President’s Commission on Diversity
March 8, 2007
Room 103 Main Building
Minutes
Members Present: Jaime Nebbitt, Gail Hairston, Karen Slaymaker, Gwen Christopher,
Jeff Jones, Sharon Taylor, Melanie Otis, Lionel Williamson, Laverne Carter, Jim Wims,
Bessie Guerrant, Eric Brown, Linda Rakes and Weijia Ren.
Members Absent:
Guests Present: Phyllis Lee and Lisa Brown
Call to Order:
The March 8, 2007 meeting of the President’s Commission on Diversity was called to order at 11:45 A.M by Jaime Nebbitt, Interim Chair.
Greetings and Introductions
Jaime Nebbitt welcomed the PCD commissioners and introduced Phyllis Lee, College of
Social Work, Development Assistant and Lisa Brown, Student Affairs Coordinator,
College of Journalism and Telecommunications.
Interim Chair’s Report:
Diversity Awards Budget Approval:
Jaime Nebbitt announced that the annual President’s Awards for Diversity ceremony would be held on April 12, 2007 at the E.S. Good Barn at 2:00p.m. - 4:00p.m. Jaime reported that more information would be distributed regarding this event and that between 75-90 people would be invited. Dr. Portia Hunt, Psychological Studies in
Education, Counseling Psychology Program, Indiana University, will be the guest speaker at the awards ceremony and her topic will be “Ethnic Markers”. Jaime advised of the breakdown of the proposed expenditures for the PAD event and they were broken down as follows:
Speaker $5500
Reception $2000
Trophy’s
$ 870
Awards $3500 (7)
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The projected cost for the awards ceremony is $11,800. Jaime advised that last year the cost was approximately $13,000. Jaime asked the Commission for approval of these proposed expenditures. Jeff Jones made a motion for the approval of the awards ceremony expenditures and the motion was seconded by Gwen Christopher. The vote passed with a unanimous vote.
Jaime advised that Dr. Portia Hunt, from Temple University, would be the keynote speaker for the PAD and would be coming to Lexington two days prior to the PAD ceremony and that the Commission would be responsible for providing meals for her while she was here.
Dr. Lionel Williamson asked the Commission if there was a process in place for evaluating speakers that come to the campus community. It was suggested that possibly an evaluation form be presented at this event for feedback on the speaker. Jaime Nebbitt indicated she would provide an evaluation form at this event and would report back to the
Commission the results.
Jaime reported that the Commission had received 31 PAD nominations. Further, she requested volunteers for the PAD selection committee for review and selection of the winners of these nominations. Karen Slaymaker, Laverne Carter, Bessie Guerrant and
Gwen Christopher agreed to sit on this committee.
Jaime asked the Commission if they thought a shuttle would be necessary to transport people to/from the Good Barn for the PAD awards ceremony. It was agreed that a shuttle should be reserved for this event and pick people up in front of the Main Building.
Further, Jaime announced that parking passes would be available for those parking in structure #5 to catch the shuttle. Gail Hairston agreed to put an ad in the UK News and to do an email blast regarding the Awards Ceremony and would include an announcement about the shuttle transportation as well.
Jaime called for volunteers to help at the Award Ceremony for the introduction of the speaker. Dr. Lionel Williamson agreed that he would do this but would first need to verify his availability for this date. Karen Slaymaker agreed to be the back up for Dr.
Williamson if he could not attend.
Spring Retreat:
Jaime discussed with the Commission the possibility of having a Spring Retreat. She advised that the last retreat was scheduled with The Brown Hotel in February but had to be rescheduled and unless we schedule a Spring Retreat, the fees associated with the prior commitment for booking the Brown Hotel would have to be paid for regardless. Jaime asked that the commissioners get back to her with available dates in June for a possible retreat so we could reserve the dates. Jaime reported that there probably would not be a facilitator for the retreat which would eliminate the $2000 expense and that there would not be the expense for the audio visual equipment of $200 so the estimated cost for this retreat would be approximately $7,800. Jaime asked that the members take the proposed
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budget for this event back with them and consider and report back to her whether they could attend a retreat and, if the proposed expense could be approved.
