In a country full of immigrants, I usually think I'm in the midst of familiar people. In a land that has been ravaged and rebuilt for modern consumption, I know I share a history with the natives of America. In a society, where I am stigmatized, I notice I have in common not only my appearance, but also my circumstances with every person of color.

At Marquette, I've tried, like all students, to find myself amidst the crowd. In classrooms that recounted the glories of Western Civilization, I've tried to swallow my pride and ignore what the West has done to my people. Amongst groups that branded all arguments either of the right or of the left, I've tried to paint my place on the spectrum. And I often wondered if minorities on this campus felt like me, out of place and confused.

College-hunting senior year of high school wasn't the typical experience. I was limited to universities within a 25 mile radius of my family's new home in Milwaukee — a dilemma prevalent in the Arab and Muslim households. So in choosing between Marquette and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, I didn't do too much investigation into figures of minority representation.

I graduated from a small public school in one of Racine's worst neighborhoods and grew up seeing diversity and viewing it as a beautiful component of American society.

Coming to Marquette, I experienced culture shock. From my "leftist" high school, I entered a world that although surrounded by decrepit streets, was made beautiful on the inside so that if one were looking in, they would envy the comfortable surroundings. From my public school experience where even paper was a scarce commodity; everything here seemed to be wasted or unused.

I expected to see the students of color on the university Web site.. I thought that they must be representatives of the student body, but instead they were a part of a cruel publicity stunt. And here I found out, that the 12 percent population of students of color, doesn't represent the 53 percent of the surrounding areas or the 29 percent of the national whole. They represent Marquette's baseless attempts at diversity.

So as I sit writing this, it's in an inclusive white suburb in a picturesque downtown. As I watch students visiting our campus excited at the prospects of univeristy life, sometimes I wish they would ask me how I liked it here. I am sure university administrators wouldn't be too pleased with my answer.

This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on April 12 2005.