Diversity requirement still on ice

By Katie Lees

Published Feb. 19, 2008

Many student organizations have been united in support of a diversity course requirement for MU students, but some groups have different ideas about how such a requirement should be implemented.

Four Front, a coalition of minority groups on campus, has been an advocate for the requirement.

The group feels a single class touching on multiculturalism, gender, race, class, sexuality and other important issues might be the best requirement, Chairwoman Bria Scudder said.

Others, including Missouri Students Association Senate Speaker Jonathan Mays, feel that it might be more feasible to offer a variety of classes.

“It’s too complex to answer in one sentence,” Scudder said. “We want the curriculum to address all issues. The purpose is to touch on those issues that students wouldn’t normally be exposed to at Mizzou.”

Four Front has been working with MSA, Missouri International Student Council, the Legion of Black Collegians, Allies in Action and Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies Jim Spain to further progress as well.

LBC has been waiting for the new requirement since March of 2005, when it was put on the group’s List of Demands. LBC Vice President Porscha Kirkwood explained the importance of having a diversity requirement.

“Diversity is everywhere whether people choose to notice it or not,” she said. “It’s important to expose people to the diverse world beyond the University of Missouri.”

Former MSA Senate Multicultural Issues Committee Chairwoman Melissa Vought has also pushed for the diversity requirement.

“We held a forum last semester to see if there was a need for a diversity requirement,” she said. “The point is to get a full education and work with others from diverse backgrounds. We want to find out exactly what type of criteria students would want to see in this course.”

Another option would require the student to take two upper-level cultural courses of their choice. Last semester Four Front, LBC and MSA held a forum to discuss further plans for the diversity requirement. MSA has also been working with the LGBTQ Resource Center, the Women’s Center and the Chancellor’s Diversity Initiative to help further progress.

There are a lot of obstacles that could prevent this requirement from being added to the current curriculum, Mays said.

“Our biggest obstacle is funding,” he said. “With academic cuts across the board, it’s going to be hard to do. We’re going to have to be more creative and flexible.”

Mays also stressed that any changes in academics would be going through the MU Faculty Council, and they might be rather difficult to pass due to the funding.

Spain said he is not sure which requirement is best for students.

“It is much too early to have reached a decision on how we should implement this kind of requirement,” Spain said. “I have gotten some feedback from some students, which was shared with the CUE (Committee on Undergraduate Education.) I’ve also met with a student representative and students have shared what they would like to see and what they would like to discuss.”

Spain has also been working with Four Front and other organizations on campus, he said.

“The biggest question is what do we want to help our students achieve?” Spain said. “What’s the educational outcome? What is this going to do and how will this help students?”

As for potential obstacles in the future, Spain thinks trying to fit this new requirement into the schedule could be a problem, but as for now, it’s too soon to tell.