Written by Chris Kirschner
All kinds of people—not just different races, but different religions, backgrounds, nationalities, sexual orientations, and political inclinations—live and study at UF quite peacefully. There are students from every state in the union, and more than 100 countries are represented—groups, observances, and events are held to celebrate every last one. Islam On Campus holds prayer sessions, Alpha Kappa Alpha brings black women together in the bonds of sisterhood, and don’t forget about the Hare Krishnas on campus, who provide unlimited lunch every day for only $4.
This does not mean, of course, that people don’t rally for even greater diversity, and regardless of the fact that Florida has abolished affirmative action in state universities, it seems like things are getting more diverse all of the time. It’s true that the majority of UF students are white kids from Florida, but that’s not the only (or most interesting) way to look at it; it’s more fun, and maybe more relevant, to recognize that every student is going to bring something different to the table (speaking of which, there are a lot of tables to sit at; you make a big school small by getting to know people and becoming involved with a variety of little groups). At any rate, a UF student might be black, brown, red, yellow, or white, but the important thing is that everyone bleeds orange and blue, baby.