Faculty Council debates adding required diversity course

The Faculty Council is taking students' workloads into consideration.

By Eva Dou

Published Feb. 23, 2009

A long-discussed proposal to require students to take a diversity-related course is now before Faculty Council, but it is unlikely that a decision will be reached this semester.

The measure would instate a three-credit diversity-intensive requirement, according to the proposal submitted to the Faculty Council by four MU administrators. This measure would be modeled after the writing intensive course requirement.

Courses in the curriculum could be designated as diversity-intensive based on a set of criteria to be developed by a faculty committee, according to the proposal. Potential diversity intensive courses could include a broad range of topics, such as world literature, gender studies, rural sociology, global history and art.

Student groups, such as the diversity coalition Four Front, have lobbied for the measure for years.

"As Four Front chair, I feel like I've been able to work with so many types of people, and unfortunately many students don't have those opportunities," said Four Front Co-chairwoman Bria Scudder. "That is why this measure is important."

The diversity requirement is also on the Legion of Black Collegians' list of demands.

Although Four Front members hoped the requirement would be instated in fall 2009, it is unlikely the Faculty Council will come to a decision within the semester, said Frank Schmidt, Faculty Council Diversity Enhancement Subcommittee chairman.

The timeline for a decision will partly depend on whether university administrators decide to overhaul the general education requirements, which has not been done in the last 20 years, Schmidt said. If so, the diversity requirement will be considered during the general overhaul, a process that could take more than five years.

The decision might be speedier if no general curricular overhaul takes place.

"One of the great strengths and weaknesses of a university is it takes a long time to implement change," Schmidt said.

The council will consider other factors, such as the impact on student workload.

"We have attempted to ensure that the current proposal will not require new credit hours to be added to any student's degree program requirements," said Chief Diversity Officer Roger Worthington, who helped write the proposal. "That is, the requirement can be included into coursework used to satisfy existing requirements."

Schmidt estimates about 50 percent of undergraduates have some sort of diversity intensive learning experience, whether through a class or study abroad trip.

"We don't want to make it harder for students to graduate," Schmidt said. "On the other hand, if you talk to anyone in a major corporation, Fortune 500 on down, they will tell you that being able to deal with diverse people is an incredible advantage, and they look for it."

Scudder said Four Front is scheduled to meet with Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies James Spain next month about the diversity course requirement.

Spain said he's hopeful about the proposal, although previous efforts to instate the measure have not been successful.

"I think this time we have the right people involved in the discussion," Spain said. "I think what happened previously is we didn't maintain the discussion and keep the right people involved."