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Correction appended

For 17 years, students at UCLA have pushed to make a diversity requirement part of the general education curriculum for each undergraduate student.

While propositions for the requirement have been submitted to the university over that period, the Academic Senate – UCLA’s faculty government directly in charge of academic matters – has decided against such plans in favor of other measures to foster multiculturalism.

But all other University of California undergraduate campuses have long since had diversity requirements, which are designed to foster learning about race, culture and ethnicity among all students.

At UC Berkeley, all students are required to take an American cultures course within a collection of university-approved classes from a variety of majors, each of which is intended to explain the processes and consequences of cultural interactions.

First-year American studies student Caitlin Kowalczyk, who plans to take her diversity requirement course next semester, said it is an important part of the UC Berkeley general education curriculum.

“It makes sure everyone has some experience with the discipline of studying culture,” she said, “especially for non-humanities students who get caught up in math and science.”

“It also addresses an area that tends to be neglected in high school,” she added.

Despite the requirement being a valuable addition to her education, Kowalczyk said she does not know whether such a class would relate back to her student life experience at Berkeley in an entirely fruitful way.

“It’s hard to relate a class like that to your school experience – a lot depends on your professor and the type of class,” she said.

Other students merely see the requirement as one of the boxes that must be checked en route to graduation.

Natasha Paris, a second-year mechanical engineering student at UC Berkeley, took a class which explored issues related to university access for students.

“The reason why I took the class was because it was a requirement to graduate,” she said. “I really didn’t like the class all that much.”

Students at UC Riverside are also required to take a course that deals with the study of race and ethnicity in California and the United States, in particular concentrating on one of four principal minority groups: African Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos and Chicanos or American Indians.

Kira Patel, a third-year psychology and business administration student at UC Riverside, completed her requirement with Ethnic Studies 3, a class that focuses on African American experience and culture.

Originally from Newhall, a city in the Santa Clarita Valley near Los Angeles, Patel grew up in an area where there were very few blacks.

She said her class gave her real insight on issues relating to the African American community and what stereotypes other people may hold.

“If you absorb what you are learning, you really get to see that people have different perspectives to you,” Patel said.

She added that the requirement forced people to take courses ultimately impacting how they react to events in their daily lives.

“I would have never taken the class if I didn’t have to,” she said.

With reports from Menaka Fernando, Bruin senior staff.

Correction:UC Berkeley student Natasha Peris’ name was misspelled.