Liza Cariaga-Lo, associate provost for academic development and diversity, and Mary Grace Almandrez, director of the Third World Center and assistant dean of the college, spoke about efforts to improve campus diversity at Wednesday night's general body meeting of the Undergraduate Council of Students.
Cariaga-Lo, who began at the University in July alongside President Christina Paxson, spoke mainly of the importance of increasing faculty diversity and of University plans to implement related initiatives.
The University has made "remarkable progress" in diversifying its undergraduate population, Cariaga-Lo said, but it "has a lot of work to do with faculty diversity."
"We see diversity as the work of developing inclusive excellence," she said.
The University needs to develop a strategic plan to ensure that resources are best allocated to recruit, develop, retain and promote diverse scholars, she said. It needs to consider its role in the larger community of academia to help more diverse scholars enter the academic pipeline, she added.
"There are great programs here ... but we don't think about them as a seamless, strategic plan to diversify the academy and diversify the University," she said.
After Cariaga-Lo discussed her role with UCS members, Almandrez spoke about the mission of the TWC and asked them for their thoughts on the center.
The TWC is "an open space where students can deal with the transition of becoming a minority," said Afia Kwakwa '14, chair of the Campus Life Committee.
"TWC is a great place - you can get involved in conversations there regardless of your ethnicity," said Abigail Braiman '15, chair of the Committee for Admissions and Student Services.
The main objectives of the center include supporting students of color, complementing classroom learning with programs that center on differences across cultures and providing opportunities for students to engage in social justice training and student leadership development, Almandrez said.
She said she does not like to refer to the center as a "safe space," but rather as a "brave space" where students can engage in "messy" conversations.
This year, faculty members and administrators will perform a self-evaluation of the center to determine whether its mission is appropriate and whether they are succeeding in carrying it out. A team of outside experts will also evaluate the center.
Several UCS members said they know people who have been put off by the center's name.
Almandrez said the name is one part of the center that will be considered in the evaluation process, though she warned it could be a "divisive" issue. Some people are attached to its historical roots, while others find the name offensive, she said.
TWC staff members are in the process of visiting similar centers at peer institutions to learn how different models function, Almandrez added.
"We can't be everything to everyone," Almandrez said. "We are here for all students who need us."
After the two speakers presented, Roxanne Alaghband '15 was appointed as a student member to the College Curriculum Council. She will replace Kathleen Hill '14.5.
UCS Vice President Brandon Tomasso '13 said the CCC thought it was important to maintain gender diversity, so Alaghband was chosen to fill the position over the already-appointed alternate.
He also told UCS members to brainstorm a catchy name for a new initiative the council is launching that will allow students to enter a lottery to eat meals with Paxson. The first of these meals will be a breakfast at the Faculty Club.
