While University students were relaxing during Spring Break, the Diversity Advisory Committee was working toward what they hope will be unprecedented cultural acceptance on campus.
The Diversity Plan, a product of the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity, is the University’s guide to creating a campus that fosters a “culturally responsive community.” Eleven months after its adoption, the plan has come to a critical point at which suggestions are being put into practice.
Just before Spring Break, each school, college, and administrative unit, as well as the ASUO executive created a Strategic Action Plan outlining steps each respective unit would take to enhance diversity and acceptance on campus. The units created the final product by questioning the effectiveness of how each one functions at this point. Once the units analyzed themselves, they wrote an SAP targeting improvement.
During the break week, the DAC reviewed each of the plans and submitted comments back to the units. Provost Linda Brady and the general counsel’s office will also contribute feedback, to be submitted soon. Then, the units will evaluate the collected comments and revise the SAPs by the end of the school year.
Dr. Charles Martinez, Vice Provost of Institutional Equity and Diversity, said although every unit was responsive, some of the units were much further along, more thoughtful, and more developed than others.
“There are clearly some extraordinary plans,” said Martinez. “There was a real great innovation, and also room for revision.”
Martinez said the Diversity Plan’s strengths at this point include widespread engagement, individualized plans that still follow the DAC guidelines, and strong efforts to overcome discomfort around a sensitive issue.
Although the campus community received the initial proposal of the plan with widespread apprehension, the final draft – encouraged by a letter from University President Dave Frohnmayer to University faculty – is more widely accepted.
“The University community has a greater awareness of the importance of having such a document and there’s a greater understanding of why we need to have the document in order to advance,” said DAC member Steve Pickett.
Pickett is the Director of Disability Services and said the DAC is a positive voice for the betterment of the campus community. He feels the Diversity Plan represents people with disabilities in a way they have not been represented on campus.
“A University environment should be open and available to all individuals who are interested in furthering their education,” said Pickett. “I offer an understanding (to the DAC) because I understand where some of these other segments of our campus community have been feeling like they’ve been excluded because I’ve been in similar situations myself.”
Although the Diversity Plan is the result of many faculty and administrators’ dedicated work, the DAC regrets the lack of student involvement in the process, Martinez said.
David Van Der Haeghen, one of three DAC student representatives, said the plan appears successful from the student perspective, but it is unfortunate that they were not able to aid in its creation.
“This plan is designed primarily for the students,” he said. “Without the student voice today, the student voice will be marginalized that much more in the future.”
Van Der Haeghen also said the individual units should reach out to students more.
University senior John Joo agreed, and said the plan may not be as effective as anticipated because of that exclusion.
“(The Diversity Plan) is so individualized … it’s a leeway for departments to not have to critically asses the needs of the students in the departments,” said Joo. “The head of the department or the unit can base (the SAP) on what they need.”
“I know that they have good intentions, but I don’t think it’s reflected in the way that it’s being implemented,” Joo said.
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