Media Credit: Kyle Andrew Carnes [Click to enlarge]

The University's intricate plan to increase campus diversity is at an indefinite crossroad: If progress continues as planned, the University may see an unprecedented improvement, but if community members do not see an increasing amount of diversity awareness during the next few years, the Diversity Plan could be coined a failure.

The action will become clearly visible next term. March 23 is the deadline for each school, college, administrative unit and the ASUO Executive to submit a Strategic Action Plan (SAP), a document that lays out specific plans designed to increase diversity awareness in that particular "unit."

"They're designed to evolve as our challenges evolve," said Vice Provost for Institutional Equity and Diversity Charles Martinez. "The Diversity Plan alone is insufficient. The positive tone impact is good, but Strategic Action Plans with accountability really make us commit."

Students don't seem to share a common outlook, though. Some view diversity awareness as a serious issue on campus, while others barely give it a second glance.

Junior Emma Kostin-Conley, who is white, has heard of discrimination issues but has yet to witness any firsthand. She feels that the University campus and students are generally open-minded.

"I could just not be aware of the stuff because I'm not a target," she said. "I certainly applaud the effort that's being taken, but I'm not really sure how effective it will be."

But freshman Amy Livingston is more than aware of the issues at hand. Livingston, half-Korean, has encountered her fair share of friendly banter. She said that although the jokes rarely cross the line, she gets tired of it, and expects the Diversity Plan will allow more positive open communication among students.

"Since we're such a big institution, we shouldn't close our minds off to other cultures," she said. "A lot of people from here are not used to being around people who are culturally diverse."

A self-proclaimed "progressive democrat" hailing from New York, freshman Jay Syed's father is Bengali and his mother is Irish, Basque, Polish and German. Syed is teased regularly by friends, but he doesn't consider it a particularly negative occurrence.

Continued...

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