The Benefits of Diverse Perspectives On Campus
Student news plays a vital role in spreading important information, opinions and ideas throughout the community at Samo. It is seminal to creating an environment where knowledge from within our campus and across the globe is shared, creating room for open dialogue and educated conversations. Not only does student news ensure that attendees of Samo are kept informed, but it allows students to be aware of every aspect of student life on campus.
At Samo, student news encourages critical thinking. By opening doors to concerns that students may have never considered, ideas and issues are spread that can inspire a new way of thinking. Student news can play a beneficial role in creating this environment by paving the way for conversations to be started. When a diverse group of perspectives is represented across campus, students become more engaged and educated regarding ongoing topics and events. Therefore, it is extremely important that students voice their opinions, no matter what they may be.
Although open dialogue is encouraged, it’s not as simple as it sounds. Students have the right to express their opinions, but oftentimes those with opposing views aren’t as loud. On most controversial issues, the majority of students and staff at Samo land on the same liberal side of the argument. In a community mainly composed of people with similar beliefs, it is natural for students of opposing viewpoints to feel intimidated or shut down when bringing their opinions into conversations. Although understandable, this reaction is completely unhealthy in creating a successful setting.
Kathleen Faas, a current English teacher at Samo, who previously spent 18 years as the advisor of the The Samohi Journalism program, claims it is difficult for students to open up about these types of topics at Samo.
“I think that when kids do speak, or they do something that singles them out, that they are sort of opening up floodgates for bullying or teasing at least…” Faas said, adding, “It would be nice to have more students who don’t care about the blowback or who are proud to represent an idea, but it’s a rare student who can do that.”
Samo would immensely benefit from students participating in discussions between those of different stances. Debating issues with people of conflicting perspectives allows for both sides to learn the valid points of others while expressing their own attitudes towards the subject. This will create more articulate individuals.
The participation of argumentative discourse at Samo provides students with a basis for future success. To a large degree, argumentative discourse can be seen in national political debates that ultimately result in the election of political leaders and the passing of laws. Taken to a smaller degree, the ability to participate in argumentative discourse strengthens self advocacy. As a community, solutions to issues will not be satisfactory to the whole collective as it’s nearly impossible to be aware of the concerns of others without conversing with those of opposing views.
“We need a diversity of opinions, and it needs to be framed,” Faas said. “I never think that all of our perspectives are represented in the newspaper.”
The importance of Samo creating an environment where students are comfortable in sharing their beliefs can not be understated. The responsibility does not just lie on the school itself, but on each and every student who is a member of the campus community. As stated many times, student news is a great platform to support the sustainability of this environment. The school newspaper is a perfect place for students to express themselves on a large scale, however, only some students are given the opportunity to be a part of The Samohi. Any student attending Samo is still capable of sharing their ideas in the paper, via the student contributor program.
Art by Audrey Strauss