2006

What comes to mind when we hear the words "American college student"? Counselors and other student affairs professionals are continuing to discover the diversity hidden under this familiar label. The distinction is most often made on the basis of such observable characteristics as color and ethnicity, overlooking the less obvious traits: gender, sexual orientation, bilingualism, disability, etc. The danger is no longer in being blind to the differences, but rather in being nearsighted to the fine details therein, i.e., acknowledging diversity within diversity. Although a great deal of clinical attention and research have been devoted to the minority experience on college campuses, this phenomenon has been described in very "black and white" terms. In fact, the word "minority" itself has become synonymous with "persons of color," often at the cost of excluding the other, less easily identifiable minorities.