Hiah schools struaqle to offer multiculturalism By Mandy Baucum Emerald Re porter _ Isabel Ktm. a Churchill High School senior, said she is tired of the wav history classes speak about her cul ture. Kim says people of Asian culture may only be men tioned In the context of the Vietnam War ora or "how we are taking over in technology " Mostly negative things about Asian culture are brought out In our education system," Kim said. Alba Alonso, a Churchill student, said she wishes the history classes offered at her school would spend more time talking about Chicanes other than "how they work In the cornfields " Alonso and Kim said they would like to be able to take an elective course about their own anti other cul tores However, despite the growing dcniajtd lor < ultur al education, none of the local high schools have such elm live i lass offerings Lot al lugh school history teat hers are faced with the difficult tusk of Incorporating everyone's historical background into a one year l; S history course Ceorgo Westerguard. South Kugeno High School so i i.d studies department chairman, said all Oregon high schools are required to offer one year of glottal studies and one year of I S history Weslergaard said a government class is also required, hut is "basically elhnit free " "The purpose of academe freedom is to try to make a point to deal with the required curriculum without ex eluding something else." Weslergaard said "You end up making some group stand out Our goal is to give an overall picture The tear her has to pick and choose " Steve Handrail. North Kugene High School's social studies chairman, said there is a problem with adding everyone's history into a one-year history class because. " when you include something, what do you takeout'" Distill t history leat hers agreed the global studies class teaches very little multicultural history They said PSo*o by Student Union groups at Churchill High School oiler a chance lor mmonty students to discuss than cultures the amount of history Oi.it must be crammed into U S history just doesn't provide students with the multu ulturul bat kground laachers would hope for However, history teat tiers, like Timothy Mein/.en of ’feasant Hill High School, suit! their advanced place nent courses give them the chance to require ethnic 'eadings outside of the textbook Byron Dudley, the assistant principal of curriculum ind instruction ul North lingerie High School, said he mows there is a lack of history available for and about ninoritios, hut ret.ogru/es the effort teat hers are making o fill in those gaps "My in .is is that it is a very limited historical perspet ivc," Dudley said "1 know from observing the U S and \ t’ (courses) tiiat then- is certainly an attempt to look it the role of minorities in history, Unfortunately. hislo •y is not perceived as a high-interest area Gail Nelson, Churchill's social studies department chairwoman, said because of Eugene’s changing demo graphics, more demands are being made on ihe schools to offer a more balanced history curriculum Steve Handran. social studios chairman at North Eu gene High School, said minority awareness is now be coming more of a priority in student education, • |n the last decade there has been a significant push to recognize the contributions of minorities to the histo ry of our nation,” Handran said Handran said North has been approaching the lack of culturally balanced history by purchasing a textbook ti tled The American Odvsscv "The book provides more than just a caption of a fa mous minority, like; Mr Luther King Jr.. Handran said The hiring of Ansolmo Villanueva in March t'i'W) as Minority-Community Liaison for 4| is an example of the district's attempt to address representative concerns Villanueva said part ofiiis job is helping schools es tablish a plan to address the schools’ minority popula tions. District schools have different needs and therefore re quire different strategies to do this. Villanueva said Some schools, like Churchill, are in constant contact with him and in use of his services Churchill has created student unions to fulfill the maxis of their minority students. The unions are given on hour a month to meet and talk about llieir culture, interests and minority issues. John Sappington. Churchill's assistant principal, said Churchill is the model school as far as multicultural promotion and awareness Villanueva said "that depends on how you look at it." Villanueva said he has his own way of how to toll if a school is promoting a multicultural environment. "A school is successful when there is across-the board participation," Villanueva said. "If ihe student body has a 10 percent ethnic minority population, then 10 percent of the football team, for example, should be ethnic minorities." HISTORY Continued from Page 1 history professors and concerned stu dents Can ia said he (relieves there are prob lems with the ethnic curriculum offer ings, one being that his class is not counted toward the University's race and gender course ruouirement Another prolrlem is that students are paying for a ( lass tile teacher isn't being paid lor There is nothing wrong with the white perspective. (Jarcia said, hut it should not be the only perspective taught in his tory classes "My perspective is that if you have a Kuro-Amern an teacher teaching a i lass that I> with peoples of color," Cnrcia suit!, "you need to f>e clwir on the fuel that it is >t luiroAmeru .in perspei live on Chioano studios " The issue. h« believes, is one ot life ex perience "The University likes to him pimple with credentials 1 think life experience has mom to odd," (larciu said "A person witii life experience can humanize the content If you balance experience with research, you've got a great teacher " Is the University making a sincere ef fort to meet the student demand for a more ethnic curriculum? Most history instructors, such as assis tant history Professor Jeffrey Ostler, said they try to incorporate minority groups in their teachings. Quintan! Taylor, a professor and act ing director of the ethnic studies depart ment, said tin- issue is u complicated one Tiie problems the history depart ment faces ere multi-faceted and encom pass everything from fiscal restraints to tie- growing need for classes on the histo ry of I a pa nose, which is quickly becom ing the United States' largest trade part ner. Assistant history Professor William Toll, a white man currently teaching the African-American hi story class, said he is aware of the complex issues around minority hiring and ethnic course offer ings ini! tielieves if the University were truly committed to offering more multicultural classes, then something would la; done. Toll said he believes because the Uni versity has .1 primarily Caucasian student body, it doesn't fool us much pressure to diversify its courses, "For example, if you were ut Wayne Stale University, you would have to re spond to the ethnic needs, or you wouldn't have a University," Toll said. "If you compare (the University) with other universities, Oregon is a backwater place,” he said, "The curriculum offer ings are not acquainting students with the real world, which for the most part has more of a minority population. You see a much greater effort in 4J school dis trict than you do at the University." SONY ff CLASSICAL MUSIC CD SALE J? 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