Mr. Kass, I wanted to commend you on the opinion piece “Diversifying the Meaning of Diversity” you wrote on Jan. 14 in the Iowa State Daily. As I read it, I was impressed by your maturity and insight.

You see, as an Iowa State ethnic faculty member, I have had some time to reflect on what diversity means as well. I quite agree with you that diversity will eventually signify more than racial or ethnic difference. As your opinion asserts, for you, in comparison to your hometown of Dubuque, Iowa State is diverse.

While other readers of your piece might suggest that you are lowering expectations, I appreciate what you’ve learned. You’ve come to appreciate an evolutionary notion of diversity and I respect your education in this regard.

I would also conjecture that in the future the university’s notion of diversity will also change. As Iowa State moves toward its goal of an increasingly diverse student and faculty community, changes pertaining to our notion of diversity will appear. Such changes will likely bring new understandings of difference, each one an opportunity for discovery and enrichment of the human experience.

For now, although you have never been a student of mine, I applaud you for learning what I consider a great lesson. To quote you, diversity can be considered as “a collection of people with different life stories, new perspectives and fresh ideas.”

As a critical interpreter and lover of stories, I hope you’ll keep telling this one. I certainly will.

Jose Miguel Amaya

Assistant Professor

English