PlanSM&Cnotes04.0210

• The meaning of Diversity as defined by the task force. There was some discussion of the “finer points” of this definition, and it was noted that the definition is rather long to be used in brochures and other publications; but in general, the members of Planning found this definition to certainly be acceptable and a good starting point for the Diversity Plan and for campus community discussion.
• A key element of the Draft Diversity Plan is the formation of a campus Diversity Commission. There was extensive discussion regarding the potential role of this commission, particularly with respect to participation in resolving conflicts where issues of diversity may be present. There was a suggestion to frame this component of the plan so that the Diversity Commission would not be duplicating other conflict resolution processes already in place, and so that they would not be spending all of their time on conflict resolution. It was suggested that perhaps the Diversity Commission could play a more effective role by serving as an advisory resource for the other conflict resolution processes that are already present.
• A proposed campus diversity climate survey was discussed, and there was strong support for this initiative.