Diversity Meeting with President Ohle
Thursday, December 11th, 2008Recently, a meeting was held with President Ohle regarding issues of diversity (or sometimes the lack of it) at Gustavus. This was a collaborative effort between myself and several students who have been heavily involved with Gustavus’ development of diversity.
The topics we discussed were those which have been in the works for months, and sometimes years. Among these was the inclusion of more multiculturalism in the Gustavus curriculum. This would primarily serve as a means to require students who would not normally participate in diversity-related discussions to do so. Response: it is hard to change the way professors create their curriculum, but discussions will be held, and we need to keep pushing for it.
Another topic of conversation was the neutral faith space, which, as many of you know, is a room (which may or may not be in the new academic building) that would allow students of multiple faiths to set up their own worship area. This would be a largely unfurnished room for the periodic setting up and taking down of worship materials: incense, candles, and any other important items for worship. Response: the plan is in the works, but we need to keep pushing for it.
We also discussed Reconciling in Christ, the church-related program that states a church’s openness to the GLBT community. Last year, efforts to push for the program were not entirely successful. Response: we need to find a program that applies much more to the college than the church, and we need to push for this.
One of the most important discussions was of the inclusion of diversity/cultural competency training in new student orientation. The purpose of this training would be to help students to cross the barrier from their perspective to others’ perspectives. This does not mean students would have to agree with views of students of other faiths, sexual orientations, cultures, and belief systems. They would be taught how to accept their fellow classmates’ backgrounds as legitimate alternatives to their own lifestyle. Response: there would have to be discussions with deans and department heads, we would need someone to take on this responsibility, and we need to keep pushing for it.
Finally, we discussed the prospect of accepting more international students to Gustavus. We brought up the ideas that more accommodations would need to me made, efforts would need to continue as they are, and the other topics discussed would help with that. Response: he agreed, the admissions office is hard at work, but we need to keep pushing for these things.
If you notice a common theme, it is that we need to keep pushing for all these things. As a student who is already involved in these efforts, I will continue to do so. However, we need the support and opinions of more and more Gustavus students. Important changes in such a firmly rooted college are not easy. They take a large amount of effort and a lot of discussion.
If you are not currently involved in the development of diversity and would like to be, please email me or talk to a fellow student who is involved in fighting for such a cause…
Yesterday, April 26, 2008, the Board of Trustees officially announced the appointment of Gustavus Adolphus College’s next President. Jack Ohle, now former president from Wartburg College in Waverly Iowa, has accepted the position and will start July 1, 2008. This is an exciting time for the entire campus, we can expect great things from Dr. Ohle so make sure you welcome him as this transition period for Gustavus unfolds.