Human Relations hosts community dialogues Forum addresses diversity on campus, issues of fairness

Author: Chris Knapp

The Human Relations Committee (HRC) hosted a pair of open meetings Monday afternoon and Tuesday evening to solicit opinions, suggestions and concerns regarding the issue of diversity at Middlebury from members of the College community. Members of the student body and the faculty and staff gathered in strong numbers at both meetings, creating an open dialogue in which to discuss the current state of diversity at Middlebury and to discuss the direction the College should take in its future efforts to promote diversity.

The HRC, which comprises 20 members of the faculty, staff and student body, was appointed by President Ronald D. Liebowitz in September. The Committee is charged with the task of assessing the College's successes and failures as an institution in creating and supporting a diverse community at Middlebury. The Committee is to record its findings in a comprehensive report, which will include the Committee's recommendations and will be presented to President Liebowitz.

"The Committee is seeking input from all sectors of the College community," said Augustus Jordan, director of the Scott Center for Spiritual & Religious Life and chair of the HRC. "Our report will be based on the information we gather and the opinions we hear voiced."

Jordan mediated the discussions on Monday and Tuesday, posing a series of three questions to stimulate thought among the meeting's participants. He urged those in attendance to consider what an institution that is "doing diversity well" might look like, and what might facilitate diversity at such an institution. He then asked in what ways Middlebury succeeds in facilitating diversity, and how any such success might be manifest within the community. Finally, he asked in what ways Middlebury fails to facilitate diversity on campus, and how the College might address these failures.

The discussion in the Grand Salon of Le Château was lively. The meeting Tuesday night, which was scheduled to last about an hour, ran for just under two hours. Participants weighed in with a number of concerns and ideas about religious, ethnic, sexual and socioeconomic diversity at the College, as relevant to social, administrative and academic life at the College. Voices heard were diverse and numerous throughout, and although the seats were arranged in an auditorium format, the meeting proceeded in the fashion of a seminar.

"Colleges around the country understand that diversity improves their public image," Visiting Lecturer in Theatre Dana Yeaton, an audience member, said after the meeting. "But regardless of image, diversity is an important issue - it is the lack of diversity that is choking this country. Middlebury is the place where we can make steps to change that."

Attendees voiced enthusiastic support for initiatives that would encourage diversity. One suggestion called for an increased budget for more appealing and diverse speakers. Another called for an increased number of College-sponsored events that would attract higher attendance from all quarters of the community. Still another person recommended changes to the curriculum in various departments to include a broader spectrum of ideas and ideologies.

Many suggested various means of support for minority groups in a predominately white and heterosexual student body. Some suggested that visibility of diversity among faculty and staff members was necessary - one participant pointed out the absence of a black female faculty member at Middlebury, while others emphasized the need for a larger number of openly gay men and women on the faculty and staff.

"Encountering a wide variety of cultures and ideas and lifestyles should be part of our education," said Bethany Stipe '08. "But a lot of students at Middlebury come from a very similar background - regionally, ethnically, politically, socioeconomically. So it's easy for that aspect of our education to be stifled."

The HRC is scheduled to deliver its report to Liebowitz at the end of J-Term. Jordan encouraged those at the meeting to contact him with any further thoughts or suggestions they might have in the future.

"The report will be based on what members of the community come forward and tell us," Jordan said. "So what happens in these meetings will play an important part in determining the future of diversity at Middlebury."