background when giving the changes of the higher education and professional administration. In addition, the access to higher education is supposed to follow a merit that the student has attained instead of looking at the social background of the applicants. The authors of the book, argues that upon the attainment of the admission in the institution, the grant that the students get should be in a free and fair. Such grants should not give priority to students coming from a well-off background. The affirmative actions are in place to ensure that individual attain equal opportunities and less captivating conditions in getting such facilities. Socialization, according to the authors is a tool that can stamp out the evil social behaviors in the student. It is possible going by the fact that the college that incorporates students from the diverse ethnic background will dwell on a common these for the benefit of all the students. Wagner and Lock further argue that the higher education is supposed to be for the benefit of everybody regardless of the level of poverty one may be experiencing. Authors’ Credentials Rachelle Winkle-Wagner who contributed to the writing of this book is a distinguished scholar who has made lots of contribution in academia. She is a distinguished scholar who pursued her Bachelors and Masters degrees in Communication Studies and Piano Performance and Higher Education at the prestigious Spanish University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Later, she proceeded to Indiana University for her PhD in Education Policy. After serving at the University of Nebraska and Pennsylvania in different capacities, she is currently serving at the prestigious University of Wisconsin-Madison as an assistant professor of Policy Analysis and Educational Leadership. She has so far made lots of publications. On her part, Angela M. Locks is an alumnus of the University of Michigan in which she graduated with a PhD in Higher Education in the year 2008. Currently, she serves at the California State University, Long Beach as an Assistant Professor of Student Development in Higher Education. her research centers on institutional diversities and diversities, an area in which she has published numerous books, book chapters and journal articles. Summary of Key Points Wagner and Lock places foregrounding on the transition and the experiences that the students undergo ones they have attained the admission in the higher learning institutions. The authors report the hope and enthusiasm of the students while they are new in the schools. In the first year, the students are more determined in pursuance of their goals as compared to other years. Moreover, it is in the early years of the college that the students experience all sorts of abuses from other races who want to appear to be more superior in the case of white students. On that note, the attitude of the students towards their states is of paramount. The white students are likely to report back to the college in the second year as compared to the American black students because of the racial factors. In the book, the authors say that the skin color, the economic class, the religion is just but the ideology of mind. Therefore to fight the war on racial discrimination, and preach diversity and inclusion, the victims should never underestimate themselves. The students should make a successful transmission from first year to the subsequent years, and they are d to know that first year in learning is equally important as any other year in the student learning process. The stress of transition from one level of learning to the other can make a student drop out of school because of feeling of isolation and racial embarrassment from other races in the learning institution (Greenhill, 2013). The ability of the student to socialize with other students will further influence the level of their adjustment and acclimatization to the environment where diverse cultures are present. Moreover, the psychological factors especially the way a student thinks towards the transition is very paramount. Wagner and lock put forward some of the approaches in a way to address change as a factoring deal with diversity and inclusion, for instance, the empirical approach. It is an approach that looks into the practical life of students and the way they carry out themselves amidst other students. Wagner and Lock note that the behaviors of the underrated students was ranging from one student to the other following theory helps in understanding the behavior of the new students. Another approach is the psychological theory that looks at the mind and the behavior of the student towards the stimuli. Evaluation and Usefulness of the Text The authors take the new environment that they student is as the stimuli. The underrepresented students behaved almost similarly towards the white student. They looked inferior to the white student. However with time in the institution they cope up and feel part and parcel of the organization following the role of socialization in them. In the chapter, six of the book Wagner and Lock address the issue of the race and how it affects the underrepresented student in higher learning institutions. The authors note that certain races like the native speakers of English are more superior. The above fact creates the problem in the leadership of the organizations. For instance, the purported superior races want to appear in the forefront of the leadership yet even the races like the African America can lead. Therefore, the acquiring of the higher learning above the degree gives the underrepresented an opportunity to conduct adequately. The book further addresses. The authors further represent that the race of an individual predicts the level of the outcome of the student. Again the book gives an account of how the student can respond to the racial discrimination and the aggression in the campus. Some students can cope up with the harsh environment that the institutions that are anti- diversity presents. Moreover, the authors suggest that while undergoing the racial discrimination, the underrepresented students should stand firm in support of their race. Furthermore, running for the leadership of such institution can embrace the plight of the students and even prepare a holistic environment for the upcoming students. Wagner and Lock have also dwelled on the climate of the campus and how it is responsible for some of the actions that the students take. Everybody on the campus, whichever position they hold in the college always wants a satisfying environment. Therefore, each and every person wants to alter the environment in the school so as to take care of their plight most especially the students. The primary aim of striving to better their environment is to create a welcoming climate. Apart from, the individual participation, the leaders are also supposed to play a crucial role in creating a relaxed environment for the learning. Another primary goal that the authors of the book wanted to put across is how to handle the issue of diversity and inclusion. They had a task of uplifting the conscience of the individual concerning the race and the ethnicity. Racial and ethnic prejudice is a barrier to diversity and inclusion in the quest for higher learning. Wagner and Lock present the issue of diversity and inclusion in an appropriate way so as to help the underrepresented students withstand and efficiently deal with the discrimination they experience. References Greenhill, L. M. (2013). Navigating diversity and inclusion in veterinary medicine. West Lafayette, Ind: Purdue University Press International Conference on Universal Design, In Caltenco, H., & IOS Press. (2014). Universal design 2014: Three days of creativity and diversity ; proceedings of the International Conference on Universal Design, UD 2014 Lund, Sweden, June 16-18, 2014. Smith, J.-E. G., Lindsay, J. B., & Palgrave Connect (Online service). (2014). Beyond inclusion: Worklife interconnectedness, energy, and resilience in organizations. Williams, D. A. (2013). Strategic diversity leadership: Activating change and transformation in higher education. Winkle-Wagner, R., & Locks, A. M. (2014). Diversity and inclusion on campus: Supporting racially and ethnically underrepresented students. Zamani-Gallaher, E. M. (2009). The case for affirmative action on campus: Concepts of equity, considerations for practice. Sterling, Va: Stylus Pub. Read More