Editor:

This letter is in response to the recent articles concerning diversity on campus, and how I fit into the discussion.

Sure, I may have been raised by silverback gorillas in the jungles of Congo, and of course it was an interesting experience to have lived in Tibet when China decided to invade, but my search was completely misguided. Certainly, it was an amazing thing to live as a nomad in the mountains of Iran, and I’ll never forget the time I hunted caribou alongside the natives of Alaska with nothing save a handcrafted spear-but those things were all pointless. Even my time as a volunteer for the NAACP was a waste. Why? Because I’m still white, I’m still heterosexual and as far as I can tell, those two things alone prohibit me from being diverse, at least by the standards of my university.

I guess I really should just apologize for it all. So, to all of you students or professors who are struggling through a painfully homogenous college experience, I give you my condolences. I’ve done my best (I really have!) to try and broaden my perspectives and open up to a new world of thought, but it just isn’t working. As much as I learn and as much as my opinions change, I’m still white and I’m still part of that 70 percent or so that apparently prevents real diversity from occurring.

I came to the U for an education and all I brought with me was enough money to cover books and out-of-state tuition, a desire to learn everything I could and a willingness to focus on my studies. What university would want a student like that? So, I guess until I learn “diversity,” I’ll just have to live a normal life of social grooming, pack hunting and trips to visit my old friends in the Himalayas, like everyone else (oh, and before anyone does a background check to verify my reliable story, no, I didn’t really volunteer for the NAACP).

Justin Kirkham

Junior, biology