NCORE 2007 Budget Approval:
Jaime announced that the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity (NCORE) would be held in San Francisco, CA from May 29, 2007 – June 2, 2007. Jaime advised that the commissioners’ packets contained a proposed budget for this conference. Further, that the requested 2006-2007 budget allowed for three (3) people from the Commission to attend this conference. Jaime announced that the projected costs for this conference for three people would be approximately $8,257 but that the estimated airfare would probably be more than the $1,500 requested and asked if the Commission would approve this budget.
Jaime requested anyone interested in attending this conference to please let her know as soon as possible so that registration fees could be made.
Jeff Jones made the motion to approve the proposed expenditures for NCORE at an approximate cost of $8,257. Motion was seconded by Melanie Otis and passed by a unanimous vote.
Article from Drew University:
Jaime directed the Commission to the article handed out from Drew University entitled
“Face to Face” by D.P. Rigg,
Human Race Machine Encourages Students to Talk About
Diversity.
This article talked about the “Human Race Machine” (HRM) which is a computer based simulator capable of morphing the facial image of its operator to transform their image using the characteristics of each of six racial groups. Jaime told the
Commission to review the article and if interested to contact her and she would look into the possibility that perhaps this concept could be brought to our campus.
Task Force on Racial Diversity and Equality:
Jaime advised that with the departure of Dr. Bill Turner, Dr. Kreamer is now the acting chair of the Task Force on Racial Diversity and Equality but that things are rather at a stand still at the present time and that the Task Force is still functioning but at a slower pace than before. Jaime was not aware of when the next meeting would be therefore, there are no present report findings.
PCW SPONSOSHIP PRESENTATIONS
College of Agriculture Diversity Council Update:”
Jaime advised that she was on this Committee along with Dr. Williamson and reported that at the last meeting it was announced that there were different counties submitting reports as to what they were doing in regard to diversity. Jaime asked Dr. Williamson for
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a copy of the magazine showing what these counties were doing with regard to diversity so she could pass this information onto the Commission.
Out of this last meeting of the Council came an announcement about the MANRRS
(Minorities in Agriculture Natural Resources and Related Sciences ) student group. This group of students are preparing for their national conference in Birmingham, Alabama.
This conference for years has been the main focus of minority students in Agriculture.
Jaime advised that the PCD sponsored seven student registration costs for this conference to help with the expenditures. Further, an update from this conference would be presented to the Commission in the future.
Dr. Williamson, Dean, Director, College of Agriculture, reported that there were 18 representations of diversity in its broadest content on this committee. He further advised that this committee struggles to both meet the mandates of their numbers, which are a race based, black vs. white, while at the same time looking at the broader issue of diversity in terms of how to incorporate these mandates into what one does. Dr.
Williamson advised that this it was very important as a committee to communicate in all the different ways that they can and they appreciated the contribution and support of the
PCD.
Winter Extravaganza:
Jaime advised that the Winter Extravaganza was to be held this evening and it was a way for the President’s Commission on Diversity to express appreciation to the campus community for their support of the Commission.
Multicultural Forum on Workplace Diversity
Lisa Brown, Student Affairs Coordinator, Journalism & Telecommunications, attended the Conference on Multicultural Forum on Workplace Diversity, Pursing the Dream:
Inclusion, Opportunity, & Empowerment on February 20-21, 2007 in St. Paul, MN. The
PCD contributed to the sponsorship of her trip for this conference. Lisa gave a summary of the conference and the training that was offered. Attached to the minutes is Lisa’s summary of this conference.
Lisa expressed her appreciation to the Commission for helping to make it possible for her to attend this conference and felt the information she learned would be very beneficial to her current position.
A DVD by the ProGroup Players regarding business cases for diversity may be viewed on the The President’s Commission on Diversity website at www.uky.edu/PCD .
