The University’s intricate plan to increase campus diversity is at an indefinite crossroad: If progress continues as planned, the University may see an unprecedented improvement, but if community members do not see an increasing amount of diversity awareness during the next few years, the Diversity Plan could be coined a failure.
The action will become clearly visible next term. March 23 is the deadline for each school, college, administrative unit and the ASUO Executive to submit a Strategic Action Plan (SAP), a document that lays out specific plans designed to increase diversity awareness in that particular “unit.”
“They’re designed to evolve as our challenges evolve,” said Vice Provost for Institutional Equity and Diversity Charles Martinez. “The Diversity Plan alone is insufficient. The positive tone impact is good, but Strategic Action Plans with accountability really make us commit.”
Students don’t seem to share a common outlook, though. Some view diversity awareness as a serious issue on campus, while others barely give it a second glance.
Junior Emma Kostin-Conley, who is white, has heard of discrimination issues but has yet to witness any firsthand. She feels that the University campus and students are generally open-minded.
“I could just not be aware of the stuff because I’m not a target,” she said. “I certainly applaud the effort that’s being taken, but I’m not really sure how effective it will be.”
But freshman Amy Livingston is more than aware of the issues at hand. Livingston, half-Korean, has encountered her fair share of friendly banter. She said that although the jokes rarely cross the line, she gets tired of it, and expects the Diversity Plan will allow more positive open communication among students.
“Since we’re such a big institution, we shouldn’t close our minds off to other cultures,” she said. “A lot of people from here are not used to being around people who are culturally diverse.”
A self-proclaimed “progressive democrat” hailing from New York, freshman Jay Syed’s father is Bengali and his mother is Irish, Basque, Polish and German. Syed is teased regularly by friends, but he doesn’t consider it a particularly negative occurrence.
“I actually think it’s better that people say what they’re thinking than being told not to say anything at all,” he said. “That’s what creates problems – when people don’t say what they feel.”
At the same time, Syed said there is some level of ignorance surrounding the conversation. He has encountered many students who do not fully comprehend the implications of their speech or actions.
“It’s important that they know what’s right and what’s wrong,” he said. “It’s kind of funny to think some of them are in college because you’d think they’d be a little more open-minded.”
Although race is perhaps the most obvious and commonly considered indicator of diversity, the Diversity Plan does not only emphasize skin color. The plan defines diversity as “Differences based on race and ethnicity, national origin or citizenship, gender, religious affiliation or background, sexual orientation, gender identity, economic class or status, political affiliation or belief, and ability or disability.”
“We view diversity broadly,” Martinez said. He said all people who consider themselves part of those categories “need to have a home in this.”
Freshman Jeremy Swanburg, a Republican, said the most visible diversity conflict within Hamilton residence hall is demeaning comments related to sexual orientation. He said students “throw around a lot of slang words,” and are not necessarily aware they could be hurting someone.
But when it comes to racial issues, Swanburg said the dorms are fairly “chill.” He noted the tendency of ethnic groups on campus to hang out exclusively together, but said the Diversity Plan isn’t really necessary because “culturally, and speaking by race, people don’t seem to have a problem hanging out with each other.”
Justin May, a freshman who self-identifies as black and Mexican, agrees that “a lot of groups are segregated. It’s just who they feel more comfortable with.” May said he has never been treated any differently on campus because of his race and doesn’t care about the Diversity Plan, but he has been singled out other places in Eugene. He said he’s used to it.
Overcoming Obstacles
The final Diversity Plan has been a long time coming, constructed through the efforts of many dedicated students, faculty, staff and community members.
The plan was conceptualized upon the 2002 anti-discrimination lawsuit-mandated creation of the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity. The central charge of the office was the “creation, development and implementation of a broad, five-year plan to enhance diversity at the UO.”
When Martinez replaced Gregory Vincent as Vice Provost for Institutional Equity and Diversity in 2003, he decided to scrap the “five-year” part, but the plan was not on the fast-track to completion or acceptance.
“You don’t accomplish these goals in five years,” he said. “You integrate them into the fabric of the community over time.”
The original draft of the Diversity Plan was released in May 2005. Martinez said the exposure of issues previously undiscussed was uncomfortable for many people on campus, and that contributed to a poor reception of the draft.
“We were very divided on campus. It was a difficult time for our campus community.”
“This is an issue of great significance, not merely on our campus but in our society and our world,” Frohnmayer wrote to his colleagues when the revised plan was released in May 2006. “Everyone in our community has the right, as well as the license, to speak freely and without censure, to the details of the plan.”
Martinez said this project is not a result of one particular event or a “hot issue.” Rather, it’s an organic response to issues of diversity and equity that have been on campus since the University was founded in 1876.
“This plan was really a call to action,” he said. “It wasn’t designed to be a flashy document to hang on someone’s wall. It became our common voice.”
The Diversity Advisory Committee is a group of campus individuals who played a large part in the plan’s development. Milagro Vargas, University School of Music associate professor and DAC member, said it may take time to see substantial results.
“Despite some very vocal opposition, there seems to be an acceptance throughout the University that diversity is an important issue,” she said. “This in itself is an accomplishment that has taken many years.”
Sociology Professor Bob O’Brien, also a member of the DAC, said he agreed that diversity awareness has increased on campus, but not without difficulties.
“This is obviously not as diverse a place as the University of North Carolina or (University of California) Los Angeles,” he said. “On the other hand, I believe if we were to go back and look at statistics of the number of people of color on the faculty – I’ve been here since 1981 – there are more people. That isn’t to say, ‘So, we’ve arrived,’ but I do believe it’s a more diverse place than it was 25 years ago.”
But in the end, there is much work yet to be done. About 30 percent of students Martinez asks have no clue what the plan is or what it represents.
ASUO Vice President Juliana Guzman said the plan will give underrepresented students the opportunity to finally speak out.
“One wants to do his best to make sure we have every student’s voice in the plan,” she said, “but it’s hard because we can’t have every student sit down and write what they want.”
Martinez said the Diversity Plan is essentially putting the University mission statement into actual practice, creating a common responsibility and finding our own voices.
“We all have a contribution to make,” he said. “We all have responsibility for action around this. Too many people have not felt welcome in this conversation.”
Yet Martinez remains very opti
mistic, and expects changes and improvements to become visible as the SAPs are implemented.
“If we can’t see those changes, I worry it is about words rather than actions,” he said, “and I don’t anticipate that happening.”
Contact the higher education reporter at [email protected]