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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 15, 2001)
125TH ANNIVERSARY 3RD ANNUAL OREGON HOMECOMING BAl AN EMfE 012736 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19TH, 2001 8:30 P.M. TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE CIO TICKET OFFICE $12 ASUO HOUSING Office of Student Life Diversity continued from page 1 well against other schools in the Oregon University System. At the University, 11.1 percent of the in structional faculty belong to a mi nority, while in the OUS, only 6.8 percent are minority members. But numbers may not tell the whole story. Some faculty members say things are starting to get better. Shari Huhndorf, director of the University’s Ethnic Studies Pro gram, called the University “a very different place from when I arrived five years ago.” Huhndorf said that while she agrees with Sifuentez that some de partments on campus haven’t done enough to diversify, others have. The English department, for exam ple, has done a good job diversify ing in recent years, she said. “Things have gotten better,” she said. “But we still have a long way to go.” Sid Moore, human rights investi gator for the Office of Affirmative Action, said that the University rec ognizes there is a problem and is addressing it. “We’re doing everything the law allows us to do to increase diversity on campus,” he said. “I think we are making strides. I’ve seen a lot of peo ple who are making a difference.” The biggest problems faced by the University in hiring minority faculty members are money and ge ography, Moore said. Because Ore gon has a small minority popula tion — and a particularly small African American population — it is sometimes difficult to recruit mi nority professors to the University. “People in general want to be near people who are like them,” he said. “It’s a vicious cycle.” That vicious cycle can make it very challenging for departments trying to recruit professors, Moore said. Particularly when taken in conjunction with the fact that schools in major cities — where mi nority populations tend to be much higher — generally pay a higher salary in order to offset a greater cost of living. “Things do get changed as a result of student actions. But sometimes changes take more than four years. ” Sid.Moore human rights investigator, Office of Affirmative Action However, those challenges are not insurmountable. Moore said that he has seen a marked increase in diversity in the ten years that he has been at the University — first as a student in the political science program and the law school and fi nally as an employee. Often times, he said, students aren’t around long enough to appreciate the changes that they make. “Things do get changed as a re sult of student actions,” he said. “But sometimes changes take more than four years.” Leon Tovey is a higher education reporter for the Oregon Daily Emerald. He can be reached at leontovey@dailyemerald.com. # J This paper can be Recycled! BON deal Unlimited . Your ID card now gets you EXTRA 10% SAVINGS* EVERY TUESDAY on practically every purchase. Hey, it’s tough making ends meet at school. But with our help, the only thing you'll need to worry about is your grades. ‘Valid only through October 2001 with active University of Oregon student or employee identification card. Bon Marche employees and their relatives are not eligible. Excludes purchase of merchandise certificates, gift cards, fine jewelry, fragrances, cosmetics, furniture, mattresses and area rugs. Cannot be combined with any other discount offer. 7ful OHMARCHf YOUR NORTHWEST DEPARTMENT STORE for life, for you
