The EIUnity Diversity Conference is once again coming to campus, providing the university with a beneficial opportunity to come together and learn about other people’s experiences.

According to The Daily Eastern News article “EIUnity conference back on campus for another round.”

Event coordinator James Griffin said the conference is an opportunity to bring all of the groups on campus to one place to openly share their stories and experiences.

At the last conference, topics such as privilege, colorism, racism, sexism and being a first-generation college student were not just talked about but explained in a way that allowed those attending to see the effects these concepts have had on the people presenting.

This year’s conference promises more of the same kind of eye-opening talks that students, faculty, staff and the whole campus community needs to better understand each other.

Diversity is a vital part of any university.

The recruitment of more minority students and international students is a step in the right direction.

When all kinds of students from all races, ethnicities and countries are able to see other students who look like them on campus it helps to create a unified campus at a time when unity at Eastern is needed more than ever.

On the other hand, when students are able to meet students who come from all kinds of places and who have all kinds of life experience, they grow as a person as well as a citizen.

It also helps Eastern grow as a university, as students are able to teach each other and learn about the world around them.

The point of higher education is to learn about new ideas and meet different people from all walks of life.

Hearing one perspective is a good way to spend your life in a bubble and waste your time at Eastern, but a terrible way to actually live life.

While it can be hard to break out of one’s comfort zone, it is easier when a conference like the EIUnity Diversity Conference is offered to allow people to listen and learn about different perspectives and different lives in their own university, where many of them live, work and study.

Going to the EIUnity Diversity Conference is one of the first steps to getting more diversity on campus, but it should not be the last.

Likewise, going to the conference for students should not be the only thing they do on campus to experience diversity.

There are plenty of cultural events on campus that can be experienced, such as the ones offered all February for African-American Heritage Month.