Diversity Proposal: Senators Voice Their Reservations


by Linda Charles
A proposed diversity requirement for students met with 
resistance from some Faculty Senate members April 11. Many 
said that while they favor promoting diversity, they think 
the proposal is vague.


'BLANK CHECK'

One complaint was that the proposal does not list courses 
that would meet the requirements of the diversity proposal. 
Some senators indicated their votes could go either way, 
depending on what courses ended up on the list.

"There are a lot of people who are going to have to vote 
'no,' not because they oppose diversity, but because it's too 
much of a blank check," said senator Bill Woodman, professor 
of sociology.

John Schroeter, chair of the Faculty Senate Curriculum 
Committee that prepared the proposal, said compiling such a 
list would be time consuming and involve many, including 
faculty who teach the courses, curriculum committees of 
colleges and the senate, and the senate itself. 

"Deciding what courses go on the list is something the 
committee takes very seriously," he said, adding the 
committee did not want to ask people to undertake the project 
until the proposal had been passed and the list actually was 
needed. 

The proposal would require under-graduate students to 
complete both a three-credit U.S. requirement that addresses 
human diversity within our society and a three-credit 
international requirement that provides a foreign culture 
context for the analysis and interpretation of current world 
conditions.

In most cases, students would take approved classes to meet 
the requirements, but other educational experiences, such as 
studying in a foreign country, also could fulfill the 
requirements. 

In all cases, departments would set the requirements for 
their students and would have until the next catalog is 
published (1997) to make these determinations. 


Advocates

Several students and non-senate faculty members attended the 
meeting, mostly to speak in favor of the proposal.

"You can't make everybody like each other, but we can teach 
them how to get along and how to interact with people who are 
different," said Angela Larson, a graduate student in 
English. 

Graduate student Brian Lemberger urged the senate not to get 
sidetracked by details. "I noticed that some of the 
opposition to the plan and some of the arguments against it 
come from people who want an end-all solution. They want all 
the i's dotted and the t's crossed. That's not going to 
happen. 

"What the senate is being asked to vote on is a philosophy. 
The proposal says diversity education is needed on campus. 
That's its philosophy."


Concerns

Some senators cited opposition to the proposal among faculty 
in their departments.

"My chemistry colleagues are almost unanimously opposed to 
this requirement," said senator Robert McCarley, professor of 
chemistry. "I have more and more reservations that this can 
work."

McCarley suggested ways to accomplish diversity education 
other than a university-wide course requirement. He 
suggested, for example, seminars and discussion groups. 

He also questioned the international component of the 
proposal. "I have a personal prejudice that all we need to do 
is require about three years of a foreign language," he said. 
"How can we be serious about internationalization if we're 
completely illiterate about speaking other languages?"

Schroeter said the objective of the diversity requirement is 
to increase understanding of diversity, not change attitudes.

"I generally agree with people who say a three-credit 
requirement would not change the Archie Bunkers of the world 
into Alan Aldas," he said.


Amendments expected

The senate plans to vote on the proposal in May. President 
Tony Netusil indicated that a roll call vote will be taken. 
One expected amendment will be a call for a separate vote on 
each component of the proposal. Other amendments also are 
likely. 

The senate will meet at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 2, in 2532 
Veterinary Medicine. The meeting is open to the public. 

Faculty Senate news and minutes are available on the Online 
ISU electronic information system.

_____
contact:  Linda Charles, Internal Communications, (515) 294-
3129
updated:  4-21-95