questions posed in advance of and during the listening session
questions posed in advance of and during the listening session
questions posed in advance of and during the listening session
- No tags were found...
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
Color Blocks–Horizontal<strong>the</strong>re is no mechanism to hold <strong>the</strong>m accountable across <strong>the</strong> board. It is only permissible for<strong>the</strong>m to seek <strong>in</strong>tercultural competence <strong>and</strong> knowledge <strong>of</strong> how to foster success <strong>in</strong> a diversesett<strong>in</strong>g (staff, students, colleagues, etc.). Institutionaliz<strong>in</strong>g welcom<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>clusiveenvironments is <strong>of</strong> great <strong>in</strong>terest to many constituents.What is <strong>the</strong> University's plan to improve <strong>the</strong> retention <strong>of</strong> faculty <strong>and</strong> staff <strong>of</strong> color? When willwe see a strong commitment to diversity <strong>in</strong> every college?What k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong> resources are you prepared to commit to <strong>the</strong> recruitment <strong>and</strong> retention <strong>of</strong> adiverse staff at <strong>the</strong> University?For susta<strong>in</strong>ability, diversity <strong>in</strong>itiatives seem to need to be managed <strong>and</strong> resourced with somecont<strong>in</strong>uity (permanent staff, faculty). Often it is students who might be around for only a yearor two who are <strong>the</strong> most energetic about this work. How do we effectively br<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>consistent <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> transient members <strong>of</strong> our community toge<strong>the</strong>r to work towards sharedgoals?How will <strong>the</strong> University make it clear that work<strong>in</strong>g on issues related to equity <strong>and</strong> diversity iseveryone's responsibility?How do we create/obta<strong>in</strong> longevity with regards to equity <strong>and</strong> diversity? How do we keep iton <strong>the</strong> front burner?Why does <strong>the</strong> College <strong>of</strong> Ed <strong>and</strong> Human Dev. refuse to orchestrate a concerted effort to takeon relevant issues <strong>in</strong> urban education, like <strong>the</strong> under education <strong>of</strong> students (particularlystudents <strong>of</strong> color, English language learners <strong>and</strong> low <strong>in</strong>come students), <strong>and</strong> diversify<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>teacher pool? What will be <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>stitutional consequence for such complacency?This is very complex because (1) by its very nature as a 150-year-old <strong>in</strong>stitution, certa<strong>in</strong>privileges <strong>and</strong> assumptions are deeply entw<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> structure <strong>and</strong> operations <strong>and</strong> tend toperpetuate <strong>the</strong> status quo. (2) Genu<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong>clusion takes a large <strong>in</strong>vestment <strong>of</strong> time <strong>and</strong> awill<strong>in</strong>gness to change some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> rules <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> game. It takes real <strong>and</strong> ongo<strong>in</strong>g conversationthat facilitates underst<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> valu<strong>in</strong>g across differences, <strong>and</strong> it takes side-by-side worktoward shared objectives. (3) All aspects <strong>of</strong> diversity need to be recognized <strong>and</strong> valued,<strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g disability. (4) To really do this, you have to th<strong>in</strong>k differently about time, getcomfortable with discomfort, <strong>and</strong> figure out how to reward people for <strong>the</strong>ir hard work along<strong>the</strong> way, even when <strong>the</strong>re is no money. So my <strong>questions</strong> are, (1) how can youcompassionately dismantle <strong>and</strong> reassemble an <strong>in</strong>stitution to work <strong>in</strong> this new age? <strong>and</strong> (2)who can you br<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> who is <strong>in</strong> it for <strong>the</strong> long haul to get <strong>the</strong> process started?OutreachHow can <strong>the</strong> UMN engage <strong>the</strong> University community to participate <strong>in</strong> work such as thatgo<strong>in</strong>g on at UROC? The University needs to be a provider <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se resources <strong>and</strong> notnecessarily <strong>the</strong> leader <strong>of</strong> that whole process or <strong>the</strong> guide to it, which sometimes has ru<strong>in</strong>edrelationships.Many communities <strong>in</strong> TC area have a lack <strong>of</strong> trust <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> UMN -- <strong>the</strong> clos<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> GeneralCollege, Comm<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g English program that outreached <strong>and</strong> served a great number <strong>of</strong> highschool students, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> move to close <strong>the</strong> MA program <strong>in</strong> Teach<strong>in</strong>g English as a SecondLanguage. I feel <strong>the</strong>se k<strong>in</strong>ds <strong>of</strong> moves on <strong>the</strong> part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> adm<strong>in</strong>istration create a sense <strong>of</strong>distrust among communities that UMN is try<strong>in</strong>g to reach.I have been at UMN s<strong>in</strong>ce 1999 <strong>and</strong> have seen a lot <strong>of</strong> changes. I feel that <strong>the</strong> UMN brokesome trust with <strong>the</strong> native <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>digenous communities around <strong>the</strong> state. I underst<strong>and</strong> UMNis driv<strong>in</strong>g to be one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> top three research <strong>in</strong>stitutions <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> world but I'm very concernedabout <strong>the</strong> telescope on Mount Graham, which is sacred to <strong>the</strong> Apache People. And UMN<strong>in</strong>volvement <strong>in</strong> wild rice issues that are also sacred to Ojibwa people. I feel that <strong>the</strong>se <strong>and</strong>o<strong>the</strong>r past experiences contribute greatly to native peoples lack <strong>of</strong> trust <strong>in</strong> UMN. I want tostress <strong>the</strong> benefits <strong>of</strong> MN be<strong>in</strong>g home to 11 tribal nations, though less than 1% <strong>of</strong> overall MNCOLOR BLOCKSIrregular shapes <strong>in</strong> multiplpalette add movement an10