Diversity was the hot topic on Wednesday at the University Faculty Senate meeting as a panel of five faculty members discussed how the University is fulfilling its diversity commitments among faculty and classified staff.
Provost John Moseley said programs such as minority recruitment and efforts by the Center for Diversity and Community have helped increase the percentage of minorities hired by the University.
In 1992, only 6.5 percent of faculty members identified themselves as one of four federally recognized ethnic groups; 10 years later, the number had jumped to 10 percent. The total, including faculty who identified as multiracial, is 14.2 percent, Moseley said.
Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Director Penny Daugherty stressed the importance of involving faculty to search out potential candidates for hire.
She said that although more minority faculty teach at the University now than before, things could be better.
“We’ve made some significant improvements, but we have to ask ourselves if this is where we want to be,” Daugherty said. “I don’t believe it is.”
The panel also addressed the issue of creating a friendly environment for minority faculty on campus. Jayna Brown, an English professor, said one of the problems minority faculty face is feeling isolated.
“I’ve spoken with other faculty members of color who’ve voiced frustration about alienation, isolation and even overt hostility,” Brown said. “One of the focuses should be to keep people here.”
Brown and other faculty are creating the Faculty and Staff of Color Coalition, which would work to address barriers to achieving diversity. One way to encourage diversity would be to work on curricula within departments that attract more minority applicants, she said.
Some senate members wondered whether sexual orientation would be considered in determining diversity. Daugherty said while it was not part of federally executed criteria, the University should include sexual orientation when measuring the program’s progress.
“It should be a part of the University’s commitment to diversity,” she said.
In other meeting business, Senate President Greg McLauchlan said he had not received a majority of Senate votes needed to revisit the topic of the war in Iraq. Twenty-two senate members have voted to revisit the issue and possibly draft another resolution, but 24 total votes are needed before the Senate can take any further action. McLauchlan said he would still accept votes from senate members who have not responded.