In the past decade, this country has witnessed an evolving societal discourse, leading to the election of a black man to the nation’s highest office, the appointment of a Latin American woman to the position of U.S. Supreme Court justice and the selection of an openly bisexual congresswoman.

In about the same time frame, Syracuse University has followed a path to diversity not dissimilar to that of our nation’s political arena. Since 2002, the university has almost doubled the number of enrolled first-year students from low-income and minority backgrounds.

It is evident that societal progress toward a more accepting, and therefore non-discriminatory, United States is on the rise. This continues to be proven, as last week the nation’s highest court heard arguments for same-sex marriage equality.

Proof is also exemplified on campuses like SU’s, where the logic of creating an environment of diversity in order to propel more students to achieve future success is applied. These actions benefit society as a whole, as not only are more individuals becoming better educated, but more Americans are being exposed to a variety of worldviews.

This cycle of education is extremely valuable for all parties involved, an indisputable concept the SU administration has arguably worked to provide through building a campus with a population reflecting the faces — and therefore values — of the world.

But as we make strides in the direction of fairness and societal betterment as a country for all citizens, nationally and on college campuses like SU, resistance to this evolvement wrongfully continues to occur.

National movements for societal change are often ignited on college campuses, but as diversity remains a point of contention, progress may be overshadowed by doubt. As pushes for equality persist, they are often simultaneously being stifled.

A 2011 article published in The Chronicle of Higher Education titled “Syracuse Slides” described SU’s fall in national rankings as directly related to the university’s increased effort to grant increased opportunities for the city and disadvantaged students.

Since this article was released, I have continued to pose a fundamental question: When did a ranking, a number on a list, become more important than the educational progressivism of our nation?

Further I ask, are these rankings what really determine the success of an institution? Or is it the institution’s ability to educate more of this nation’s people? I argue the latter.

Challenging traditional dynamics is what has brought hundreds of years worth of evolving equality to the American people, and SU seems to be continuing this forward thinking.

The education one receives at SU has arguably only enhanced, not weakened, with the enrollment of more diverse students. Beyond classroom learning, students can now immerse themselves in a community where education about the world’s people, from the people, can be found right on the campus before them.

Other forms of resistance to diversity on college campuses have developed recently, beyond ranking debates. Virginia, for example, has passed a law allowing student organizations at public colleges to practice restrictive membership and still receive institutional funding, according to a March 28 article by Virginia Tech’s The Collegiate Times. Many are interpreting the law as legal discrimination, especially against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

History shows that college students have long been pioneers of social change, as fights for equality and progress regarding both race and sexuality have erupted on college campuses across the country.

College is the ideal time for expanding our knowledge of the world. This should only be supported by government and the world of higher education, not challenged.

Understanding diversity and the need for its existence cannot be taught in a classroom, but it can be discovered outside of those walls. This nation’s universities must fight still today to be an example of celebrated diversity, as there is no better place to educate for a cause.

Rachael Barillari is the editorial editor and a junior political science and Middle Eastern studies major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at rebarill@syr.edu and followed on Twitter at @R_Barillari.

Published on April 1, 2013 at 1:45 am