JANELLE PATTERSON The Marietta Times Marietta College freshmen Siarra DeMichele, 19, of Pennsylvania, and Randy Sattig, 18, of Florida, talk in the multicultural center at Marietta College Tuesday.

Sierra DeMichele, a 19-year-old freshman at Marietta College, defines diversity as more than a variety in skin tones.

“I think when people talk about diversity it often gets slimmed down into just what you look like, but there’s also the diversity of thought and the ways you grew up,” she explained while working at the college’s multicultural center Tuesday. “On campus right now it’s treated mostly in a celebratory way, but there’s a saying I love where diversity doesn’t mean anything without decency.”

DeMichele is the first U.S.-born child on her mother’s side of the family. Her older brother and mother were born in the Philippines.

“I’ve always been in the minority even in high school,” said the Washington, Pa. native. “But on campus here celebrating Kuwait National Day with food that was delicious, or my mom and I had a booth in our multicultural festival, or even with friends I get to learn about different cultures and religious backgrounds, and you can have a conversation or even debate about something you get passionate about, but that doesn’t equal hate.”

A diversity of thought, of voices and actions, are the premise for a coming change on the campus–a reworking of the college’s financial aid packages drawing students of varied backgrounds.

“We’re changing the longstanding award from a $2,000-to-$5,000-per year award for a handful of students to full tuition for five students who have to compete for the scholarship,” said Dr. Nkenge Friday, associate dean of students and director of diversity and inclusion. “It will be merit-based, but we’re looking at the whole person applying, are they passionate for community service, student leadership, civil service and can they show evidence that they will have academic success here?”

Friday clarified that there will not be a minimum grade point average requirement for the five incoming freshmen to receive the scholarship, but obligations to keep the award begin with a personal statement defining social justice and diversity.

“We’re looking for students who show a propensity for academic success,” said Friday. “This year for incoming students we’ve sent it out to as many potential students as possible–I don’t want to just throw it at an athlete just to get them here, I genuinely want them to finish college and give them the tools to succeed.”

Marietta College President Bill Ruud said the change in the award more clearly celebrates the legacy of its namesakes–the first African-American students to graduate from Marietta College in the 1800s.

“If our students are going to leave Marietta College and go out into a world that’s more diverse they need to be exposed here and see the humanity and the differences in the ways that people were brought up and how they make decisions,” Ruud said. “And I hope they leave here understanding the roots of the three brothers for whom this scholarship was named, why this was possible, to begin with.”

The award is named after Charles Sumner Harrison, the first of three brothers from Harmar who completed higher education at Marietta College.

Charles Sumner Harrison graduated from the college in 1876.

His younger brother, John Langston Harrison, graduated from Marietta College in 1887.

Their youngest brother, Walter Clifton Harrison, graduated from the college in 1891.

The Harrison family moved to Harmar in 1856 and befriended Marietta College Trustee Douglas Putnam.

“And of course the Putnams were big, and we believe Douglas probably helped push for those boys to attend the school,” said Special Collections Librarian Linda Showalter. “Charles went on to become a doctor, and Walter went on into engineering, but the middle brother became a writer and wrote about his experiences in being black in those times.”

In the special collections archives, a final letter from Charles Sumner Harrison to a former college classmate reads “I would like to live in a world where the brotherhood of man is a reality and where we can love our neighbor as ourselves.”

Ruud said the college currently boasts approximately 120 international students on campus, ranging in home countries from Kuwait and China to Congo, and an 8 to 10 percent rate of diverse ethnic and heritage amongst current students.

“Diversity is increasingly important in everything we do as we learn more about belonging and mental health and learning about multiple, different perspectives produces multiple and better decisions,” said Ruud.

Diversity scholarship:

• Named for Charles Sumner Harrison, the first African-American student to graduate from Marietta College in 1876, the Charles Sumner Harrison Scholarship is changing in the coming school year from a $2,000-5,000 competitive award for approximately 10 students to five full-tuition scholarships in the 2019-20 school year.

•Accepted students for the incoming class were invited to submit a one-page statement on how they have impacted or promoted social justice and inclusion in their community.

Source: Marietta College.