Student leaders, MU administration create diversity-focused group

The group is discussing student roles in the upcoming Diversity Summit.

By Amanda Capua

Published Sept. 28, 2010

Several student leaders have joined together to address diversity on campus with a goal to unify students through education about the different minorities that make up MU.

“Our goal is to coordinate with the office of the Chancellor's Diversity Initiative to get diversity up,” Legion of Black Collegians President Lisa White said.

MU Chief Diversity Officer Roger Worthington and Missouri Students Association President Tim Noce called the original meeting of the student leaders three weeks ago. Noce said the group is already looking into some aspects of diversity initiatives but that, in some cases, it could take time before any results are seen.

Noce said leaders from Four Front, the Legion of Black Collegians, the Asian American Association and the Graduate Professional Council were all present at the first meeting. Other groups have been invited to participate in the upcoming meetings.

At the first meeting, those present discussed the upcoming Diversity Summit. The Diversity Summit, a two-day event of workshops and panels, begins Oct. 20 and ends on the evening on Oct. 21.

Four Front Co-Chairperson Kiran Kaur said the purpose of the summit is to discuss student involvement with diversity issues and push diversity initiatives on campus.

“Our overall goal is the education of diversity for students on campus,” Kaur said. “We want to tell people we’re striving for more diversity on campus.”

Noce said the representatives have decided to hold a meeting every month to discuss diversity issues as well as initiate their diversity plan.

Ideas involved with this plan include the creation of a diversity general education course, increasing minority graduation rates for both undergraduate and graduate students and making “diversity” one of MU’s main values, along with Discovery, Responsibility, Excellence and Respect.

“The biggest thing is making diversity a general education class,” White said. “We’re working on the details for the class.”

Noce said making a diversity class has been an idea for a while now, and they are hoping it comes through soon. The Faculty Council will make the decision because it is in charge of the courses on campus.

White said implementing a diversity course requirement is especially important because it is one of the things all other Big 12 universities have that MU does not.

“Every Big 12 institution has a diversity education class, and if we are to be in comparison to them, we must have one, too,” White said. “We need to hold ourselves to the same standards as them if not higher.”

White said another goal discussed by the organization leaders was adding “diversity” to the MU values. This idea was originally rejected when proposed in 2004, but the leaders are trying once again to have it approved.

Noce said they are focused on making their list of ideas to improve diversity awareness on campus public and known to students.

“We’re trying to enhance the student experience here on campus,” Noce said.

He said the group of leaders has set the foundation, and they will work on developing it for future students.

“These goals are just the first step, and they can run with it later on,” Noce said.

The next meeting is set for Oct. 12.