COMMITTEE ON MULTICULTURAL CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION
Notes from Meeting of
19 March 2013
The sixth meeting of the Committee on Multicultural Curriculum Transformation was held on
Tuesday, March 19, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. in Altgeld 203.
Attendance
Carolinda Douglass (Vice Provost for Academic Planning & Development), Teresa Fisher
(Education), Michael Gonzales (CMCT Chair; Director, Center for Latino and Latin American
Studies), LaVerne Gyant (Director, Center for Black Studies), Murali Krishnamurthi (Director,
Faculty Development & Instructional Design Center), Robin Moremen (Liberal Arts &
Sciences), Shanthi Muthuswamy (Engineering & Engineering Technology), Kristen Myers
(Director, Women’s Studies), Mark Rosenbaum (Business), Donna Smith (Supportive
Professional Staff), Beth Towell (Curricular Dean College of Business), and Kayla Schnacky
(CMCT Graduate Assistant).
Announcements
Gonzales announced that the program for the institute is taking shape and nearly finalized. He
encouraged all committee members to assume an official role in the institute in some capacity.
He also mentioned that he contacted the plenary speakers and provided them with names and
disciplines of participants. Krishnamurthi noted that in past years we set a deadline for the
plenary speakers to provide us with materials (e.g., readings, slides) for participants to read
beforehand. Schnacky mentioned that she will be requesting these materials of presenters, in
order to post them on the Blackboard website. Towell stated that she would like to contact the
presenters for sessions she is moderating.
Minutes
The minutes from the meeting of February 19, 2013, were approved without any changes.
Organization of Institute
Video Preview: Gonzales mentioned that he ordered the Cracking the Codes film a couple weeks
ago, and suggested that the committee preview the film once it’s available. Moremen noted that
we can check out the video and use the library’s viewing room, but stated that we cannot check it
out if it’s on reserve. Moremen volunteered to see if the film is in and agreed to preview the film
prior to the next committee meeting. The committee discussed appending the preview of the
film to the end of the next committee meeting in April. Schnacky will look into room and
equipment availability.
Stipends: Schnacky will inform committee members of the stipend amounts for each person
participating based on information provided by the Provost’s Office.
Participants: Gonzales said that he contacted applicants from whom we had requested additional
information and received responses. Responsibility for determining eligibility for stipends rests
with the Provost’s Office.
Objectives of Opening Institute Session: Gonzales volunteered to give the welcome and
Moremen volunteered to conduct the institute overview. Gonzales also addressed the objectives
of the opening session and highlighted the importance of reminding participants of what is
expected of them, and to make everyone feel welcome and comfortable. The Institute should be a
safe environment where participants can speak freely about the issues at hand. Moremen noted
that her overview includes discussion of the “safe environment” aspect and that her materials can
be viewed on the MCTI website. Towell requested that, in the overview, Moremen introduce
individuals who may come and go throughout the day. Moremen has discussed this is past
overviews and will do so again at this year’s institute.
Gonzales said that the ice-breaker should focus on providing useful information about
participants and creating a positive environment. Myers recommended the CLAS graduate
retreat ice-breaker and volunteered to organize and to lead the activity. To recap, Gonzales
stated the order of activities in the opening session will be: welcome (Gonzales), Provost’s
remarks, overview (Moremen), and icebreaker (Myers).
Schedule, Daily Coordinators, and Moderators: Gonzales proposed the committee review the
current schedule one session at a time and discuss any issues and unfilled roles.
Monday, May 13
Gonzales will serve as the coordinator on Monday.
Student Issues (Caldwell): Gonzales mentioned that he and Caldwell will meet soon. Her
presentation is expected to provide an overview of student issues.
Student Panel (Lopez, Bender, and others): Gonzales stated the session will be moderated
by Towell, who has firmed up two student panelists and has promising leads for three
others. Towell will inform Schnacky of the additional student panelists as they are
confirmed. Gyant mentioned that she will find a woman for the student panel.
Tuesday, May 14
Gonzales confirmed that Gyant and Smith are still available to coordinate on Tuesday.
Smith noted that she will be primarily be shadowing Gyant.
Plenary Workshop (Ouellett and Stanley): Krishnamurthi stated that he will contact the
plenary speakers and provide them with the information they require about the session.
