A November 1992 draft of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission´s report said both Institutions needed to work on racial equality on campus. The commission hopes to issue a final report early next year. The federal commission´s report is part of an investigation into racial tension on the nation´s campuses.
The report is the end result of a fact finding mission by the Vermont advisory committee to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission. It will outline issues and problems on the campuses, and offer solutions provided by the schools and the advisory committee.
Regardless of the findings, the schools will not be penalized. The schools also are not required to follow the suggested solutions, but can use the report as a guide to improve race relations on campus.
While the commission updates its report, a separate state investigation winds down. In October, four state legislators questioned UVM´s minority hiring practices, particularly of African-Americans. The letter touched off an investigation by the state´s Joint Fiscal Office. The findings of the investigation might be linked to UVM´s $27 million budget request in the 1995 legislative session.
This week, a fiscal analyst in the state´s Joint Fiscal Office will likely send a copy of her preliminarry findings to House Appropriations Committee Chairman Michael Obuchowski, a Bellows Falls Democrat, who called for the investigation.
"I´ve talked to people at the state personnel office and UVM, and they have identified that there isn´t a large pool of minorities to draw from. But at the same time, UVM is committed to recruiting and retaining more minorities," said Maria Belliveau of the Joint Fiscal Office.
UVM has a higher percentage of minorities on its payroll, 5.35 percent than the state or the city of Burlington, Belliveau said. Minorities constitute less than 2 percent of the state´s work force and about 2 percent of the city´s work force, she said.
Burlington Progressive Rep. Terrill Bouricius, who signed his name to the the letter to Obuchowski, said he and his fellow lawmakers wanted to keep the pressure on UVM about the issue of how well they hire African-Americans.
"It´s interesting because we wanted to see just how well they have performed," Bouricius said. "We in fact may want to direct more money toward diversity is sues if that might help."
A local woman active in African-American issues hopes the federal commission´s report will uncover any hiring discrepancies at UVM.
"lf it´s a federal investigation, I hope that it is going to look at what the real truth is," said Shirley Boyd Hill, who lives in Essex Junction.
"The African-American is always at the bottom of the totem pole; we are always being left out. We don´t just want to hear about statistics."
A UVM spokesman said the school has made efforts to combat racism and promote multicultural understanding.
"One of the biggest changes overall has been the level of awareness on campus. Diversity has become one of the university´s strategic goals," said Enrique Corredera, a UVM spokesman.
The establishment of the Commission on Racial Equality and Multicultural Education also has been a significant step in meeting the school´s goals of racial equity, Corredera said. This school year, the commission will work on a variety of issues, including racial fairness and equity training for everyone on campus, and how to recruit and retain people of color as staff, faculty and students.
An official with the federal commission says he hopes to put together an draft of the final report by Dec. 31.
The Middlebury College official who will pull together the information for the federal report says the private school has made progress. "We have more faculty of color, particularly African-Americans," said Edward Knox, Middlebury´s vice president. for academic affairs. "We´ve also had lectures and special symposia for Latinos and other people of color."
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