Perhaps the greatest facet of humanity is its diversity. Everyone is different; everyone has something unique to offer. Diversity ensures that life will never be boring.

The greatest enemy to diversity is racism and discrimination. These human feelings are some of the worst sides of mankind and are the enemy of peace and prosperity.

Even today, our world is still rocked by wars and violations of human rights that stem from simple hatred. Some say that this barbarism of humanity will never phase out and people will always fear and loath what they don't understand.

This prediction is far too pessimistic.

Education is the way to solve this problem — education of the diverse backgrounds, cultures and genders of our society.

Purdue does a great deal to enforce diversity. There are a large number of student organizations that promote acceptance and the quest for equality. Through efforts such as these, there is hope for a higher form of human existence: a gender and ethnically blind society.

Purdue students are extremely fortunate to attend a University that has one of the largest international student populations in the country. Nowhere in the Midwest can Americans gain more firsthand knowledge of other cultures and societies.

However, not enough is being done. Discrimination still lives and breathes in our country. Even at Purdue, the monster of racism rears its ugly head from time to time.

In many schools such as Harvard and the University of Chicago, one excellent way that they educate their students is to require core classes to address these issues. For example, the School of Liberal Arts here at Purdue, as part of their core curriculum, requires students to take electives in fields of ethnic diversity, gender, global perspective and other cultures.

Taking courses such as these allow students to gain a better understanding of the world.

Many major schools at Purdue do not require their students to take courses on ethnic diversity or other fields listed above. They require general education and international electives, where the students may, but are not required to, take those courses.

In our quest to become a nationally recognized school, we must realize that the first step is to produce modern intellectuals: men and woman enriched with knowledge of global cultures and ethnic backgrounds.

To abolish the specter of discrimination, it should become a priority of Purdue's Strategic Plan to make it mandatory for all students at Purdue to take classes on gender, ethnicity and other cultures. If not merely to gain a better understanding of the world, to ensure that students have an understanding of the patchwork quilt of culture that is America.

It is through this kind of education that we will become a peaceful society of humans, not merely a collection of stranded minorities.

Editorial Board: John Wakefield, Heather Mangold, Melissa Davis, Laura Pelner, Dave Stephens.