Diversity: Some feel plan would be another bureaucratic financial drain
Continued from page 1
early to tell.
“I did consider leaving, and
if anything like this plan will be
implemented I will continue to
think very hard about this,”
Kleshchev said.
Kleshchev, a Russian immigrant,
says the plan conjures up memories
of his former homeland.
“Look, I am personally not
going to be interrogated about my
thoughts, and I am not going to go
to reeducation camps either,” said
Kleshchev, alluding to the Five Year
Diversity Plan’s requirement that
faculty participate in a summer
diversity seminar.
“I've had enough of that in my
previous life in the Soviet Union,
and I just will not have this again. I
tried freedom now; I liked it, and I
am not about to give it up,”
Kleshchev said.
For the most part, criticism of the
diversity plan has come from pro
fessors in the sciences. Twenty of
the 25 co-signers of the open letter
are in the sciences; 14 of those are
math professors.
Phillips said the Five Year Diversity
Plan is a “terrible idea” because it
“calls for us to judge new faculty
plan’s use of the term “cultural
competency,” which is not defined
within the plan's text.
John Shuford, the interim associ
ate director for the Center on Diver
sity and Community (CoDaC) said
that cultural competency was not
defined for two reasons: It would
not be appropriate for the drafters of
versity work group, led by former
Vice Provost for Institutional Equity
and Diversity Greg Vincent, decided
not to include a definition. Shuford
said that various definitions of cul
tural competency could be found
because it is a popular concept.
Byron Kunisawa, a lecturer and
academic who specializes in analyz
mres nrsi ana ioremost Dy tne
color of their skin.”
More than that, Phillips be
lieves the Diversity Plan
would create a bureaucracy
the University cannot afford.
The Office of Institutional Eq
uity and Diversity already
costs approximately $1.5 mil
“I've had enough of that in my previous life
in the Soviet Union, and I just will not have
this again. I tried freedom now; I liked it,
and I am not about to give it up. ”
Alexander Kleshchev | Mathmatics Associate Professor
ing the relationship
between people and
institutions, helped
popularize the term
cultural competency.
He first used it in his
seminal work “De
signs of Omission,”
in which he conclud
nun pei yedi.
“This plan calls for millions per
year in extra spending. What will
happen to faculty salaries then?”
said Phillips.
Of primary concern for the AAUP
and some faculty members is the
tne blueprint to impose a definition
because that might have led to ad
verse responses by some. Secondly,
the working definition would have
become the focal point of debate,
preventing a deeper discussion of
the ideas presented. As such, the di
ed that “bias and discrimination are
endemic to the structure and
methodology of every system and
institution in America.”
Although he had no direct role in
the drafting of the Five Year Diversi
ty Plan, he said he was thrilled that
another institution was taking steps
to rectify racial biases.
“I'm glad the University is trying
to do something measurable,”
said Kunisawa.
Kunisawa said cultural competen
cy is a generic term that describes
the importance of utilizing the ele
ments of culture to assess and inter
act with diverse populations. He
said it has been most helpful in the
medical field.
“Bottom line, it forces one to ac
knowledge that culture is an impor
tant factor to consider whenever a
multicultural situation presents it
self,” Kunisawa said.
Currently, President Frohnmayer
said he is taking the AAUP's
suggestion and creating an execu
tive council of faculty members to
review the Five Year Diversity Plan
in order to define key terms, as
suage faculty concerns and iron out
the wrinkles.
1999
A number of students
protest in front of Johnson
Hall, spurred by concerns
that the University is
wavering in its commitment
to create a diverse campus.
Protesters demand that the
University enact sensitivity
training for faculty and
allocate at least $1 million
to help student groups
meet their diversity goals.
President Frohnmayer
meets with 75 protesters to
discuss short-term
demands.
W6
lAidl
Wade files a racial
discrimination
lawsuit in the
Lane County
Circuit Court
against the
University.
1999
Joe Wade, director
of the Office of
Academic Advising
and Student
Services and a
University employee
for 27 years, is fired
from the University.
2001
The University hires
Western Michigan
President Elson Floyd to
assess the racial climate
of the University and
issue a report. The
report's primary
recommendation is to
institute “a new position
of Provost for Institutional
Responsiveness (or
equity) at the University."
2002
The settlement for
Wade's lawsuit is
finalized. It awards
Wade $114,537 per
year from 1997 to
2001 and $98,500 to
his pension fund. The
settlement also
stipulates that the
University create a
temporary five-year
Office for Institutional
Equity and Diversity.
2004
After an extensive
search, the
University taps Greg
Vincent as the vice
provost for
institutional equity
and diversity.
Vincent's first goal
is to draft a
five-year diversity
plan.
2005
The Office of
Institutional Equity and
Diversity presents its
draft of the Five-Year
Diversity Plan, the
culmination of six
years of protests,
lawsuits, external
reports and internal
talks. Less than two
weeks later, Vincent
announces his
resignation from the
Office of Institutional
Equity and Diversity.
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