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Betances Conference
Bessie Guerrant reported that Eric Brown, Jaime Nebbitt, Karen Slaymaker, Toni
Thomas, Jim Wims and herself attended Dr. Samuel Betances’ Conference on “Strategies for Becoming an Effective Diversity Practitioner: Training for Trainers Course”,
February 6-8, 2007 in Chicano, Il. Bessie reported that they came away with a very positive experience and that the tools presented at this conference were delivered in an interactive way, demonstrating possible implementation strategies for a university environment.
A draft "Diversity Toolkit" was shared to represent outcomes of the training. It was felt that a PCD committee would continue development work on the web-based "Diversity
Toolkit."
.
Marietta Watts, HR Training & Development
The meeting of the President’s Commission on Diversity was prematurely adjourned at
1:30pm
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Multicultural Forum on Workplace Diversity
Pursuing the Dream: Inclusion, Opportunity, & Empowerment
February 20-21, 2007
St. Paul, MN
Diversity Development: Techniques for Recruiting a Diverse Workplace
Dr. Edward Hubbard, Hubbard & Hubbard Inc.
Recruiting a diverse workforce…includes your brand image and reputation on the street to the cultural sensitivity of your (admission recruiters) as well as what is done to retain, develop, promote, and utilize the talents of a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment
(taken from Multicultural Forum conference booklet).
According to Dr. Hubbard, diversity is not about representation, it is about utilization.
The University’s ability to utilize people’s skills and incorporate their ideas will assist in retaining a diverse institution. As we move toward the realization of being a top 20 institution, the emphases cannot solely be on recruiting a diverse student body and faculty pool. It is paramount we provide an environment that is conducive to meeting the academic, social, and personal needs of students and faculty. What is our campus climate? Do faculty members, staff, and students feel that this university is welcoming and receptive to their ideas?
If the focus of the university is simple enrolling a certain percentage of students who represent different ethnic, socioeconomic, or religious backgrounds, but no consideration is given to making these students a vibrant part of campus life, then we as administrators, faculty and staff are providing a disservice.
We can apply this same mindset to inviting guests to our homes, but not making any provisions for their visit. Our guests would be less apt to return if we simple handed them a key, told them we were glad they had joined us, and then did not spend any time with them during their visit. Not only would they not schedule a second visit, they would consider us poor hosts and tell others that we lacked hospitality.
To effectively retain our students, we must move beyond the recruitment stage. Students must have an opportunity to become actively involved in campus life, conduct research with professors, and develop leadership skills. In essence, we have to create an environment where people feel valued.
Questions to ponder concerning our recruiting techniques
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Do our admission officers and senior administrations take diversity training classes? Is it realistic to expect that our recruiting efforts are going to be fruitful without training these individuals?
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What does our literature/website look like? Dr. Hubbard argues that is issues pertaining to diversity are more than TWO clicks away from the homepage, then the website is outdated.
▫ Are we recruiting at places that are traditional AND convenient? Have we learned how to think outside of the box?
Recruitment Strategies
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Establish an ongoing presence/relationship at high schools, Special
Olympics, conferences for empowering women, community events, etc.
(think outside of the box).
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Identify barriers that would cause perspective students, faculty members and staff not to matriculate at UK.
Let’s Keep Talking About Race
Rebecca Robinson, RBC Dain Rauscher
Jeffrey Cookson, Employers Association
This session focused on equipping participants with the necessary tools to foster discussion about race in the workplace. Participants were placed in small groups where they were asked to identify methods that have facilitated these discussions on race. They were also challenged to list ways in which they have been able to educate others on this sensitive topic. Following is the summation of these methods that were recorded by each small group:
What has helped you learn?
