Dartmouth College administrators say they are taking steps to address concerns raised by student demands for what they call "transformative justice" at the Ivy League school.
A group of students last month sent administrators a "Freedom Budget" decrying racism, classism, sexism and other campus problems and making 70 demands, including increasing enrollment of black, Latino and Native American students to at least 10 percent each and making a multi-million commitment to increase hiring of faculty from minority groups.
"Departments that do not have 'womyn' or people of color will be considered in crisis and must take urgent and immediate action to right the injustice," wrote the students, who described themselves as "concerned Asian, Black, Latino, Native, Undocumented, Queer and Differently-abled students."
They also called for expanding gender-neutral housing and bathrooms on campus, improving the financial aid process for middle class students and training all staff and faculty to help undocumented immigrants plan their academic and professional futures.
In a response last week, administrators say they agree that diversity is a cornerstone of the Dartmouth community and they realize they must engage students more effectively in improvement efforts. They listed several specific plans, including spending $30 million on a program to bring diverse post-doctorates to campus, spending $1 million to hire faculty with "diverse perspectives" and expanding a program that supports under-represented students in science, technology, engineering and math fields. But administrators also said they need to focus resources on areas that will have the most impact given desire to keep the cost of attendance down.
"We hear your concerns about ensuring that Dartmouth is not only diverse in numbers, but also a place where all community members thrive," administrators wrote.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.
Comments
I agree. It would be
I agree. It would be interesting to see those statistics and to see if those students and professors were actually applying to the school, and if they could afford the school. It is a good idea to see the diversity numbers just to see how diverse the school is currently.
Statistics would be helpful
Statistics would be helpful to evaluate this case better. I would like to see some data about the diversity rate at the Dartmouth school (for students and teachers) as well as a related gathering that shows what the majority of people are like, what background they have (income, ethics etc.)
I know why the students want
I know why the students want to call for change and to have more diversity in the school, and I think that it is a good idea. If the students believe that they need more diversity in the school then they probably do. This is including the faculty and the students. Many of the ivy league schools are run by white men so I can see why they need more diversity in the school and I think that it is a good idea to have set standards as the students want to make sure that there is diversity in the school. Everything that the students want in change in the school is a good idea including bringing post-doctorates to the school and more diverse professors.
Agree
I agree with you. If the student express their discomfort is because they really need a change into Dartmouth. Also diversity is a good idea in any aspect because it would help to open the student's mind and learn more about many different perspectives of life. I am an international student and I have learn a lot of American ways to look into life, but also I have learn a lot about africans, latins and asian cultures just by interacting with different people.
Never know how to feel
First, kudos to the students for taking an active part in what they believe is bettering their community. However, I have never really known how to feel about the educational institutions having a mandated percentage of ethnicity. I can see the benefit, I think, of guaranteeing that a portion of the school will have "diverse perspectives". On the other hand, I see this affirmative action unnecessary and perpetuating the focus within society on race. I suppose I should research the pros and cons of such programs more.
Moving in the right direction
I think that the students concern is a step in the right direction. Diversity has almost always been a positive thing and can often benefit everyone in a positive manner. I just don't see why they are moving towards a more diverse facility. Again, diversity is a good thing, but I think that the university should focus more on who is qualified as a professor and not only if they have a different ethnic back round. Also, I think the university should also focus on keeping there academic prestige and only admit those students who have the grades to uphold the standards to the school.
Race-Focused
I agree, for the most part, with the above two comments. While I believe that diversity is of great importance in so many areas, it seems a bit unnecessary for universities to have to recruit certain demographics and ethnicities and backgrounds. It absolutely perpetuates the race-based society we have in this country. If we want to rise above white-spuremecy, I don't think the answer is to make sure all of our universities are equally proportioned among races. I think the answer starts much earlier than that and can be executed in much wiser ways. At least that's what it seems like upon first glance at this policy.
thats true. there's too much
thats true. there's too much focus being put into making sure universities are equally proportioned to have all or most ethnic groups, but this does not necessarily mean it's going to solve the racial matter although it would minimize it. Besides having universities select students based on their race doesnt that bring us back to the same issue of racial grouping.
for increasing enrollment of
for increasing enrollment of blacks, Latino and Native American students to at least 10 percent will help more on minimizing racism and biasness as well as increase equality among students. and through financial aid process will help a lot the students of the middle class to afford and live well the academic life at the college.
for increasing enrollment of
for increasing enrollment of blacks, Latino and Native American students to at least 10 percent will help more on minimizing racism and biasness as well as increase equality among students. and through financial aid process will help a lot the students of the middle class to afford and live well the academic life at the college.
i agree with you, there needs
i agree with you, there needs to be more financial aid available n order for the middle class families to be able to send their students to ivy league schools especially considering the fact that the working class people are the minorities being discussed in this article
i agree with that statement.
i agree with that statement. 10% at the least
Important
The action of expressing the student's thoughs is what is the most important thing in this article. I am a fan of the movements to express what you think is not fair, or what you think must be fixed. In this opportunity I am glad to see how student got together to make a change into Dartmouth by a peaceful way. I am also glad to see the the authority of Dartmouth had a good manner to respond and they accepted the problems that student have seen within they administration.
This is an example to encourage other student to express their thoughts and not only students. I believe that is the way to find a better place to live. Showing differents opinions by peaceful ways in order to build a more compact sistem of tolerance.
Having a diverse group of
Having a diverse group of students in any school should perhaps be made a priority because there is much to learn from different ethnicity. But perhaps the problem is not being able to get different ethnic students there, the problem is Ivy League schools are way to expensive and most students especially those of different races other than white students who live in mostly middle class families can not afford to study there. thus the only way to increase their number is to offer more scholarships. and the fact that the students also demand for diversified post doctorate teaching staff there's bound to be financial strings that need to be pulled.
We have made it difficult for
We have made it difficult for minorities to earn as much money as whites. I agree with you. Even being accept to an ivy league school is extremely difficult. If the university agrees to enroll 10% minorities, they need to be meeting the requirements. If not, it is not fair to lower the standards in order to include more minorities. If minorities want to be accepted, they need to continue providing their best effort and not hope that the university will make it easier to be accepted. That is why it is such a prestigious school.
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