Buffs Together

We're All in This Together

By Marissa Kelley, Kristin Oh and Alina Lopez

In order to fight against the school鈥檚 long history of predominantly caucasian students, Assistant Vice Chancellor Alphonse Keasley is advocating a new program called the Diversity, Inclusion and Academic Excellence Plan. Rather than putting blame on a single department or group, the program鈥檚 intention is to make inclusion everyone鈥檚 responsibility and to try to recognize everyone鈥檚 part in achieving inclusion, Keasley said. The Plan is not only for ethnic minorities, but for men, women, and abled and disabled students, faculty, and staff.

Gangadharbatla suggested putting people into different groups, like a simulation in a classroom, that would expose them to a different world view.

鈥淒iversity pushes the human race forward,鈥 he said, 鈥渂ecause if everybody thought and did the same thing, we鈥檒l all be doing the same thing.鈥

鈥淚t takes somebody with a different experience in life or something that鈥檚 different to come up and say 鈥榳ell, what if we went this way instead of going that way,鈥 because in my life I鈥檝e done all of these things, and this is what my life tells me. That鈥檚 what I think pushes the human race forward is this ability to think differently and have a different experience.鈥

Zacq Richmond will have much to look forward to this fall. He is in the summer bridge program, which includes multicultural classes.

鈥淚鈥檝e learned a lot of about Hispanic people, Mexican people, Asian people and their cultures. They do different things but we鈥檙e still all people at the end of the day, so we just all need to come together.鈥

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2S_LFxFOAE]

MEET THE NEW GUYS

Zacqariah 鈥淶acq鈥 Richmond

  • Hometown: Denver, Colorado
  • High School: Rangeview HS, 鈥16
  • Study Plans at CU: Computer Science
  • Dorm: Kittredge Hall
  • Favorite Color: Green
  • Favorite Food: Chicken alfredo
  • Favorite Music: Rap and R&B
  • Pets: One cat but more of a dog person
  • Siblings: One younger brother
  • If he could be any food: Hot dog
  • Dream Travel Destination: Brazil during Carnival
  • Hidden Fact: He is part Mexican
  • Hobbies: Working out and hip hop dancing
  • Most excited about CU: Meeting new people and the environment
  • Plans for joining clubs at CU: intramural football and basketball as well as ROTC and Black Student Alliance. He plans on starting a black fraternity.

Winfred Sanaki

  • Hometown: Aurora, Colorado
  • High School: Lotus School for Excellence, 鈥16
  • Study Plans at CU: Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • Favorite Color: Blue
  • Favorite Food: Home-cooked pasta alfredo
  • Favorite Music: Any music that鈥檚 not screamo
  • Siblings: Two older sisters
  • Dream travel Destination: Go back to Italy to create new memories
  • Hobbies: Soccer, videogames, reading mystery and fantasy books
  • Favorite Movie: 鈥22 Jumpstreet鈥
  • Most excited for about CU: First semester classes
  • Plans for joining clubs at CU: Intramural Soccer and Robotics club