Noce, Bellis speak with Four Front
The focus of students' questions centered around diversity on campus.
Published Dec. 11, 2009
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Missouri Students Association President-elect Tim Noce answers questions posed by members of Four Front during a debate Tuesday night in Allen Auditorium as MSA Vice President-elect Danielle Bellis looks on. Noce and Bellis ran unopposed in the election and will be inaugurated in January.
Tim Noce and Danielle Bellis, the Missouri Students Association's president-elect and vice president-elect, respectfully, met with representatives from Four Front on Tuesday in a forum facilitated by The Maneater.
"We're here to listen to you," Noce said in his opening remarks.
Triangle Coalition President Erin Horth and Four Front Co-chairwoman ChaToyya Sewell, a Maneater columnist, said they were both pleased with Noce's willingness to learn from what they had to say.
"It was nice they were open and willing to learn about diversity issues on campus," Horth said. "I wish they would have been a little more versed on the issues before the debate, but their willingness to learn is nice."
There were fewer than five people who actively participated in the forum with Noce and Bellis, which Sewell said she attributes to the last-minute scheduling of the event and its placement the week before exams.
A topic among those who did participate was the IncludeMe MU initiative working its way through the MU administration.
"IncludeMe, that's our main focus right now, I could give you a long list, but I think that's the one that's the most crucial," Horth said.
Noce said the amount of student response that has come as a result of increased awareness of the initiative is evidence the issue is one students care about.
"As far as IncludeMe, I am hoping he (Noce) can assist us in getting a meeting with the chancellor and meetings with the Faculty Council, so we can meet face to face and address our concerns," Horth said. "There's been some confusion with going through a middle man. We'd like to meet face to face."
One representative from Four Front asked Noce and Bellis to describe their experiences thus far with diversity. Noce spoke of his diverse high school and desire to see more diversity at MU. Bellis acknowledged she comes from a background lacking in the diversity she came to MU to find.
"All we can do is just continue to learn," Bellis said.
Triangle Coalition Vice President Sean Jarvis said both Noce and Bellis have more to learn about diversity issues.
"Last night I was concerned with the amount of education that still needs to happen, but definitely heartened by both the president and vice president's willingness to educate themselves and fill in the gaps in the education," Jarvis said. "It's a process that definitely needs to continue and it takes commitment on both their part and ours to make sure this happens."
In terms of where diversity initiatives should fall on the soon-to-be instated administration's list of priorities, both Sewell and Horth said it should be a top priority.
" I think diversity issues should be a top priority because they affect a large percentage of the constituent and it's important," Sewell said.
An issue that Four Front has been working extensively on is putting a diversity course requirement into the curriculum. Sewell said this campaign has been going well and is close to fulfilling its goal.
Noce said he fully supported this idea, because diversity on campus is not at the level it should and could be.
"The real world is diverse, so to have a diversity course is a great thing," Noce said.
Comments (2)
5:42 a.m., Dec. 13, 2009
Taha Hameduddin said:
Brandon, You do raise some interesting issues. There's no reason to be so full of spite for those that are actually underrepresented. Also, no one is going up in arms. Diversity issues are not to make people empathetic towards minorities, but to ensure representation of those minorities. They also serve to foster harmony, and remove negative attitudes about those minorities. I'd like to mention that the role of college has changed much in the past 30 to 40 years. We have increased rates college enrollment among those from lower SES(socioeconomic status), increasing, thus the responsibility on our institutions to provide better, well balanced education. A diversity course would be very essential towards a balanced education. I would agree that it does seem like you wouldn't remember the non-major courses you took while at college. I personally have been raised up in multiple places(not different states in the US, but different countries with different cultures altogether), and found that my outlook on diversity issues are much more mature compared to those that have seen no place other than theirs. My request is that you be more open minded about such issues, and raise your concerns in a cordial fashion, and address them at suitable forums(not that the The Maneater is an unsuitable forum).
5:33 a.m., Dec. 11, 2009
Brandon said:
God, I'm so tired of this multiculturalist nonsense on big campuses in this country! "Diversity!" screamed at every frickin chance. Stop it! Get over it! It's not that big a deal. Look, there's no evidence of discrimination by the admissions people. And if there is, it should be dealt with. But don't get up-in-arms because your race is "underrepresented." Tough sh*t. Work to get your communities or peoples to achieve academically and get better access! Don't try to force university staff to succumb to quotas or other artificial means of pushing increased numbers. And people are still on that diversity course crap?? Puh-leez! You really think that's gonna matter? How many people in their 40s or 50s (or even late 30s) REALLY remember much of what they learned in college? Sure, college education is important, but I don't think they remembered a whole lot outside of their major in the long-run, so a diversity course would just be pointless. What are we trying to accomplish with a stupid "diversity course"?? Try to make students "more empathetic to poor minorities"? Oh, come on. You know that's not gonna happen. Even in the inner cities, the politicians who run city councils don't seem all that empathetic. If they were, they would've revitalized these areas decades ago. Is Obama's "change" doing much for the black community? We really need to stop being so politically correct.