With the Commission on the Future of the University’s reaffirmed commitment to diversity, the Diversity Council provides a forum for discussion and a sounding board for diversity- and equity-related issues in areas such as admissions, student groups and the Charlottesville community.
‘The first of its kind’
The Diversity Council primarily provides a forum for representatives from all segments of the University to come together and discuss prospective strategies for diversity issues at the University, Martin said. In addition to the council officers, the group is comprised of 41 representatives from all the different schools, administrative departments and programs, as well as outside units such as the University Police and Facilities Management. Bill Harvey, University chief officer for diversity and equity, stated in an e-mail that the council was expanded last year to include student representatives from Student Council, the Honor Committee and the University Judiciary Committee.
“The objective is to have as diverse a representation as possible,” Martin said, adding that in uniting all segments of the University, this council is the first of its kind.
The council offers an opportunity for communication among all the representatives and their respective groups, Martin said.
The council is a product of the Commission on Diversity and Equity formed by President John T. Casteen, III in 2003, which articulated recommendations to improve the student experience at the University with special regard to minorities and women, according to the commission’s Web site. As a result of the recommendations, Harvey joined the University as chief officer for diversity and equity in November 2005, and he established the Diversity Council in 2006 as a subcommittee of the Office of Diversity and Equity. He has been chairing the council with Marcus Martin, associate vice president for diversity and equity.
In its early stages, the Diversity Council discussed the recommendations advanced by the Commission on Diversity and Equity to evaluate progress at the University, Martin said. Recommendations included the establishment of a community engagement academic program and a bias incident reporting system, in addition to the integration of sustained dialogue into the first-year experience.
Many of the recommendations were put into action, Martin said, citing examples such as the establishment of an office for the recruitment of minority graduate students and the Bias Review and Advisory Committee.
Since then, Martin said, a new commission has essentially been formed that is looking toward new initiatives consistent with the recently formed Commission on the Future of the University, a primary goal of which is promoting diversity.
Looking long-term
In keeping with the University’s commitment to diversity, Martin said the council brings the representatives together once a month to listen to presentations from different groups, such as the Office of Admissions, and to discuss related diversity issues.
In these presentations and meetings, Harvey stated, the council “largely focuses on long-term modifications and improvements” at the University.
Martin cited myriad topics and issues that fall under the council’s jurisdiction, from graduate student diversity programs, faculty recruitment and undergraduate admissions data to recruitment and retention of employees and all virtually all other aspects of student life.
Prof. Richard Handler, council member and representative of the College of Arts & Sciences, underlined the value of discussion and information within such a diverse group.
“It’s a way of having a regularly informed group of people from all across Grounds who know what is happening and are kept up to date on diversity issues of all kinds,” he said.
The council, however, does not limit itself to the discussion of issues, Martin said, adding that the Diversity Council attempts to formulate “forward-looking, proactive strategies” to make the University more diverse and welcoming. Harvey noted that individual members have taken actions within their own departments.
Additionally, Harvey stated, at the request of the provost, the Council established a subcommittee that is “exploring ways in which the University and the Charlottesville community can work together more effectively to recruit faculty of color” to the University.
Diversity in student organizations
The council also addresses issues related to student life at the University. For example, Julie Caruccio, the council’s student Honor Committee representative, said the council discussed diversity issues within the Honor Committee last month. The council specifically addressed the composition of the jury and support officer pools, which coordinate education about honor on Grounds, process cases and serve as advisers for students involved in trials. The council also discussed ways to inform international students about honor and increase their participation in the Honor Committee.
Caruccio said a major concern has been the higher number of cases reported against certain minority populations of the student body. As a result of the council’s discussion on diversity issues related to the Honor Committee, the Faculty Advisor Committee, a sub-committee within the Honor Committee, is updating a 2004 analysis of bias within the honor system.
Carlos Oronce, a council student representative and co-chair of the Minority Rights Coalition, agreed that the council was crucial as a first step toward “addressing diversity and multicultural issues” at the University. His role, he said, is to offer a perspective that reflects student opinion, although he expressed doubt that students have a significant impact on which policies are ultimately adopted.
“It’s really up to the administration to take a look at what we’re discussing and try to implement and change policy as they see fit,” Oronce said. “Students have a role, but it’s limited.”
Although the Diversity Council may not directly implement policies, Oronce said the issues it discusses are salient and directly related to the student body. Oronce said one of the three meetings this year was devoted to admissions after statistics showed that the entering Class of 2012 had 23 to 25 percent fewer black and Latino students than the Class of 2011. As an indicator of the council’s proactive role in diversity at the University, he said, the discussion revolved around problems with admissions policies and recruitment and suggestions to use admissions resources more efficiently, especially in light of recent budget cuts.
Handler also emphasized the University and the Diversity Council’s commitment to diversity within the student body. In addition to concentrating on admissions, he said efforts are being made to address faculty and curricular diversity such as non-Western perspective course offerings.
“If you bring in a range of faculty [who have] different kinds of interests and specialties, they will teach a range of courses,” Handler said.
Diversity: everybody’s business
The University also has been focusing on community engagement, Handler said, citing a new initiative from the Commission on the Future of the University called Jefferson Public Citizens, which will encourage students to engage in research for the community while taking courses and workshops that will prepare them for future service leadership. Handler said becoming more involved in the Charlottesville community will inevitably put diversity issues center stage.
“We’re talking about U.Va.’s relationship to the surrounding neighborhood, and those neighborhoods are diverse,” he said. “Even where diversity isn’t the first word, it’s still a crucial issue.”
Martin said the Office for Diversity and Equity has numerous initiatives in the Charlottesville community, several of which concentrate on the “pre-college” population. Two years ago, Martin said, the University established a summer math program for students at a local middle school to become better prepared for high school algebra.
University students also are initiating community service projects, an attitude the Commission on the Future of the University hopes to develop. Martin said pre-medical and medical students have been working with the Office of Diversity and Equity and the Medical School’s dean’s office to establish a medical science club at Charlottesville High School.
The council’s main role in these initiatives has been to provide advice and to serve as a sounding board for the large range of initiatives and engagements, said Martin, who emphasized the horizontal integration of all the different groups across the University.
“Having representations from all schools and units is so important because we can come together and strategize how to use our energies and put our best foot forward to make this environment more conducive and accepting,” Martin said. “Diversity is everybody’s business.”
Harvey echoed this sentiment, describing the Council as a “joint faculty-administrative-student entity” that exists to “disseminate information, facilitate communication and promote understanding about issues of diversity and equity.”
Reflecting on the council’s effectiveness, he stated that he hoped it had played a part in the decreasing number of “racially problematic incidents” on Grounds during the last two years. As part of the University’s “simultaneous commitments to diversity, equity and excellence”, Harvey said the Diversity Council continues to aim at developing an “environment in which differences in our community are not simply tolerated, but celebrated.”
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