Thc agreement reached last Friday concerning cultural diversity and a greater minority presence at the University of Vermont, following a week of discussions, is of such importance to the campus community that I want to report to you on those discussions and their resolution. With it, I want to invite every member of the UVM community to join me over the next few months and years to make the spirit and intent of the agreement a reality on this campus.
Committed as many on this campus have been to increasing the minority presence here, the University of Vermont, as with much of the rest of the nation, has failed to realize the gains and hopes of the civil rights movement of twenty years ago to bring minority Americans fully into the mainstream of this campus and this country. Our failure collectively to do so poses a problem of potentially catastrophic dimensions for this nation.
To rekindle and accomplish the goal of full and complete participation of minority Americans in this nations´s life, and to ensure this University´s full participation in helping to accomplish that goal, we, all of us at UVM, must make a substantial additional commitment to increasing the minority presence at UVM. That means we must increase substantially the number of minority students and the number of minority faculty and staff at the University, and we must enrich significantly the minority presence in all aspects of the University´s life.
Try as many have on this campus, our record in recent years has not been impressive. Even as the total number of minority students has increased at UVM over the past ten years, the number of Black undergraduates has actually declined from a high of about 70 students in the mid-1970's to 40 students in the current year. Until two years ago, the number of minority faculty members had remained almost constant, at about 11 faculty members over the ten year period. As well, there had been very little activity in adding courses and programs that represented the richness and diversity of subject matter embraced in the minority experience.
Realizing thc need for a much more vigorous program, steps began two years ago to establish a new plan for UVM. We found some limited keys to increasing our minority student body, accomplish ing more than a doubling of the minority student population in the freshman class from the fall of 1985 to the fall of 1987, and, as well, found that an incentive program for minority faculty recruiting led to an increase in the numbers of minority faculty from 11 to 17 members in the same period of time. The effort needed to be much more vigorous, however, and with the opening of the current academic year, I and my colleagues made this topic a top priority, as noted in my opening letter to the cam pus community last fall and in my opening remarks to the Faculty Senate and to the other constituency groups on the campus. To give tangible force to the importance of this topic, I asked Provost John Hennessey to assume the position of the University´s Affirmative Action Officer and, in consultation with key groups throughout the campus, to fashion a forceful and effective plan for UVM.
In the process of formulating that plan, it bccame clear to me, in con versations with a group of minority students beginning on February 19, that the problem was much more serious and urgent that I had realized. Many of these students despaired over the sense of isolation they felt at UVM and at the environment in which they found themselves, an environment that included racist remarks and actions by faculty, staff, and students, and an environment that included very little in thc way of courses and programs that incorporated the minority experience. The fact that there were so few fellow minority students at UVM and virtually no supportive minority presence in the community intensified and exacerbated their sense of isolation and despair.
My colleagues and I were sufficiently impressed with the intensity of the concerns expressed by these minority students, that I agreed to crystallize the various plans then under consideration into a proposal for much more specific and vigorous action for presentation to the minority students and to the campus community. I presented that plan on March 23, calling for a doubling of the undergraduate minority student body and the minority faculty over the next four years, and calling for steps to make significant increases in the presence of courses and programs dealing with ethnic studies and the minority experience. In addition to presenting the plan to the campus community, and discussing it with the Deans, the Faculty Senate, and the Student Association Senate, I began weekly meetings with a group of minority students to see if we could incorporate their concerns into the general university plan. It was my hope we could develop a single document, one that could incorporate into the proposal I had made the concerns of the minority students.
The minority students made it clear that they had some major differences of opinion with my proposals, and presented to me a set of demands for changes in the proposal, a set of demands to which I had pledged to respond at the next meeting scheduled for Wednesday of this past week.
My own view of the set of demands, presented to me was that they represented less a difference in goals than a difference in the way of expressing those goals. It should be noted that, right from the beginning of my discussions with the minority students, differing opinions were expressed by several as to the best way to engage the issues under discussion. Some, including faculty and staff members and several non-minority students, were advocating confrontation as the only way of making progress on these issues. Those differing opinions aside, I continued discussions with the minority students under the weekly meeting format, until the occupation of our offices that occurred last Monday, April 18.
