NEWS
Diversity forum touts ‘progress’
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by Nick Penzenstadler
Friday, September 22, 2006
Bar graphs and a multitude of facts revealed the progress of the University of Wisconsin's Plan 2008 diversity program yesterday at the annual Diversity Forum held at Memorial Union.
"We're here to celebrate the progress we've made creating a diverse community since 1999," UW Chancellor John Wiley said at the beginning of the event. "We have evident shortcomings, but we all will have different reactions to those. Some will be frustrated and even angry, but we all have different viewpoints."
Plan 2008, a program designed to promote diversity throughout the campus, has been in place since the UW System began a push for diversity at all of its state campuses in 1998.
According to Interim Dean of Students Lori Berquam, the program has made significant progress and is set to continue with new projects.
"It provides some status points; it shows us where we're at and also where we're going," Berquam said. "We have some exciting new things on campus."
One of those new projects is the student-led Think Campaign, initiated by a call from Berquam for improving the diversity climate at UW. Chairperson Jill Roos said the program has evolved to distributing buttons and awareness about diversity policy and acceptance.
Roos alluded to a particular incident in which UW had to confront such issues last spring when two UW students and two visiting college students were charged with hate crimes after allegedly vandalizing an LGBT liaison's door.
"People will no longer be able to turn their backs on the hate crimes that have occurred on this campus," she said.
Administrators said they are behind the student-led program, which will fit with their plan to increase diversity and show consideration for the innumerable nationalities on campus.
UW Provost Patrick Farrell said he is hopeful the program will take off.
"For me, the biggest hope is that it really catches on across campus and it illustrates to everybody — students, faculty and staff — that there is an important role that everybody plays in creating and recreating the climate of this campus," Farrell said.
Jenn Sheridan, research director of the Women in Science & Engineering Leadership Institute, presented numbers showing mixed results of the current diversity programs at UW.
A recent campus climate survey showed positive results with the overall environment at UW.
"Less than 10 percent of the 29,000 undergraduates say that they are dissatisfied with the diversity climate," Sheridan said.
Sheridan also reported that 90 percent of faculty chairs and 75 percent of majority staff rated UW as a "good" climate for diversity, while only 60 percent of the minority faculty agreed with the statement. Sheridan, however, is hopeful the programs in place are making a difference.
Berquam also noted the issue is being addressed with the perspective gap.
"I think it's important to listen to both sides — bringing them together is the dilemma, certainly an area we need to improve," she said. "We're working on doing that with events like these, as well as the new programs like 'continuing conversations,' where we don't just let the message fall by the wayside."
According to Farrell, to improve the diversity atmosphere the entire campus must jump on board.
"We need 41,000 students and 15,000 employees to all decide — all — that we want to change this and we can do something today — and we can," he said.
— Joanna Pliner contributed to this report.
Anonymous (September 23, 2006 @ 6:47pm):
I think that this diversity stuff on campus is ridiculous and a waste of money, time, and effort.
Anonymous (September 24, 2006 @ 11:48pm):
And what kind of racial preferences were necessary to achieve the "progress" made? What did the better-qualified faculty, staff and student applicants who were passed over for positions in order to achieve diversity think of the forum? Oh, they didn't attend? Why was that? Where were they?
Think of the racial and other discrimination being engaged in in order to get enough politically-favored minorities in the door. Just because the victims of UW's racial balancing aren't around does not mean they do not exist. Likewise, just because the social costs of irrational discrimination are delayed and somewhat hidden does not mean they do not exist. We are systematically undermining our competitiveness as a nation by promoting politically favored groups over others. Further, we are sending the message loud and clear that certain groups of people are incapable of achieving without handouts and that mediocrity is fine for these people because they will be put at the front of the line to receive unearned admissions slots at schools and jobs. Way to go, UW!
