Chancellor G.P. "Bud" Peterson: Following Up on Our Commitments -- Four Actions to Address Racial Concerns on Campus Still at Forefront

(This editorial originally appeared in the Colorado Daily on April 30, 2008.)

Earlier this semester, a column entitled, "If it's war they want..." was published in the Campus Press. This article, which was neither vetted nor edited by the student leadership of the Campus Press to the educational standards set by the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, created considerable controversy both here at CU and nationwide, as many found it very offensive.

At the time of its publication, I stated that the article "was contrary to efforts by the university to create an inclusive and welcoming environment for our students, faculty and staff." The article spurred both outrage and open dialogue on the campus climate and how it could be improved. At an open public forum, attended by leaders from student groups, the Campus Press and university leadership as well as the dean, faculty and students from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, I pledged to four actions to address the serious issues resulting from these discussions and we began working on them immediately. I am pleased to report that working in collaboration with students we continue to make progress on these actions.

They are:

First, we pledged to convene a group of students and administrators under the leadership of Managing Senior Associate Counsel Christine Arguello to determine if the recent Campus Press columns constituted a violation of Title VI of the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964. Student leaders recommended we work with a Title VI expert to provide us with an opinion as to whether or not Title VI was violated. This examination is underway as I write this.

Second, under the leadership of Provost Phil DiStefano, we pledged to review recommendations made by Journalism Dean Paul Voakes and the faculty of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication for restructuring and oversight of the Campus Press. As a result of these recommendations, the Campus Press editors have adopted a new opinion policy that states in part, that all opinions deemed controversial will be discussed by student editors who will strive to offset controversial opinions with a counter opinion published the same day and on the same page. Beginning in Spring 2009 the Campus Press will no longer qualify for course credit but will be open to all students. However, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication will continue to support this effort by providing space, a professional advisor and a modest operating budget. Finally, Journalism Dean Paul Voakes will create a Campus Press oversight board that will include not only journalism faculty but also non-journalism students, faculty and administrators representing a broad diversity of campus interests.

Third, Dr. Sallye McKee, Vice-Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Ron Stump are working together with student representatives to review the progress and outcomes of a series of requests made by students in 2005. These included additional funding for programs and scholarships, a broadened focus on diversity and quick administrative action when a racist incident occurs. While initial review has indicated that we have made considerable progress, this effort is continuing and Arts and Sciences Dean Todd Gleeson is presenting information today to student leaders on the progress made within the College of Arts and Sciences to the 2005 requests.

Finally, we pledged to team with the University of Colorado Student Union to re-dedicate our efforts to create a campus climate that is inclusive, welcoming and safe. We have met with UCSU leaders and Asian-American student leaders several times this spring to discuss this. The groups have received presentations by Dr. McKee on the vision, initiatives and staffing of the new Office of Diversity, Equity, and Community Engagement. Diversity also is integral to our future planning. One of the eight core initiatives in our strategic plan for the future, Flagship 2030, is "learning in a diverse world," which calls for implementing new strategies for improving diversity and fostering a supportive and inclusive climate for everyone. As part of this strategic planning process, we will continue to work on improving campus climate with the new UCSU leadership, particularly the chair of the UCSU Diversity Commission.

Since August 2007, and for the first time in our history, CU-Boulder has a Vice-Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement. Dr. McKee is a member of the senior leadership team ensuring that diversity is always at the table and is a part of our day-to-day decision making in budgetary, administrative, academic and governance decisions. Our vision is that we will all work together to make diversity an unremarkable condition of our campus.

Our work over the last two months has underscored the importance in our belief that diversity is everyone's business. Our attention to this will make us stronger and I'm convinced by working together we will do that.