But when recruiters tell MTU they want people who can think, who are not followers, who can work in an international marketplace, they acknowledge the need for critical reflection. Until we're conscious of what we do, we haven't really learned much about it. We don't make choices very easily if we're not conscious. Once you make students more conscious of what's around them, we have more of a chance of talking to them about difference and how important difference is, rather than sameness. Making students aware of difference can be a challenging job at Michigan Tech, where a majority of the population is white, male, and majoring in engineering.
Students know each other from other campuses and disciplines.
You can drive thirty-five minutes and see overwhelming pockets of poverty. Discussion between groups is possible. But in Houghton, the differences are often hidden or spread out. Barron found it hard at first to present a multicultural view in the classroom. Students need to experience it.