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Students demand "diversity" discussion - don't show up for class
Topic Started: Sep 22 2016, 04:24 AM (102 Views)
George K
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Finally
https://theithacan.org/news/diversity-discussion-circles-lack-student-participation/
Quote:
 
Faculty and staff are looking for ways to ramp up student interest in the college’s weekly diversity and inclusion discussion groups. These groups were created in response to student protests last fall to address complaints about the administration’s lack of emphasis on diversity and inclusion. However, students do not seem to be attending the discussion groups.

A group of representatives at the college organized the first of these Diversity and Inclusion Circles in November — led by Gerald Hector, previously the Vice President for Finance and Administration. The goal was to create a space for individuals from different backgrounds at the college to come together and discuss issues of race and inclusion.

Jaimie Voorhees, assistant to the vice president for finance and administration, took over as the lead facilitator of the group earlier this academic year.

“This group cares about making the college better,” Voorhees said. “I think one of the more important ways it is doing that is taking the taboo out of talking about race.”

However, a lack of participation from the student body has disappointed those involved. Virgilio Pinto, Interlibrary Loan lending coordinator, is a more recent regular attendee of these meetings and said he has also noticed the absence of students.

“The group is open to students, faculty and staff,” said Pinto. “But unfortunately, we haven’t seen many students at these meetings.”

At the Sept. 4 meeting, out of approximately 30 participants, none were students. The following week at the Sept. 11 meeting, there were fewer members present and still no students.

Many students said they were unaware that Diversity and Inclusion Circles existed at the college. However, many who said they had not heard of the group still believed it served an important purpose in bringing to prominence issues of diversity on campus.

“There’s an ongoing issue going on with this campus,” sophomore Jackie Scheiner said. “It’s not going to improve unless people are made aware.”

Junior Sarah Vengen said she thinks there’s a general interest on campus across the faculty, the staff and students to participate in groups such as these. However, she said there needs to more awareness that groups like these exist.

“It’s so important to keep programming like this present on a campus that definitely has some work to do,” Vengen said. “I’ve never heard one of my teachers or friends complain about diversity programming. I think they’d be interested if they knew what was going on.”
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John D'Oh
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MAMIL
Well, obviously they're not going to attend the classes. They almost certainly don't have time with all the protesting going on, and that beer's not going to drink itself, you know.
What do you mean "we", have you got a mouse in your pocket?
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Copper
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Shortstop
The student experience today is completely different, you could never understand it.
The Confederate soldier was peculiar in that he was ever ready to fight, but never ready to submit to the routine duty and discipline of the camp or the march. The soldiers were determined to be soldiers after their own notions, and do their duty, for the love of it, as they thought best. Carlton McCarthy
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sue
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HOLY CARP!!!
Well colour me surprised. Oh wait, no don't.
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