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Having open discussions
Exposure to information
Staying open-minded
Self-awareness (constant re-checking, critical thinking)
Learn by teaching and helping
Protesting, writing and researching
Learn by listening
Sharing your experience
There are two sides to every story
Comments from inter-racial couples with children
Discussions on topics regarding diversity
Presentations on diverse groups
Individual personal stories
Listening to one another’s perspectives
Open-minded people/willing to teach
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Multiple lens perspective
Trial and error
Courage
Open to feedback
Challenging my perception
Experience – “heart felt” change/immersion – you are the minority
Attend forums
Ask questions
Perception
Other people
Speak truth to power
Thinking outside the box
Making false assumptions
Open communication
Asking “uncomfortable” questions
Crash/Black Baby, White hands
Immersion experiences
Movie Crash
Bill Cosby – on rap music
Samuel Betances
Margaret Sanger standtoreason.com
How have you educated others?
Encourage candid conversations
The play Hot Comb
Exposure to “my experience”
Ask questions – “why do you think that way?”
Telling someone the truth instead of ignoring
Giving honest feedback
Not letting an event/meeting end without an understanding
Have an “open” conversation
Understanding not understanding and knowing ignorance is not an excuse
Frank conversation
Learn a language (available at not cost to city of MN employees)
Book discussions where diversity council picks the book and execs lead discussions
Culture clubs/presentations
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Not being afraid to speak up
Being aware
Leadership supporting open dialogue
Using relevant news articles on gender, race, sexual orientation
Level playing field activities
Being open/honest (build relationships)
Introduce topic of diversity in new hire orientation
Speakers list with diverse representation
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Expand cultural competence via training/seminar
Sharing your own experiences in an effort to stimulate dialogue
Morgan Sparlock 30 days Series
The movie The Color Purple
Facebook.com
MBA recruitment
Six Steps to Discussing Race (taken from handouts presented at session)
1) Be ready
2) Identify the behavior
3) Apply to principles
4) Set limits
5) Find an ally
6) Be vigilant
Personal Action Plan (taken from handouts presented at session)
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When thinking of race and my personal life, I most struggle with…..
Resources that can support my overcoming these struggles include….
New/next actions I will engage include…..
I will implement these actions on the following timeline….
ProGroup Players
Undoubtedly, this theatrical troupe provided the most innovative and non-threatening manner to discuss diversity. Actors presented topics such as racial biases, gender differences, and ageism. Each performance was led by a facilitator who engaged the audience to discuss these issues in small group settings. We were then challenged to develop an action play. *Some of the performances included:
Shakespeare Guy: His language and culture is totally different from the mainstream culture. This scenario depicts bias in action and its impact from the perspective of the individual.
Bias Zone: Explores where bias comes from, and how it affects decision making, promotions, ways in which we relate to students.
Change Agent Duo: This skit introduces Check, Check and Double-Check models, tools for acting as a Change Agent.
Check yourself ▫
What is my perspective?
Am I making any assumptions or judgments based on my personal biases?
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Am I willing to challenge these assumptions or judgements?
Am I willing to get out of my comfort zone?
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Check Others
What is the other person’s perspective?
What are they thinking/feeling/expecting?
Have I acknowledged their emotions?
Am I missing information or someone’s opinion?
Double Check
Does my decision support our organization’s mission, values, and diversity goals?
Are my words and actions demonstrating appreciation of differences?
Am I supporting a respectful environment for everyone?
Talk Show – Becoming a Change Agent: A talk-show format is presented where individuals are portrayed as naïve, a perpetuator, an avoider, or a fighter. Participants interact with the actors by serving as audience members, who must use the Check, Check, and Double-Check model to facilitate change.
*What category do you fall into:
▫ Naїve
Acts with no knowledge or awareness of biases and or prejudices and their impact.
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Perpetuator
Aware of biases and prejudices but continues behaviors and reinforces and rewards bigotry.
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Avoider
Aware of biases and prejudices but does nothing and plays it safe.
Tolerates unjust behavior.
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Change Agent
Acts as role model. Takes action when appropriate and addresses behaviors when necessary. Takes risks.
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Fighter
Attacks all actions and confronts all behaviors. Always on the lookout for prejudice.
*All information is taken from ProGroup Players’ DVD jacket and Change Agent
Checklist
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