Holding students to different standards is demeaning and insulting. All students, as individuals deserve the respect of faculty regardless of their cultural background, ethnicity, race, gender, religious beliefs, political ideologies, disability, sexual preference, age, or socioeconomic status. One of the challenges of being an educator is to reach our students at their current point of understanding. In particular, some students may possess learning styles which hinder them from benefitting from traditional methods of instruction. Faculty have the responsibility to use all possible effective pedagogical tools to reach those students.
Students look to faculty as role models.
Not only must faculty exhibit an appreciation and respect for students from all backgrounds, but it is also imperative that they teach and model behavior which is tolerant and shows appreciation and respect for others within their respective disciplines. Affirming individual students' abilities, strengthening their self identities, and assisting them to reach their full potential is a model worth emulating. The concept of a community college as defined by the California Community Colleges' Master Plan is one of the best examples of an egalitarian educational system of higher education in the world. One could say that the idea of open access is the quintessential expression of democracy in education and that open access exemplifies the free pursuit of learning. As participants in the development of educational policies at our institutions we must remain diligent to protect students' right to freely pursue their education, watching closely to prevent barriers to access, particularly to those from historically under-represented groups.