A certain degree of awareness would reveal existence of injustice at various levels on college campuses. There are a myriad of ways to contribute to positive, social change on college campuses. Two of such programs to consider are: 1) helping fellow students to see each other as co-learners rather than competitors, and 2) requesting teachers to include diverse experiences and backgrounds in classroom materials.
1) Helping fellow students to see each other as co-learners rather than competitors
The culture of competition is ingrained in all of us and the U.S. college admission system is no exception. It is my view that cooperation unites people and brings order, a key element of breaking social injustice. Competition separates people and breeds greed and violence, both detrimental to social justice. I’d encourage each class to make student learning-groups who would study the specific subject together. In this approach, the students in each group would view each other as co-learners instead of competitors. All unanswered questions by one group would be presented to the other group(s) until the questions get answered. This approach would make all students in the class equally knowledgeable in the subject being studied as co-learners. As co-learners, studentswould approach the learning process as a path to solving problems instead of a mark of achievement for a few students.
2) Requesting teachers to include diverse experiences and backgrounds in classroom materials
I’d request the teachers to strengthen their classroom materials through learning experiences that draw upon the diverse backgrounds of their students. In-class engagement with the students from different perspectives and points of view will help the teachers in preparing the learning material based on new information. Correspondingly, the new class materials would include lesson plans from diverse voices and cultures from specific backgrounds of students for their better understanding.