Not Playing it Safe: Tutoring an Ethic of Diversity within a Non-Diverse Environment

Abstract

For many, the word diversity has become synonymous with statistical representations of race, class, and gender. Although this element is a vital one, there is another, more interior, aspect that must be addressed. Diversity must also be a state of mind, an ethical code of inclusiveness. Such diversity has the potential to change much more than numbers; it can change the way tutors think and (re)act during tutorials. Statistical diversity often has a way of fostering a more diverse attitude, but how can we cultivate that state of mind in a non-diverse environment? My writing center is located on a regional campus of Kent State University, and our student body is overwhelmingly middle class and very much white. It is imperative that tutor training seeks to enable us to work with minority students, yet as a conscientious tutor I cannot ignore the fact that a large percentage of our students come from very privileged backgrounds. These students’ experiences differ from the usual discussion of diversity, and this difference comes through in their writing. If our writing center wants to remain true to our principles of encouraging diversity, what role does the tutor have in either reinforcing or challenging these privileged students and their writing