The Michigan Review

U-M Plans "Diversity" Theme Semester

by C.J. Carnacchio

From the moment University students begin Freshman Orientation, to the moment they receive their degrees, the concept of diversity is constantly stressed in courses, special events, and by many student groups. The Winter Term 1999 will continue this focus on diversity with a theme semester entitled “Diversity: Theories and Practices.”

The theme semester is being co-sponsored by the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, and the University’s “Dialogues on Diversity” program. Dialogues on Diversity is a University-wide initiative which began in January 1998 and encompasses all members of the University, including students, faculty, staff, and alumni. According to Program Coordinator, Pat McCune, its objective is “to enrich campus discussion and facilitate honest dialogue, concerning the broad range of topics relating to diversity.”

According to the Dialogues on Diversity website, the theme semester’s objective is to “encourage everyone in the University community to consider human diversity in its multiplicity of meanings, and to enrich the diverse and interdisciplinary environment that enables us to learn from one another.” McCune added that this semester is about asking “what is the definition [of diversity] ... what goes into it ... the whole purpose [of the semester] is to look at those questions and issues in an educational context. There is no specific definition.”

More than fifty courses, concerning the theories and practices of human diversity will form the foundation of the theme semester. The courses will be supported by co-curricular activities and events, such as theater, film, and dance productions, a student conference, an essay or video competition, programs in the residence halls, and guest speakers.

The main feature of the theme semester will be the capstone experience, which is, according to the Dialogues on Diversity website, “a series of four evening events, each of which will be divided into two parts. During the first hour we explore, in a variety of formats, specific issues relating to diversity and Michigan. During the second hour these topics will be discussed in small, facilitated dialogue groups.”

Critics may argue that this diversity theme semester is motivated by more political than educational reasons, given the current lawsuits against the University for its use of affirmative action in its admissions process. Dialogues on Diversity plainly states on its website that it does not “represent the University’s official position in relation to the admissions law suits.”

In an e-mail to the members of a variety of student organizations, inviting participation in planning the theme semester, Program Coordinator, McCune stated that the Dialogues on Diversity program and the diversity theme semester were, in part, spawned by the campus discussion created by the lawsuits. McCune wrote, “Recent legal challenges to the use of race as one factor in our admissions practices have pushed the issue of diversity in all its forms to the fore in campus discussions.”

When interviewed about this criticism, she responded, “First of all, I can hardly speak for everyone’s motivations — there are so many people participating. But, for the faculty who are the main impetus behind the project, certainly they are aware of the heightened awareness around campus about diversity related issues and the problematic aspects of them. They thought this would be a good time to explore those questions in an educational context.”

Dialogues on Diversity asserts that an open and honest dialogue, “including dissent,” is its main goal. But critics may also argue that, given the University’s interests in the lawsuits (President Lee Bollinger’s statements, supporting affirmative action as a chief instrument of diversity; the piece Bollinger co-authored with Provost, Nancy Cantor, entitled, “The Educational Importance of Race,” which appeared in the April 28, 1998 Washington Post; the U-M Faculty Senate/Assembly’s October 27, 1998 resolution in support of diversity; and the Alumni Association’s national board’s support of the University’s commitment to diversity through present admissions practices), there will be an inherent bias against those who question the legitimacy of affirmative action. There is an argument that dissenting views may not receive fair and adequate representation among the diversity theme’s semester’s materials, activities, and speakers.

McCune responds to this criticism, stating, “People are not limited in what they can teach or what they can say. We would really welcome other voices. It’s easy to see where we would have an interested constituency within the University, but, often it’s hard to examine an issue until we’re challenged and until we hear from different viewpoints. So, I guess all I can say is try us and find out.” MR

This article was published in the 16 September 1998 edition of The Michigan Review (Volume 17, Number 1).
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