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Wiley, Spear take on UW diversity issue

University of Wisconsin Chancellor John Wiley and Provost Peter Spear met with students during the Plan 2008 Student Forum Thursday to address possible solutions to problematic diversity issues within the campus community.

The Plan 2008 Student Forum was held as part of the Wisconsin Alumni Student Board’s All-Campus Party to provide constructive criticism for the two prominent campus officials while presenting ideas prescribed by students to better achieve UW’s Plan 2008 goals for increased diversity.

During the forum, Wiley and Spear faced tough questions from a diverse crowd of attendees primarily concerned with the lack of a welcoming campus climate.

Many forum attendees said they were upset that while Plan 2008 has been in effect for nearly five years, the percentage of minority students on campus has increased only roughly 2 percent and currently accounts for 10.7 percent of UW undergrads.

Other attendees said they would like to see that number reach 40 percent.

Some students also suggested that bringing in more minority students is only half the battle — retaining them is equally important, they said.

“How are you changing climate other than adding students of color?” UW sophomore Monica Adams said. “I’m really tired of hearing that it’s our problem — that it’s our problem to educate, our problem to graduate. We are here, and we are showing our faces tonight.”

After waiting for the crowd to settle, Wiley responded by stating that concern for UW’s campus climate is not limited to the lack of minority students.

“That’s our obligation, not yours,” Wiley said. “Day-to-day campus climate is a responsibility of all of us.”

UW Provost Peter Spear added there have been efforts to increase student diversity education from both sides of the issue, and no student should feel he or she cannot succeed at UW.

“Every student admitted here has the ability to succeed,” Spear said. “We’re working with [Associated Students of Madison] and [Student Orientation, Advising & Registration] to start diversity education and training.”

To resolve diversity issues under Plan 2008, students provided numerous ideas contrived during group “break-out sessions” prior to the forum. Among other recommendations, students suggested UW target more out-of-state minorities and increase funding for organizations like the Posse Foundation, which recruits groups of minority students in high school and trains them to attend top-tier universities as a group, or “posse.”

Students also noted UW should take a more multicultural approach to evaluating Plan 2008 implementation and look beyond statistics.

Wiley said UW is already supplying mentors for some minority students and will do everything in its means to make sure the university can better retain them.

“Nationwide, it is scandalous that only 20 percent of minorities enrolled in college graduate,” Wiley said. “Simply getting people here is not enough. We need to get people to come back for a second year, third year and so on.”

Wiley added he looks forward to further collaborating with students to achieve Plan 2008 goals before 2008.