He will also ascertain their specific technology requirements. He also noted that Stanley
is in education and Ouellett specializes in LGBT studies. Krishnamurthi volunteered to
construct a memo to the plenary speakers to offer some guidance about the framework of
the institute. He also agreed to moderate all of the plenary workshop panels.
Wednesday, May 15
Gonzales confirmed that Moremen will serve as the coordinator on Wednesday.
Video: Gonzales noted that the video was moved to Wednesday morning at the request of
the presenters. Moremen mentioned that because the film is 75 minutes long, we are left
with only 15 minutes for discussion. The committee agreed to having an earlier (8:30
a.m.) start time on Wednesday (refreshments from 8:00-8:30 a.m.), which will leave 45
minutes for discussion of the film.
Race & Ethnicity (Weffer): Gonzales stated that he contacted Weffer and provided him
with guidelines. Gonzales volunteered to moderate the panel.
Race & Ethnicity (Joy and Flynn): Gonzales noted that he contacted his colleague, Joy,
whose dissertation research focused on Native Americans who owned slaves. He noted
that Moremen and Gyant contacted Flynn who is in teacher education and participated in
the last institute. He noted that Professor Joy is likely to focus on historical
humanities/social science issue. Gyant mentioned that Flynn’s research focuses on white
privilege and he will likely talk on that topic. Moremen volunteered to provide Flynn
with guidelines to help him focus his presentation. Fisher volunteered to moderate the
panel.
Krishnamurthi asked if the presenters for the race and ethnicity panels could be present
for both sessions in order to participate in discussions. Gonzales said that he will propose
this to the presenters.
Thursday, May 16
Gonzales confirmed that Myers will serve as the coordinator on Thursday.
Gender (Littauer and Catherwood-added after March meeting): Myers noted that both
gender and sexuality panelists are open to co-presenters. Myers volunteered to moderate
the panel.
Sexuality (Brookey and Bostwick-added after March meeting): Moremen asked if there is
still a plan to invite a transgender student to join the panel. Myers named potential
graduate student who could speak to transgender issues.
Past Participants (Macdonald, Muthuswamy, and Tattersall): Smith volunteered to
moderate the panel. Gyant stated her concern that “we are getting too formal instead of
letting people speak from their heart…and talk about what’s important.” Gonzales stated
that he did not have a problem with speaking from the heart, but that presenters should be
informed of time limits and given some guidance regarding the objectives of the Institute.
Krishnamurthi brought up the large-group discussions that have been done in past years.
Moremen noted that while it has not been done in recent institutes, participants have
asked for it in their recommendations. Fisher asked if this could be incorporated into the
small groups to allow for a more personal discussion. Gyant noted that some participants
need a debriefing before going into their small groups. Myers proposed that the past
participant panelists lead a discussion about the process, to allow for a more personal
discussion and “something more human.” Muthuswamy, who will serve on this panel,
agreed with Myers’ suggestion. Moremen proposed that the panelists provide a copy of
their syllabus, highlighting the changes they made as a result of the institute, and then
discuss the process of having made those changes. Myers volunteered to contact past
participants to communicate the direction of the panel. The committee agreed that the
past participant panelists should address: any assumptions they held at the beginning of
the institute, what they gained from the institute, how the institute helped in transforming
their course, what suggestions they have, and their personal transformation.
Friday, May 17
Gonzales noted that Goldenberg will serve as the coordinator on Friday.
Disabilities (Gough, Kapperman, and Ward): Towell asked if three panelists are
sufficient. The committee agreed that three would be fine.
Social Class/Economic Inequalities (Hoffman): There were no changes to note on this
panel.
Small Group Leaders: Moremen noted that she cannot organize the small groups until the leaders
are known. Moremen gathered a list of suggestions to discuss with Gonzales and Douglass.
Assessment
Myers reported that she has met with Douglass and Sherrill Morris to discuss a formal
assessment plan. She noted that the plan is to use materials already available to us, those we can
collect, and the resources of the Assessment Office. Myers stated that there will be a syllabi
review and the evaluation in off-years. Participants will be given a raw score, with the goal to
see improvement in the pre- and post- raw scores. Myers noted that participant presentations
will also be assessed and given a raw score. She mentioned the student survey that should be
given to students after the class is over. The goal is for professors to ask students about at least
four diversity topics in the survey. Myers encouraged the committee’s feedback on the
assessment product.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:28 a.m. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday,
April 16, 2013 from 10:00-11:30 a.m. in Altgeld 203.