Students share experiences with diversity

About 50 students shared personal experiences and reflected on the diversity of UNC's campus during a forum Tuesday at the Campus Y.

The third annual diversity forum had two goals — to examine the University's commitment to its Diversity Plan and to discuss various issues of diversity specific to UNC campus life.

The Interfraternity Council joined for the first time this year with student government's minority affairs and diversity outreach committee to sponsor the event.

""We hoped that by combining forces" we could include people in the dialogue about diversity who typically do not feel as if they have a place in the conversation" said Monica Matta, co-chairwoman of the committee.

The University's Diversity Plan, which laid out five goals, was designed to strengthen Carolina's commitment to diversity by establishing a common set of goals for University leaders and an avenue for sharing the strategies and outcomes related to pursuit of these goals"" according to its Web site.

Since 2006, when the Diversity Plan was implemented, the forum has provided student feedback on its success.

The responses are given to the administration, which can use them to revise the plan.

Shane Capps, vice president of judicial for the Interfraternity Council, cited the proposal of a Carolina Latina/o Center as evidence of UNC's commitment to diversity.

He said the forum was the perfect opportunity to start an open dialogue for diversity issues.

It's the students that play the role in identifying the areas of diversity that should be focused on by the University"" he said.

During the forum, students also voiced their concerns about the state of diversity at UNC.

There will always be a place that we need more diversity" such as faculty" said Valyce Davis, a member of the committee. I think we are well on our way to filling in those gaps. With time"" it will happen.""

The forum participants also discussed whether Youth for Western Civilization" a new group on campus promotes or inhibits diversity.

The group sponsored a lecture by former Congressman Tom Tancredo on Tuesday where police used pepper spray against rowdy protestors and discharged a Taser to disperse crowds. No arrests were made.

Attendees of the forum discussed how such events represent free speech but others countered that they spread hate.

Reva-Grace Phillips former co-chairwoman of the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Straight-Alliance cited other events on campus such as the abortion demonstration in October as another instance that facilitated campuswide discussion.

She said groups such as these sometimes make people uncomfortable in order to incite a conversation among members of the student body.


Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.