Diversity Action Committee
Midyear Report and
Recommendations
2004-2005
The Charge…
Listed below are three general topics related to diversity and equity that
need to be addressed by the committee. Note that the committee itself
will have the opportunity to develop a detailed charge to recommend to
me early in fall term.
1. Campus atmosphere and equity
2. Student recruitment and retention
3. Faculty/staff recruitment and retention
The focus will be on practical suggestions that can be put into action as
soon as possible, after review by all appropriate bodies. Further, the
assumption is that some changes will require either new or
redistributed funding from college resources.
DIVERSITY ACTION COMMITTEE
MEMBERS


Patrick Chang, Associate Dean of Students/ Chair x7591, pchang@ramapo.edu
Professor Lisa Cassidy, , Assistant Professor of Philosophy/ AIS x7146,
lcassidy@ramapo.edu
 Professor Joseph Dallon, TAS and Acting Director of Study Abroad x7730,
jdallon@ramapo.edu
 Rosa Diaz Mulryan, Assistant Vice President of Marketing and Institutional Relations
x7636, rmulryan@ramapo.edu
 Peter Goetz, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management x7307, pgoetz@ramapo.edu
 Judith Grieco, Office Assistant/ TAS x7290, jgrieco@ramapo.edu
 Professor Edna Negron, Assistant Professor of Journalism/ CA X7186,
enegron@ramapo.edu
 Anthony Olarerin-George, Student representative- OAU and the Black Student Union
President aolareri@ramapo.edu
 Professor Andre Perry, Associate Professor/ CA X7573, aperry@ramapo.edu
 Diana Williams, Assistant Director of the Student Assistant Program x7446,
dwilliam@ramapo.edu
LIAISONS
 Lorraine Edwards, Affirmative Action/Workplace Compliance liaison
 Babette Varano, Institutional Research liasion
FIRST THE GOOD NEWS….
In general, the faculty, staff and students of
Ramapo College are happy to be here. They cite a
very personal, friendly and warm environment as
being key elements supporting their remaining
here. People agree that Ramapo is an informal
environment where everyone knows and refers to
each other by first name. It is a caring place that
encourages creativity and experimentation in
terms of teaching and administrative practice.
NOW THE BAD NEWS…
The ability to personally engage contingencies through
discussion, collegiality and inclusiveness are essential
factors in institutional decision making at Ramapo College.
Many decisions at Ramapo College are based on
relationships that people have with each other. The
downside of such an environment is that several members
of the community feel that they are left out of the loop.
The pervasive perception of those disenfranchised
members of the community is that it is “who you
know” in order to receive funding or permission to
develop programs at Ramapo and that those who
are in power decide who to allow into their realm of
power.
The obvious effects of such a perception are that
discrimination takes place quite frequently and
that some people feel frustrated by their inability to
be promoted or receive the equal treatment that
they see being distributed to their
peers/colleagues.
Another issue identified is the false assumption that policy
decisions are clearly communicated in a “trickle down”
method from more senior officials to all that work at the
college. Frequently, this doesn’t happen. Messages are
either never communicated or reinterpreted to the point of
losing their focus.
In a 1999 study conducted by the Affirmative Action Task Force
utilizing full time faculty data according to gender, ethnicity and race
from 1997, Ramapo College’s profile met or exceeded national
breakdowns. At the same time, Ramapo came in 5th of the 8 New
Jersey state colleges. As quoted in the study:
“The data revealed that while we have substantially increased the
representation of females, most notably White, Non-Hispanic females,
on the faculty, we have shown only slight gains in the number and
percentage of faculty of color, primarily in the number of Black, NonHispanic males and females. All other categories of faculty of color
remained low and static over the last ten years. In comparing
Ramapo’s results to those of seven other New Jersey state colleges
and universities for Fall 1997, we found that with the exception of
Black, Non-Hispanic male faculty, we had the lowest or the second
lowest proportion of faculty of color in all racial/ethnic categories. In
contrast, we had the highest percentage of White, Non-Hispanic males.
Among the four state colleges and universities not accessible by mass
transportation, Ramapo College has the lowest proportion of faculty of
color.”
Significant concerns also exist about
our current student body.
The perception by the community is that the
price we have paid for increased selectivity
and a better prepared student is a more
homogenous student body characterized
mainly by white, middle or upper class fulltime students.
10-Year Minority Student
Enrollment
YEAR
AMERICAN
INDIAN
ASIAN
BLACK
HISPANIC
TOTAL
MINORITY
% OF TOTAL
STUDENT
POPULATION
1995
17
206
405
246
874
19.3
1996
10
239
395
257
901
19.9
1997
8
250
371
289
918
19.6
1998
13
252
350
316
931
20.0
1999
13
267
357
322
959
20.6
2000
16
281
352
372
1021
20.8
2001
15
273
356
373
1017
20.8
2002
19
266
358
419
1062
20.6
2003
18
268
353
395
1034
19.7
2004
18
278
349
418
1063
20.1
The Result…
Teaching about diversity is becoming increasingly
challenging given the fact that “the other” is rapidly
becoming an abstraction rather than a living,
breathing being with a wide range of life
experiences to counter preconceived notions of
race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation and
identity, socioeconomic status, religious
background, physical abilities and political
leanings.
