Photo courtesy of VCU homepage
Take a walk around Virginia Commonwealth University’s campus, and you will experience a variety of cultures. From the African grocery store or the Korean restaurant on Grace Street, to Elephant Thai on Harrison; the local restaurants not only reflect the uniqueness of the Richmond area, but they also reflect VCU’s student body.
VCU is commonly recognized for their diversity, but even more importantly, it’s cherished by the students.
“We aren’t cookie cutter like many other Virginia schools. We have an art school, business school, medical school. That’s what brings so much culture to our school, we have what it takes to facilitate so many different types of interests.” said Wendy Alabastro, a VCU senior who is a first generation Filipino-American.
VCU’s student body includes 1,429 international students from 113 countries. This year’s graduating class alone represents 41 countries and 37 different states. Not only are VCU students proud of their diversity, but they celebrate it with different groups devoted to embracing culture stemming everywhere from the Jhoom-Hindi Indian Dance club, to the Caribbean Student Organization, to the Ethiopian student Union. Some organizations are specific to certain cultures, but many like the Global Foundation and the Office of Mulitcultural Student Affairs or OMSA, encourage all students to join.
“Omsa is open for everyone, for people to learn about issues around diversity. Our society is changing rapidly and diversity is becoming a very important part of our culture.” said Dr. Napolean Peoples, former director of OMSA.
Many of these organizations prompt students who feel out of place to realize that they should feel just the opposite.
VCU % of population JMU% of population UVA% of population
African America 20.2 3.6 8.7
American Indian or Alaskan Native .60 0.3 .20
Hispanic 9 2.2 3.5
White 3.20 83.4 64.5
Asian or Pacific Islander 64.6 4.8 10.2
Unknown 13.9 4.9 8.6
“When I first came here from Saudi Arabia, I joined a group, and made friends with a lot of Arab people. They introduced me to all their friends, and soon I had friends of all types. It was like a gateway to meeting people. VCU’s diversity has made me a lot more open-minded to other cultures.” said Torki Al-Zughaibi who came to the United States for college.
Becoming open-minded to other cultures and races isn’t limited to just students from other countries, but many students from neighboring towns.
“My hometown is only about an hour and half away from here. But it definitely isn’t as diverse there as it is here at VCU. I went from being surrounded by the same type of people to living here on campus with three other roommates. One is African-america, one Persian, an Irish guy, and me, who is Hispanic.” Said Jose Perez-Ferrer, a VCU senior.
Compared to other Virginia colleges and universities, VCU is leader in diversity, and their Statistics from Education-Portal.com
statistics prove it. This kind of data is what many students say help spur their decision to come to VCU.
“I visited a lot of Virginia schools, but I definitely felt a sense of comfort here. It’s more welcoming when you see all sorts of people, and I knew I would make a lot of friends.” Maria Komianos, a VCU student of Greek decent.
Like many students commented, VCU’s diversity means more than just having a school filled with different types of people. To the students it’s an area of comfort, a chance to explore new cultures, and an opportunity to make friends from all over the world.
“I think VCU is doing a great job in terms of dealing with diversity, diversity
of population and a diverse staff, they are doing a great job in terms of being a leader.”, said Dr. Napoleon Peoples.
If you want to join OMSA or any other student organization listed above, visit
http://www.usca.vcu.edu/studentorgs/ , for a directory and description of each student group.
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