MIZZOUDIVERSITY SUMMIT
Unanswered Questions from Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2010
- Whatever happened to the two young men responsible for the “cotton ball” incident at the Gaines-Oldham Black Culture Center?
According to the Columbia Daily Tribune of April 29, 2010, Zachary Tucker and Sean Fitzgerald each pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of littering. Their sentences included surrender of their driver’s licenses for sixty days, completion of eighty hours of community service, and two years of probation. The conditions of probation included refraining from drinking alcohol; avoiding any place of business that primarily sells alcohol; and, if stopped by a law enforcement officer for suspicion of driving while intoxicated, submitting to testing for alcohol use. They were also under judge’s orders to complete a substance-abuse assessment and participate in a victim’s impact panel.
Under federal law (FERPA) the University is only allowed to release directory information concerning students. According to the Tribune article, the young men voluntarily withdrew for a semester, participated in a mediation process and studied up on Black history. Neither one is currently listed in Outlook. - What are your views on affirmative action? Some states, such as Michigan, have eliminated it due to claims that it exercises reverse discrimination. In regards to public education, how do we balance the need for fairness and the need to overcome discrimination?
Affirmative action is often a misunderstood concept, primarily because there is a great deal of rhetoric and misinformation on the topic. Some of the most often misused terms related to affirmative action are “quotas” and “set-asides.” These terms are outdated and misused because the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed the use of quotas in affirmative action more than 30 years ago. However, in the most recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on college admissions and affirmative action, Grutter v. Bollinger et al. (2003), modern practices of affirmative action were upheld as legal as long as they satisfy the “strict scrutiny” requirement of legal review. You can find a very clear and detailed explanation of current Federal law based on the Grutter case here.
MU does not have an affirmative action system for admissions like the one eliminated in Michigan. Nevertheless, our recruitment efforts to increase diversity have been very effective, increasing the diversity of our student body significantly over the past six years. Part of our success has been the result of changing the perception of MU as an inclusive campus for highly qualified students coming from St. Louis and Kansas City, as well as through the recruitment of highly qualified students of color from out of state. - What would you say to students who complain that they are unable to understand their professors’ English?
Effective communication is necessary for good teaching, to which end the UM Board of Curators adopted its Instructional Communication Policy. It applies to both graduate student instructors and faculty. Per the policy, students are to be notified each semester on how to enter a complaint; department chairs will also be responsive to comments in student course evaluations. - Can you give a brief description of the new diversity course? What are the main goals? Also, has the University officially made this a required course yet for students?
The proposal to date has not focused on a single course. Rather, the discussion has been centered on a general education requirement. Many courses might ultimately be approved to meet the requirement. Faculty Council is continuing to work moving this recommendation forward. Once a resolution has been adopted by Faculty Council (expected by February), the resolution will be forwarded to the entire faculty for a vote. News coverage of this issue can be found at the following links:
Columbia Missourian article
The Maneater article - I once had a roommate that was African American and, while a nice woman, was unprepared for college level course work. She told me that she did very well in high school in St. Louis, but was at a loss when she got to MU. And the Student Success Center told her that her writing was at an eighth grade level. While I think diversity is important and like to see increased acceptance from all backgrounds, how does the University deal with the varied levels of education people get from different parts of the country?
Academic readiness for college is not an issue confined to African American students, or students from any particular race. Regardless of race or gender, students are admitted to MU with a wide range of preparedness for college. All students apply and are accepted to MU according to admissions requirements. There are a number of offices on campus to assist students with academic performance issues. - At the town hall meeting after the hate incident at the Black Culture Center, Dr. Worthington mentioned that there are hundreds of courses here that address/deal with diversity. How do courses qualify for the list and where can it be found?
There are more than 450 courses from across campus certified by the College of Arts and Science for inclusion in the Multicultural Certificate program.
