A hate-based sent to the Black Student Alliance last March was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back, according to Diversity Action Council Co-Chair Michael Smith. Last spring’s perceived hate crimes against minorities spurred the DAC’s decision to become a more dynamic force on campus this year.
Formerly named the Diversity Working Group, the DAC is a coalition of students, faculty and staff dedicated to raising awareness about issues of diversity in the Georgetown community.
“We came up with the new name, Diversity Action Council, to indicate the importance of being a more proactive, more synergistic sort of force,” Smith said.
More specifically, Smith said the DAC’s revitalized mission and direction were in part caused by the effort the University Provost. Under its new name, the DAC intends to increase its visibility on campus through student press and Internet web sites.
“Students get most of their news from student newspapers or from the Internet, so we’re trying to be very present in those two ways.” Nick Turner, Communications Chair for the DAC said.
The DAC, Smith said, will function as a clearinghouse for dialogue on all types of diversity issues, including but not limited to race. Citing its achievements last year in ensuring handicap access to buildings on campus, the council reiterated its wishes to address all minority issues demanding immediate attention.
Smith also noted that in the past, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning students have been involved in the DAC. Other student groups are also planning to support the DAC this year.
Yunnie Ahn (CAS ‘05), Co-President of the Asian-American Students Association, said, “This is the first year that the AASA is going to take an active role in the DAC.”
However, both Turner and Smith recognize the council is not a cure-all in addressing issues that arise at Georgetown. Turner would like the DAC to be as far-reaching as possible, but realizes the limitations of the organization.
“There is a danger in trying to do everything but I think our assessment of what’s going on at Georgetown will allow us to say okay, this is where we’re strong and this is where we’re weak,” he said. Turner said he foresees the DAC focusing on one major issue per year.
The reception garnered a large student-faculty response. According to the Communications Chair for the DAC, Nick Turner, nearly 75 to to 100 students signed up to become members of the DAC or to get more information on diversity issues.
It was clear that the racial turmoil which culminated in the hate email and resulting protest last spring was still weighing on students’ minds. “I definitely haven’t forgotten. I have the email on my desk so that I won’t forget about it,” NAACP Secretary Danielle Payne (SFS ‘07) said.
The five-point petition delivered by the BSA to President John D. DeGioia last Spring included a stipulation mandating diversity training for faculty. Laura Cavender, Director of Media Relations for the University, affirmed that issues related to diversity are a topic forever on the Provost’s mind.
Some faculty members, such as Professor of History Amy Leonard, feel the effort is misguided. “There is already a system in place to make sure faculty are sensitive to diversity issues. I feel that it would be more useful to inform students about these issues and the diverse nature of Georgetown, and the accepting nature of Georgetown and that is where my focus would lie,” she said.
Professor of Government Douglas Reed said that making training mandatory is not worthwhile. “Compulsory conversations often set a tone that aren’t as productive as we’d want conversations about diversity to be. In structuring these conversations, you don’t want the form to defeat its message.”
Payne pointed out that teachers have been insensitive in the past.
“There are still teachers here who are pretty ignorant. We’re not saying that it’s geared toward faculty, but the faculty need to be included,” she said.
NAACP President Mary C. Garvey (SFS ‘05) expects those holding the highest positions in the University, to take the initiative to change.
“The student body has definitely made the administration aware of the social and racial environment on campus as well as of the changes that are necessary. So if anything, the administration is more aware, and, therefore, less apathetic,” she said.
Garvey said that she understands the faculty’s reservations about mandatory training, but said that it must be mandatory nonetheless.
“Each professor should put him or herself in the shoes of a student who has to endure a fifty-minute class three times a week with a professor whose ignorance never ceases to belittle that student,” she said.
Smith said he viewed efforts during the New Student Orientation in August, specifically its Pluralism in Action program and diversity surveys, as important steps in improving the DAC’s communication with students.
Student opinions on the effectiveness of the efforts, however, vary. Taylor Fincher (SFS ‘08) said the Pluralism in Action program was valuable, but added, “The entire concept of discussing diversity is kind of redundant because we are living diversity everyday. “