In addition, minority students have anecdotally
cited the following experiences as part of their
day-to-day existence at Ramapo
 Differential treatment in the classroom by some professors ranging
from either being completely ignored to being singled out as the lone
spokesperson for their race/ethnicity.
 Rude, stereotypical treatment by some staff members in such student
support offices as Security, the Registrar and Advisement.
 Rude, insensitive treatment by some roommates or suitemates who
may not be the same race or ethnicity.
 Differential treatment of minority clubs and organizations (i.e., required
to have more Security and Police at social events)
 Lack of response to formal grievances filed through Affirmative Action
 Stereotypical treatment of being guilty of suspicious behavior by the
township (i.e., inordinately high rate of pullovers by Police).
The Process
 Meta analysis of volunteer
responses
 Weekly meetings beginning in
October with Enrollment
Management, Marketing and
Institutional Relations and
Affirmative Action/Workplace
Compliance
 2 day January Retreat with the
Minority Faculty Staff
Association, Institutional
Planning, Office of Specialized
Services, Provost’s Office, Ad
hoc Coalition of Black Faculty and
Administrators (AHCBFA)
Sources
 1999 Affirmative Action Task
Force Report
 Ad hoc Coalition of Black
Faculty and Administrators
(AHCBFA) Memorandum to
President and BOT
 10-Year Minority Student
Enrollment Statistics
 Fall 2005 Minority Student
Recruitment Plan
 Marketing materials
Recommendations:
Over-”Arch”ing
1.
The President, Board of Trustees, faculty, staff and students must
have a full understanding of what the diversity initiative is and
support it from the top down. This diversity initiative must be
demonstrated as an integral part of campus life, particularly since it
is referred to in the Mission Statement, Strategic Plan and Middle
States review. An example of such an initiative comes from Oregon
State University:
American colleges and universities are charged with creating an
environment characterized by equal access for all students,
faculty, and staff regardless of cultural differences, where
individuals are not just tolerated but valued. Institutional missions
suggest that higher education values multicultural awareness and
understanding within an environment of mutual respect and
cooperation. Institutional strategic plans advocate creating
welcoming and inclusive climates that are grounded in respect,
nurtured by dialogue and evidenced by a pattern of civil
interaction.
A clear definition of diversity needs to be communicated to the
community. A sample statement that could be modeled after is that
drafted by the University of Toledo Commission on Diversity:
Human diversity is variety and otherness. It includes, but may not be
limited to age, ethnicity, gender, religion, physical or mental abilities
and disabilities, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, gender
identity, and national origin. In promoting diversity, the University
pledges to respect and value personal uniqueness and differences, to
seek to attract diverse faculty, staff and students, to challenge
stereotypes, and to promote sensitivity and inclusion. It understands
that its staff, faculty and students must reflect the diversity of the
metropolitan area and beyond. It takes seriously its commitment to
diversity as expressed in the Mission Statement and Strategic
Academic Plan. (Draft-not yet approved by the Commission on
Diversity-June 2, 2003)
3. Develop a Minority Affairs (or, more ideally, a Diversity Action)
Office that will be fully staffed and funded. Such an office would
be responsible for providing advocacy, counsel and guidance for
the Ramapo College community. This Minority Affairs leader
should be a trained and experienced person in the area of
diversity/race relations/human resources from outside of Ramapo
College appointed to head an appropriately staffed Office of
Diversity Action who will be given a senior level of authority
through which enforcement can be realized.
4. It has become abundantly clear that the charge of the Diversity
Action Committee will extend well beyond this academic year and
that its direction and priorities will be defined by our new
President and Board of Trustees. If the DAC is to continue, we
recommend setting terms and representation (or staggered
appointments for continuity) of the committee for future years.
5. Update the 1999 Affirmative Action Task Force Report for
immediate implementation (DAC).
SHORT TERM (By Spring 2005)
1.Begin work on conducting an institutional
environmental survey in order to more
accurately gauge campus climate. A recent
sample survey that was recently distributed
can be found at Oregon State University, …
Short Term (Spring 2005)
2. Establish a Grievance Committee or (ideally) an
Ombudsperson who will be responsible for
providing advice and counsel and further
investigating complaints when individuals feel that
progress on grievances is unsatisfactory.
Naturally such an individual(s) will need to be
trusted and respected the Ramapo community for
their fair and objective judgment, knowledgeable
in the internal workings of the college and able to
work with a diverse population.
