New council plans to tackle diversity issues

By Liz O'Brien

Last Wednesday marked the first meeting of the university's new diversity council, which Provost Lucia Gilbert said will tackle race and diversity issues at Santa Clara.

The council is a new approach to diversity issues on campus. Last March, the provost announced that a full-time special assistant would replace former Center for Multicultural Learning Director Jack Ling. In place of the new position, Gilbert created the council, made up of five members from separate university departments.

Gilbert announced in September that the Provost's Council for Diversity, Multicultural Learning and Inclusive Excellence would concentrate its efforts on recruitment and retention, curriculum, training and programming "that makes visible our diverse campus and further fosters community." Gilbert said she reconsidered creating a new position for inclusive excellence after discussions with various students, Multicultural Center members and faculty during the aftermath of January's theme party.

The decision to develop a council instead of a full-time position was a result of the need for a community-friendly way to address campus climate, Gilbert said, adding that forming a council is "creating a synergy that you don't create with one person."

All five council members hold full-time positions in other parts of the university, and Gilbert anticipates that they will devote about 20 percent of their time at work to the council.

Gilbert said the university did not think about hiring both a full-time position and creating a council for diversity.

"That's not a model we considered," Gilbert said. "It's contrary to what we're trying to do."

In conjunction with the formation of the council is the major structural change to the Center for Multicultural Learning, now known as the Multicultural Learning Office.

The CML, which previously operated under a grant from the Irvine Foundation, became the MLO in June when the Irvine grant expired. The MLO now functions directly under the provost's office, and its funding has been institutionalized.

Council members include Eva Blanco, assistant dean of undergraduate admissions and financial aid; Lester Deanes, assistant dean for student life; Allen Hammond, a law professor; Mary Ho, program director for multicultural learning; and Andrew Starbird, professor of operations and management information systems.

Each member will focus on a specific area of improving campus climate, such as recruitment and retention of faculty and students.

Last Wednesday's meeting primarily served as a chance for council members to get acquainted, said Gilbert. Discussion of specific plans to meet the council's goals, however, was not part of the meeting.

The council will develop goals as meetings progress, said Gilbert, focusing on such things as curriculum, retention and climate. Gilbert anticipates that each council member will set up an advisory board, possibly comprised of students, to help carry out their goals.

"We're being mindful of trying to include people into conversation that might not have been thought of before," Gilbert said.

Each council member's position is specific to their job on campus. Mary Ho, for instance, will oversee thematic event planning and campus programming that exhibits diversity on campus, which correlates with her position as program director for the MLO.

"I actually report directly to the provost, and due to the nature of that relationship and the work that I do, it makes sense for me to be on the council," said Ho.

Deanes, who will specialize in education and training, said his three years experience as a resident director at Santa Clara gave him "an understanding of student culture."

"Looking at identity development and the different stages that students go through in development will help in this position," said Deanes, who will be hosting a series of workshops and training around issues of diversity and differences.

While council members Ho and Deanes remain optimistic about the council's future, Deanes noted that multicultural education and diversity on campus are issues that will require a significant amount of attention.

"It's going to take some time," he said. "This isn't a magic bullet that's going to come in and fix it all in one swoop. But over time, I do think that it should make a difference."

Contact Liz O'Brien at (408) 554-4546 or eobrien@scu.edu.