During the production of Thursday’s Diversity Features Edition issue of The Kent Stater, uneasiness surfaced among staff members concerning the top half of this front page’s design.

To some, the close-up photographs of the subjects emphasize only skin complexion, perpetuating the misconception that diversity is solely the product of racial differences.

Discussions evolved into what makes Kent State diverse, if racial variation is indeed not enough.

From gender to ethnicity, the staff collectively contemplated the litany of characteristics that contribute to somebody’s identity within a community. The dialogue sparked by the design elicited a consensus: Diversity runs substantially deeper than skin color.

It is imperative for society to embrace this notion.

Varying sexual, economic, professional, political and intellectual backgrounds shape our heterogenous community — race is only one factor in the pool of individuality. Though the easiest route to recognizing diversity may be through outward appearance, the truest iteration of the word is the one that manifests itself in ways that aren’t so visually obvious.

Because the Stater staff finds it crucial that readers similarly explore the dynamic nature of diversity through conversations such as the one we shared, the design remains.