When it became clear that the minority students with whom I had been discussing these issues wished to pursue negotiations in the context of the occupied offices and that they, and only they, would be a part of those discussions, I agreed to enter negotiation with them on the issues in dispute. From the first hours of the sit-in, the opinion of the Deans, the Faculty Senate Executive Council and selected faculty, staff, and students was sought and they were supportive of the approach we took. As well, I was in regular contact with the Chairman of the Board of Trustees.
The decision to negotiate with the students under those circumstances was a difficult one to make. The occupation of the offices was a clear violation of the University´s Policy on Freedom of Expression and Dissent. Under normal cirumstances, the only response I and other administrative officers could make would be to carry out the provisions of that policy.
I decided to make an exception in this circumstance, however, because we´d had the issues under discussion for some time and even though I think we were in suhstantial agreement as to the general goals, the process was clearly taking more time than many in the minority community believed appropriate. Had the negotiations reached a point at any time where there was no hope of progressing further, we were prepared to end the occupation . I believe the occupation of the offices was neither necessary nor appropriate, but the minority students, a group of students who feel very much isolated from the normal channels of decision making at this University, felt otherwise. Accordingly, I chose to continue to negotiate with the students, indicating that so long as the discussions were continuous and meaningful, we would neither press charges nor institute internal judicial proceedings under the University policy on Freedom of Expression and Dissent.
By Thursday noon, we had reached an impasse on four key issues and turned to a mediation process that involved having each party choose one mediator with that pair to select a third. The three tenured faculty chosen, Professor Stephen Berkowitz of Sociology, H. Lawrence McCrorey of Allied Health Sciences, and Samuel F. Sampson of Sociology, met continously through the night to bring about a resolution on all unresolved issues. The mediators played an admirable and pivotal role in enabling all parties to find acceptable language and common ground for resolution of the issues.
The negotiations were fruitful, and early last Friday morning, we reached agreement on all of the key items under discussion. The principal features include the following:
As well, an Advisory Support Network will be formed, consisting of those currently involved as well as the newly hired minority faculty and staff. This network will provide support for the minority students, and will find ways to reduce and eliminate the segregation of the minority population from the rest of the campus.
I look forward to working with the campus community in implementing this plan in the weeks and months ahead. Its success will depend on the willing and vigorous commitment of the entire community.
AGREEMENT
April 22, 1988
Faculty Amendments
1 . A consultative mechanism will be established involving administrators, faculty and the minority student panel to set reasonable goals for the recruitment of minority faculty to tenure track positions over the next four years. It is understood that these goals will be established in light of relevant data on the availability of faculty in various fields and disciplines and the expected faculty turnover at UVM over that time period. It is expected that the number of such appointments will fall in a range between four and eleven per year for that four year period. In no case will the number of minorities hired be less than four each year. Committees shall be appointed by the Provost at the University level and in each school and college, in consultation with the minority student panel and faculty to oversee and monitor the implementation of this agreement as it pertains to the hiring of all new faculty. Such committees shall include minority faculty and student members.
2. I will work with the governance groups of the faculty, the staff, the Minority Student Panel and the students to establish a disciplinary procedure with punitive sanctions for any member of the University community who blatantly engages in or insinuates racist remarks or actions.
3. I will work with the Provost and Minority Student Panel to assure that the evaluation of faculty members includes an opportunity to comment on inappropriate references to race. Faculty members will be evaluated on affirmative action through the green sheet process. I will assure a permanent minority faculty presence in the review process.
4. The Provost and the Senior Vice President together with minority faculty and students will secure and evaluate extra-University assistance in providing a program in racial awareness and sensitivity that will become a permanent part of the orientation for all new faculty and staff at the rniversity. Participation in this program will be strongly encouraged for all faculty and staff currently employed by the University. Partici pation in said program shall be considered as part of the evaluation process for all faculty and staff in consideration of reappointment, promotion and tenure, where relevant, and for annual salary review. The Senior Vice President shall work with the minority student panel to identify staff groups with high rates of contact with students, faculty and members of the community, for whom participation in the program shall be mandatory.
Departmental Amendments
1. I will work with the faculties of the colleges, schools, and Minority Student Program to have courses in ethnic studies including Afro-Ameri can, Latino-American, Asian American and Native American Studies increased significantly and available beginning in the Spring of 1989, and made a permanent part of the curriculum. I will charge the Provost, in consultation with the deans, faculties, and the Minority Student Pro gram, to identify those course materials most appropriate for an effective university program, and to integrate them into the work of all ap propriate departments.
