Diversity is a wonderful thing. And it’s hard to argue with the benefits of knowing another language, especially if that other language is Spanish and you live in Texas. However, TCU’s decision to teach some of its employees Spanish so they can communicate with their Spanish-speaking co-workers is a business decision, not an attempt to bridge cultures and increase diversity.

The TCU administration is taking the easy way out. Instead of helping many of our university’s employees learn to speak English, TCU is opting to teach university administrators a few Spanish phrases. While this idea may seem nice on the surface – helping people learn a new language, increasing cultural awareness and making the workplace more efficient – it’s not.

Not only is the university not helping its Spanish-speaking employees learn English, but it is also making them more comfortable speaking their native language. This will end up crippling the Spanish-speaking workers here. While living in America, all of them will eventually have to use English somewhere (granted it may be less common in Texas). By enabling Spanish-speaking workers to continue speaking Spanish in the workplace, TCU is hindering their chances of learning the English language.

We are an educational institution, and should fulfill our social responsibility as one to make the world a better place. Business decisions like this one shirk from these responsibilities. While it may be easier and cheaper to teach just a few people Spanish, TCU should take the initiative to do the right thing and teach many of its employees English.

Learning a new language is a life skill, and a necessary one if the country you live in speaks a different language. If these workers don’t have a chance to learn English in the workplace, where will they learn it?

Features editor Amber Parcher for the editorial board