Short Term (Spring 2005)
3.
4.
Restore Schomburg funding to its original allocation of $ 30,000. This group
has been subject to the whims of the institution and has experienced a
significant cut in funds during the past few years. Creating an established
management and reporting structure for the future disbursement of funds
would also ensure continued provision of funds.
Conduct a feasibility study on establishing a Diversity Action Office
comparatively researching format, budget and structure.
5.
Establish a campaign clearly demonstrating our commitment toward
diversity that will be prominently displayed on bulletin boards, the world wide
web and publications.
6.
Expand the currently existing Experts Guide to include multicultural
expertise and experience of our faculty and staff. Consider placing this
valuable resource on the Intranet in some searchable manner for utilization
by our in-house community.
Short Term (Spring 2005)
7.
Continue creating opportunities to make the enrollment management recruitment
processes as transparent as possible (and within legal guidelines). Recent efforts by the
Vice Provost of Enrollment Management to meet with concerned faculty and students
should continue and be recognized as a valuable part of improving communications and
misperceptions of such processes. The process of exploring increasing our minority
populations within legal guidelines needs to be changed from of a “you can’t do this
because” to a more proactive “if you wish to do this, you need to…” model.
8.
Create a more formal system for soliciting resumes within convening groups for more wide
reaching searches (i.e., are search committee chairs aware of minority based publications
and databases within their fields? Should one office be responsible for distributing such
information?)
9.
Create a general searchable directory of community services for use by the entire Ramapo
community listing ethnic restaurants, salons, houses of worship and businesses.
10.
Meet with recognized clubs and organizations to determine what their perceptions of
diversity are and what they feel the college should be doing to continue creating such an
environment (DAC).
11.
Develop an End of Year Report summarizing major findings and recommendations of
previously written reports such as the Affirmative Action Task Force Report of 1999 (DAC).
MIDTERM (By Summer 2006)
1.
Have the unit councils commit time toward discussions on diversity
during the Spring and Fall 2005 semesters. Frank and honest
dialogue on the role of diversity in hiring, its impact on classroom
environment and recruitment and retention of faculty and students is
an important first step to ensure that a common dialogue is being
broached across the campus. Deans should provide a summary of
their unit meeting discussions to the Provost.
2.
Create a formal funding structure for diversity programs that is well
communicated campus wide. The current perception is that funding
is a highly informal process based on knowing where potential
sources might be.
3.
Work with the Faculty Resource Center in developing a Faculty In
Service to discuss integrating diversity into the curriculum with an
opportunity to cull best practices.
MIDTERM (By Summer 2006)
4.
Continue creating opportunities to make the Affirmative Action
processes as transparent as possible (and within legal guidelines).
For example, more clearly communicating time frames for
responding to grievances has been expressed by the community as
a source of clarification still needed.
5.
Develop formal mechanisms to encourage faculty, staff and students
to become more actively involved in the Enrollment Management
and Affirmative Action processes. The recent assistance of Assistant
Professor of History Karl Johnson in connecting Enrollment
Management to local church communities is a good example
6.
Develop formal mechanisms to encourage faculty, staff and students
to become more actively involved in the Affirmative Action process.
LONG TERM
1. Restructure the formal exit interview process for
the Office of Affirmative Action/Workplace
Compliance to conduct with all college
employees to determine reasons for leaving.
The same should be conducted for departing
students by either Enrollment Management or
the respective schools. Data should be gathered
and trends should be identified on an annual
basis and findings should be shared in an open
forum opportunity
.
LONG TERM
2. Develop a campus wide training day for
the entire campus to participate in the
result of which can be measured. The
topics, presenters (external or internal) and
format (mandatory or non-mandatory)
need serious consideration
CONCLUSIONS (FOR NOW)
The Diversity Action Committee feels that they
have just begun to scrape the top of the proverbial
iceberg. Utilizing the research and
recommendations from such esteemed
colleagues as the Affirmative Action Task Force of
1999, the Ad Hoc Coalition of Black Faculty and
Administrators and the Minority Faculty Staff
Association, we plan on conducting a thorough
analysis, summary and offering of
recommendations on the following areas by the
end of calendar year 2005:
•Search procedures, networking and recruitment including the
interviewing and selection process
•Updating faculty data according to gender, race/ethnicity and
comparing it to our other state college colleagues and national
statistics.
•Updating student data according to gender, race/ethnicity,
religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, physical
abilities and comparing it to our other state college colleagues
and national statistics
•Retention of faculty and professional staff
•Recruitment and retention of students
•Reappointment/Tenure and promotion
•Issues of religious tolerance in a public institution and the
role of an on-campus meditational space
•Making the DAC’s processes more transparent to the Ramapo
College community through…
•Luminis / My.Ramapo.edu
•The World Wide Web
•Open interest meetings (every
Tuesday at 11 AM in SC-217)