These participants in the Admission Office's Diversity Open House are, in many ways, a burden to our campus community. Hundreds of thousands of dollars will be spent to transport them from all parts of the country and to house, feed and entertain them while they're here. Some of us have had terrible interactions with these students. They might be incredibly obnoxious or steal our things or, in the worst possible scenario, take our beds in the throes of pre-frosh passion.
Over the weekend, however, many of us will hardly take notice. We might comment on how innocent they look and possibly voice a word of approval concerning the efforts to bring a diverse group of students to campus. There will most certainly be complaints about any of the annoyances mentioned above, but nothing too extreme, as far as we know. The weekend will come and go for most of us college students with little more than a sigh. But for many of the 12th graders who come, this Saturday, Sunday and Monday will be a pivotal three days.
In the Admission Office, this is quite apparent. There is a large staff of deans, aids and 13 student "diversity interns" whose job descriptions explicitly include, at least in part, making this Open House happen. Some of these people will be working more than 50 extra hours over the weekend. Of course there are also the dozens of uncompensated students and professors helping with hosting and programming. The planning for this event has been going on since at least the beginning of the summer and work with the visiting students will continue until long after the pre-frosh have returned home. This open house is an important part of the entire admissions process for this college.
While some of the students have had an opportunity to see the College, most have not. Each participant in the Diversity Open House has been pre-screened and identified as a potentially strong applicant to the college. Of about 400 applicants per summer, fewer than half are invited to attend. There's also a key feature of each participant: They are all students from an under represented portion of the general population. They're coming to the college as minorities, expecting to feel marginalized, yet hoping that the colorful faces in the view book manifest themselves in bodies. They're looking to make a decision about college, and they're certainly going to have choices.
We encourage you to help them with that decision. Bring them to town for their first slice of delicious Antonio's pizza. Take them to the trail where they can stuff their pockets full of leaves to take as souvenirs. Go to Hastings to encourage them to buy their first piece of Amherst paraphernalia. Have a lengthy discussion on a "deep" topic of your choosing. Roll down Memorial Hill! At the very least, be supportive and show some kindness, it'll go a long way.
On the flip side, remember that they have much to offer the Amherst community. Among them are museum docents, budding musicians, competitive athletes, committed activists and dilettantes galore. Hey, you may even have a chance to meet the pre-frosh that scored a perfect 2400 on the SATs and get some standardized test tips. In the end, these students may have the chance to contribute to our diverse and talented student body.
Paz and Kim are juniors majoring in religion. While Kim is also pre-med and has a more practical option in her future, Paz enjoys such useless subjects as ancient Greek. They're thankful to have jobs in the Admission Office as Diversity Interns, as it gives them experience toward a possible career path, a luxury which their major does not so easily afford.