2. A Committee including minority faculty and the Minority Student Program appointed by the Provost shall be convened at the earliest possible time and charged with the responsibility for planning and developing a program on race relations and ethnic diversity that will be offered to all entering freshmen commencing in the Fall semester of 1988. This program will be designed to sensitize students to issues in the area, will be of approximately three weeks duration (3 hrs/ week), and will be offered throughout the year. Whenever possible, minority and third-world students and appropriately qualified members of the Burlington community may assist the faculty in the offering of this program. In the event that logistics prevent some freshmen from participating in this program during academic year 88-89, provisions will be made for them to complete it by the end of the fall semester of academic year 89-90.
This program will serve as the basis for the design of a required credit bearing course for all incoming freshmen for subsequent years. The President and the Provost will work with each school and college toward the goal of establishing these courses as part of the regular curriculum .
Minority Recruitment Amendment
1. Beginning in the the fall of 1989, each incoming out-of-state class shall reflect the approximate proportion of minority groups (Afro-American, Asian-American, Hispanic American and Na tive American) in the population of high school graduates in the United States and each incom ing Vermont class shall reflect the approximate proportion of minority groups in the population of high school graduates in the State. In no case should the proportion of the minorities in the incoming out-of-state class be less than their proportions in the United States high school graduate population (currently estimated at 14%) or their proportions in the Vermont high school graduatepopulation(currentlyestimated at 2%). The University commits itself to a doubling of the minority undergraduates over the next four years.
2. I will add to the admissions staff dedicated to minority recruitment two permanent full-time equivalent positions. I will direct the Director of Admissions to make a determined effort to see that staff members involvcd in minority recruit ment are themselves minority persons. The minority student panel will be actively involved in the recruitment process.
3. All appropriate information on admitted minority students will be given to the Minority Student Program. The Minority Student Program will have the responsibility of contacting all admitted minority students for the purpose of encouraging them to enroll. For these purposes the Minority Student Program will have a permanently increased budget and staff to accommodate these added responsibilities.
4. Two students from each minority (Afro American, Asian American, Latino-American, and Native American) will be appointed to accompany the minority admissions officers. All travelling expenses for these students pertaining to this issue shall be paid for. I will charge the Director of Admissions to invite minority students currently enrolled at UVM to play an active role in recruiting new minority students, and I will have appropriate arrangements made to cover the expenses of their involvement. Compensation, not limited but including College Work-Study support, will be arranged in so far as this is permitted under federal laws and regulations.
Administrative Amendments
I . A minority presence on the University's Board of Trustees is a desirable objective. I will work with those involved in the current process of selecting trustees from the UVM student body to establish ways to provide a regular minority presence through that process. As well, I will work with the Trustees and Minority Student Panel to establish ways to get additional minority presence through the other existing positions.
2. At least two full-time permanent positions will be created for the Minority Student Program, in addition to the one which is already in existence. This will be reviewed and updated yearly by President with Minority Student Panel.
3. A newly formed and integrated Advisory Support Network will be formed. This system would consist of the existing network along with the newly hired minority faculty. This program will specifically advise minority students and conduct awareness sessions for all faculty and staff members at UVM. This institution will be permanent and devised so as not to support the segregation of the minority population.
4. In addition to the Minority Student Program positions created above, the Minority Student Program will be permanently integrated with other administrative offices such as Financial Aid, Graduate Studies, etc. This would mean that each of these departments will contain their own permanent Minority Student Program representatives.
Scholarship Amendment
1. In addition to all grants, scholarships and loans, a merit-based scholarship program will be created for minority students and not affect the students´ financial aid packages. Insofar as federal and state regulation will allow, I will lead an effort to raise private funds for that endeavor. In the event that private monies cannot be raised, the University will be obliged to offer these merit based scholarships.
Construction Amendment
1. To insure that the above amendments are realized and fortified into actuality, a Minority Student Panel including two minority faculty members will be created. Any and only minority students (Afro-American, Asian-American, I.atino-American and Native American) will have the opportunity to achieve a position on this panel. This panel will have the active responsibility of overseeing, critiquing, and if necessary enforcing the enacting of all the above amendments. This panel will also be appropriated the necessary budget to fulfill its responsibilities.
I agree to implement all of the items listed in the document as University policy. In undertaking these commitments as President of The University of Vermont, I will act in conformity with the laws of the United States and the State of Vermont.
Lattie F. Coor
President
The University of Vermont
April 22, 1988