Student views of 'diverse' differ

More than 80 percent of students reported that they believe UNC embraces and celebrates diversity on campus, according to preliminary results of a diversity study.

But a detailed breakdown of the results shows that certain pockets of students — graduate and professional, nonresidents, those who transferred from a school more diverse than UNC and those with a lower family income — were less likely to embrace that view.

“The fact is that undergraduates have been very positive,” said Archie Ervin, director of the Office for Minority Affairs. “Students don’t all believe the same things, either. That’s what you expect in a university community.”

The full task force on diversity will meet today to hear recommendations from its three subcommittees. The subcommittee on students discussed its initial impressions of the findings during its meeting March 22.

“It’s not a definitive discussion,” Ervin said. “It’s within the committee context. We’re brainstorming and testing ideas.”

The student subcommittee discussed its initial impressions of the survey findings and the different methods used to garner the results.

“I think we had some general ideas that some things looked pretty good,” said Tom Mroz, committee member and professor of economics. “There were certainly some areas that we could do better.”

The study, which interviewed undergraduate, graduate and professional students, used three different methods for research: questionnaires, focus groups and interviews.

Subcommittee members commented on the varying student definitions of diversity that came up during individual interviews.

“We were finding that the students’ definitions of diversity compared to our own sometimes were different,” said subcommittee member Sheena Oxendine, a sophomore sociology major.

Oxendine said members discussed expanding the definition of diversity beyond race and gender to include diversity of thoughts and ideas, sexual orientation and socio-economic differences in order to represent the definitions expressed in the survey.

“Diversity is physically represented on the campus as far as students,” she said. “However, there are always things that can be improved upon.”

During today’s meeting with the full task force, the subcommittee will present recommendations, including one that will suggest discussing diversity during orientation programs.

The survey questions were driven by the five core values developed by the task force in December: vision and commitment to diversity, the presence of diversity, educational benefits of diversity, responsible interactions and a supportive climate.

A total of 1,461 students responded to the online questionnaire, a response rate of 28 percent. Survey organizers interviewed 38 students and 44 graduate and professional students participated in focus groups.

Recommendations also will be presented by the faculty and staff subcommittees today. Ervin said these suggestions will serve as a stepping stone for further discussions.

“The next three weeks are going to be the really critical meeting times,” Ervin said. “People will get to see what they’ve been thinking in these subcommittees on paper. That’s going to be revised and revised until the task force gets it to where they want it to submit to the chancellor.”

Oxendine said members of each subcommittee will continue to work diligently to ensure that they explore each survey’s results thoroughly.

“People here are very concerned and passionate about what’s going on on campus,” Oxendine said. “I don’t think that people would be sitting on the committee … if they weren’t passionate about what we’ve been trying to do here.”

 

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.