Four Front, Chancellor Brady Deaton discuss diversity concerns

Some topics talked about were prayer centers and unisex bathrooms.

By Eva Dou

Published Feb. 5, 2009

Minority student organizations shared their concerns with Chancellor Brady Deaton and other administrators at a Four Front meeting Tuesday.

Members of Four Front, the umbrella minority coalition, wanted to know how MU will attract diverse students and faculty, address students' religious dietary needs and ensure protection for transgender students under school non-discrimination policies.

"It's always good to have this communication so administrators know what issues are important to us," Four Front Co-Chairwoman Bria Scudder said.

Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Cathy Scroggs and Chief Diversity Officer Roger Worthington helped answer students' questions.

Muslim Student Organization spokeswoman Nabihah Maqbool asked whether Muslim students could receive reimbursement for meals they don't eat in the dining halls during Ramadan, the month of dawn-to-dusk fasting.

"The dining halls are closed before we start fasting and are closed before we start breaking the fast," she said.

Scroggs said the university won't refund students' money, but could negotiate a deal to cover meals from an off-campus source. The Jewish organization Hillel has made this arrangement.

The topic turned to the difficulties Muslim students face in finding appropriate places to pray on campus. Nabihah said existing prayer spaces are often locked or occupied by other groups.

Scroggs said she would try to find more suitable prayer spots.

Another concern was whether MU's non-discrimination policies could be amended to address transgender students.

Deaton offered to bring the matter to the Board of Curators. In the meantime, Worthington said students could petition individual departments to approve the policy.

"Students have some power," he said.

Other lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning concerns included no unisex bathrooms in older buildings and the lack of a full-time director for the LGBTQ resource center.

Tight funding was the impediment in both cases. Unisex bathrooms might have to wait until future renovations. Scroggs said she would try to get a full-time director, although with the hiring freeze, a graduate assistant might have to fill the role.

Administrators also discussed their attempts to hire and retain a diverse faculty. Last year, six black faculty members left MU.

Deaton attributed the loss to an inability to match other universities' salary levels in a time when minority faculty are in high demand.

"MU salaries have lagged," he said. "With the current economic situation, there will likely be no salary increases this year, and that works against us."

The university is under a hiring freeze, but Worthington said exceptions could be made to hire minority faculty members.

MU has had better luck improving student diversity, in part due to recruiting efforts in areas such as Chicago and Dallas that have large populations of minority students.

Another topic of concern was a proposed statewide initiative to ban affirmative action in education and employment.

Worthington said the initiative's supporters have started early in their attempts to collect enough votes to get the proposal on the 2010 ballot, after failing to get it on the 2008 ballot. He said he believes universities have allies who would work to defeat the initiative.

The chancellor agreed.

"We're hearing right now from our legislature, across both parties, this very resurgent support for higher education," he said. "The entire state is trying to present a more enlightened approach so Missouri can step out as a leader."