It is SUnity week at Shippensburg University. For those who are confused by the title, join the club, as this is the week that was formerly known as Diversity Week until this semester.

However, in keeping with the tradition, the staff at The Slate have come together to describe what diversity means to us and how important it is for the campus.

At a time when we seem to be at our most divided, celebrating diversity is more important than ever. This week is about recognizing the beauty in our diversity and unifying us on the fact that although we share differences, we are all human at the end of the day.

This is especially true for the college campus, where you meet people of different backgrounds and stories every day, and may serve as the first time in your life that you are placed in that situation.

To embrace diversity is to embrace those differences, though. All people have aspects about them that make them unique and should be celebrated. To write that off as trivial or “woke” is sheer ignorance.

Examples of diversity shaping campus can be found everywhere. From the clubs, events, sculptures and sundry other art pieces around campus are just some everyday examples you may see.

But diversity is a dynamic process to take in and appreciate. And every day is a new opportunity for students, faculty and guests on our campus to do so. An example of this is the Ceddia Union Building which frequently features tables from campus clubs that bring light to various cultures, religions and ideas.

But, the word diversity has been under attack more now than perhaps any other time in recent years. The administration of President Donald Trump has been attempting to purge its existence from government webpages and federally owned museums. He has also threatened to pull funding from schools that defy his views on diversity initiatives.

With such threats, it is understandable that the university would rename the week SUnity week. It may be a capitulation, but sometimes it makes sense to re-title something and live to fight another day.

Fundamentally, the week remains the same. What is more important is that the willingness to promote diversity is within all of us waiting to be embraced.

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