After 16 years of minimal change, UW-Madison is witness to a new campus-wide proposal to increase diversity throughout the community, agreed upon by faculty, staff and students in a town hall meeting Tuesday.
Collectively called the Ad Hoc Diversity Planning Committee, this group finalized the new plan titled “Forward Together: A Framework for Diversity and Inclusive Excellence,” also known as the Diversity Plan.
Interim Vice Provost for Diversity and Climate and Chief Diversity Officer Patrick Sims explained in the meeting how a set of 30 recommendations will help the group achieve their five goals in the new framework.
Sims said the 1998 plan did not include much student involvement, which he plans to change with the new framework.
“Some of the things we are going to have to have people roll up their sleeves and get involved because we need your help,” Sims said. “This is not a one-size-fits-all phenomenon. There are experiences of things that need to be addressed, certainly through a student perspective.”
Sims proposed the creation of six new committees to address 12 to 14 of the recommendations to better implement the Diversity Plan throughout campus.
In addition to forming committees, Sims encouraged other student organizations to team up and teach each other about diversity.
Sims said that UW-Madison gets a “bad rep” for diversity efforts, and although the new plan could “flop,” he said he believes student involvement is the key to positive results. Sims went on to explain it is the students’ responsibility to get involved.
Part of the Diversity Plan includes encouraging students to take their ethnic studies course requirement during the freshman or sophomore year, allowing students more time to build upon their experience in the class.
Sims made clear that diversity is based not only on ethnicity, but also on age, gender identity or expression and life experiences. The Diversity Plan focuses on all of these, aiming to attract a multitude of students.
Students interested in joining a diversity framework committee can email jointhediscussion@cdo.wisc.edu for more information.
